Sandy Springs police write more than 100 tickets for illegal U-turns

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - On Glenridge Drive at I-285, it’s not easy to get around. Road work is to blame for chaotic and confusing conditions. About the only thing clear for drivers navigating through the area are no U-turn signs posted everywhere.

“All those pylons and there are so many of them in a row and then you see all these signs and it’s a lot. It’s very busy,” Sandy Springs resident Jay Levitt said.

And despite the six no U-turn signs, including a digital one, drivers still made the illegal turn over and over again.

“With the top end construction being what it is right now, people are trying to find alternate routes home or around the construction in general and what they end up doing is running into these no U-turn signs and then they’re ignoring them,” Sgt. Matt McGinnis with Sandy Springs Police said.

Sandy Springs Police said they received complaints about the illegal turns and when they came out to investigate, they wrote more than 140 tickets in just a couple of days.

“On your average traffic complaint, we might write 20 tickets, so the numbers are staggering,” McGinnis said.

And to make matters worse, several drivers made U-turns right in front of our camera, right in front of the police.

“A lot of it is the older people, the older generation that just gets caught off guard when they come down that road. They’re not expecting all those pylons and get cut off on the expressway, so they go right beyond it, and they find a way to turn around and get on the expressway and they’re not aware of it,” Levitt said.

Sandy Springs Police said they will continue to enforce this area until further notice and they’re asking drivers to give themselves extra time and consider going up to Roswell Road and back down to 285.

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