Yellow Light Blues

Bob Weithofer, the city engineer who’s in charge of signal timing, insists that the police have absolutely nothing to do with timing yellow lights. That decision rests solely with his department, and he says that the equation is his unyielding guide in determining the timing of Davidson County’s stoplights. But what about the state law?

Weithofer pleads ignorance about any state law setting a yellow light minimum, but says that three seconds is “the minimum setting for yellow lights in Davidson County.” He also says that it’s technically impossible for many of the lights to be set for less than that. “It’s the way they’re hard wired,” he says.

He dismisses the timing of yellow lights with stop watches as “inexact” and says that while he’s not positive, chances are that the yellow lights become longer as you head west because you’re going uphill. “It’s easier to stop when you’re driving uphill,” he says.

As for the dramatic uptick in red light violations, Weithofer fingers the same culprit as Savage: the police. “We didn’t change what we were doing; the police department changed what they were doing,” he says. It’s true. Police Chief Ronal Serpas has made traffic enforcement a well publicized—and somewhat annoying—priority. One officer who asked not to be identified says that inter-departmental memos authored by the chief stress the importance of traffic stops as a means to catch bigger fish, like parole violators or people with outstanding warrants.

“There’s been a significant increase in traffic enforcement downtown, just as there has been throughout the city,” police spokesman Don Aaron says. Though he declines to describe the spots as “speed traps,” he does say that traffic cops know where the short yellow lights are. “If that enforcement has prevented just one pedestrian from being struck and killed by someone who blows a red light,” Aaron adds, “then it’s worth it.”

In the end, it seems that Savage is right. The cops are looking to bust more motorists. The bad news—for most of us anyway—is that, the three-second minimum notwithstanding, they have a green light from the law.