Avon cracking down on drivers after too many disobeying construction signs
AVON, Ind. (WISH) — The town of Avon is cracking down on drivers after construction crews complained about too many people driving through their construction zone.
The town has continuously been noticing unwanted traffic at County Road 200 and Ronald Reagan near IU Health West.
There may be a space large enough for a car to fit through, but the sign says “closed to thru traffic” which means there shouldn’t be nearly as many people coming through as what there has been.
County Road 200 has a segment being completely redone and it’s been under construction for a couple of months. Neighbors knew that meant detours and one-way traffic for people living in the area.
“That’s not a county road anymore,” Brad Perry, who lives off County Road 200, said. “They have got that tore up pretty bad!”
Neighbors understood to keep workers safe, the road needed to be shut down for a bit. And the town of Avon, figured people would respect that.
“They shouldn’t have to worry about having a lot of vehicles around them when they’re doing their construction work,” Avon Town Manager Tom Klein said. “It’s just not a safe situation.”
But the thing is, the town of Avon has noticed not everyone cruising down the road lives in one of the two neighborhoods along the construction on County Road 200.
“The signs say no through traffic, which means if you don’t live in the construction zone, you shouldn’t be going down that road,” Klein said.
None of this should have to be said, but with the amount of traffic still coming down the road, you have to wonder what people think it means.
“‘Well, I’m not thru,’” Perry said, giving his impression of drivers. “‘I’m just going to this point and then I’m going to turn.’ So, yeah, I think that’s a confusing statement for a lot of people to be honest with you.”
“If you are unsure where the barricades- how far the barricades are, that means you don’t live in the area,” Klein said. “Because if you don’t know then you don’t live in the area. Because we have informed everyone within the construction zone what they’re supposed to do.”
Police have started ticketing people who are clearly not obeying the signs, and the consequences can be tough. It’s a $170 ticket if you’re caught going through. And if you’re speeding, that’s at least $400 more.
“People just need to follow the simple rules, which is if you don’t live in the area and you see a construction sign that says not open to thru traffic, that means you need to go a different route,” Klein said.
Drivers won’t have to worry about this section too much longer though, because construction should be done in August. After that, the same thing will be happening between Dan Jones and 900 East.