HomeNews Hillsboro police to crack down on 'J turns'
Hillsboro police to crack down on 'J turns'
Written by Free Press
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Responding to citizen complaints, the Hillsboro Police Department announced last week it would be conducting “selective enforcement assignments” to reduce “J turns” in the downtown area.
Dan Kinning, chief of police, said the department has been receiving complaints about drivers performing the illegal move, which he defined as crossing double yellow center lines when parking on the opposite side of the street.
“The police department will begin an increased presence downtown in an effort to target those making these turns and in an attempt to educate the public as to the dangers of such practices,” Kinning said.
Hillsboro City Ordinance states that “whenever signs or markings are in place to define a no-passing zone, and are clearly visible to an ordinarily observant person, no driver shall at any time drive on the left side of the roadway within such no-passing zone, or on the left side of any pavement striping designed to mark such no-passing zone through its length.”
The ordinance makes two exceptions.
One exception is when the driver of a vehicle wants to turn left into or from an alley, private road or driveway.
The second exception is when an obstruction exists in the street, making it necessary to drive left of center.
In such cases, the driver must yield the right away to approaching traffic in the adjacent lane until it is safe to maneuver around the obstruction.
“Although ordinances and state laws may vary slightly, crossing a double line is unlawful virtually everywhere in the United States, and is a basic law that every driver should be familiar with,” Kinning said.
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