Traffic light engineer explains what to do at yellow lights

As people are cited for crossing red lights on two different intersections in Colorado Springs, a traffic light engineer says people could avoid the fines if they knew what to do at yellow lights.

“Everyone is going to be safer if people would stop using it as an acceleration color and more as a warning to stop color,” said Jason Ferris, a city engineer who controls the timing of traffic lights.

The Colorado Springs Police Department said red light cameras in just two intersections in Colorado Springs caught nearly 900 violations within the first 30-day warning period. Of those warnings, 839 came from the intersection of Platte and Chelton avenues alone.

Ferris explained that yellow lights give drivers a dilemma of whether to brake or cross the light. But he advised people to drive cautiously and brake more often than accelerate.

“You’re either far enough away from the traffic signal where you need to slow down or you’re either close enough that you need to go through,” he said.

Bland Rooker, a local taxi driver, says he’s seen countless people cross red lights throughout the city.

“What’s really going to solve the problem is people taking upon themselves the attitude of ‘I want to make it through the day alive,'” Rooker said. “And it’s not just my safety, it’s the safety of other people as well.”

CSPD says the warning days are now over and people will be fined $75 if they’re caught on cameras crossing red lights. There are currently two camera setups, one at Platte and Chelton and one at Lexington and Briargate.

The Red Light Camera Safety Program is funded through the fines of motorists who drive through red lights. You can find more information on the city’s website.