Q: Is it legal to run a red light when the cross street is completely blocked off due to construction?
I'm seeing a lot of road construction where the traffic lights still operate as normal but where there is simply no possibility of cross traffic, no possibility of U-Turns, even. I've seen some drivers, including a bus, treat the solid red light as a stop sign, I've seen some just go right through it, I've seen some stop and wait. If specific examples could help, you can look at Hennepin Ave in Uptown.
A: Is it illegal to run a red light when the cross street is completely blocked off due to construction.
A: Context provides meaning. A prudent driver would stop for a red light, even when the cross streets at the intersection are blocked off. But a drivers defending a citation for failure to obey a red light might defend the case arguing that the signal should be treated as a stop sign, given the circumstances. I don't think driving through without stopping would be defensible, given the potential danger to pedestrians. See Minnesota Statutes Section 169.06. Police officers have discretion when issuing violation citations. I think that a wise police officer would not cite a driver who stopped, treating it as a stop sign, in these circumstances. But a wise driver would wait for the green, to avoid legal risk.
A: Yes, you need to stop and wait for light to change. The fact that the cross street is blocked off doesn't change the semaphore to a stop sign. Pedestrians and folks on bikes need to be able cross and ignoring the light doesn't give them a chance to do that.
A: Sometimes the law doesn't seem logical, like you cannot carry an ice cream cone in your pocket in August in Lansing, Michigan. But in this case, the 100% consensus is the traffic signal is (by the law) deemed to be smarter than you, and must be obeyed. Welcome to Artificial Intelligence. An Officer can cite you, which costs you your time, even if you win at court. There is the time you lose for : 1. writing you the ticket, 2. going to court for arraignment, 3. waiting for your case and being arraigned, 4. returning home, 5. returning to court for trial, 6. waiting for your case to be called, 7. handling your case, 8. returning home. No traffic signal in the world takes that long, do the math, which is better for you? Thank you for using Justia's Ask a Lawyer, but don't rely on what you are told here, consult a local attorney who will obtain all the facts from you and review your documents.
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