Those trying to beat Murray Light may be cited
By SUSAN LEATHERS
Brentwood Home Page
A Brentwood Country Club resident contacted us recently to complain about the number of Brentwood high and middle school students and parents who continue north on Franklin Road past the Murray Lane intersection, then turn left into Brentwood Country Club where they make a U-turn. The purpose is to turn right onto Franklin and right onto Murray to avoid the long wait to turn left onto Murray from Franklin.

The BCC subdivision entry is already busy enough, the reader shared, with not only resident traffic but traffic in and out for the country club as well. Making matters worse, there isn’t enough room for most vehicles to even make a u-turn behind the divided entry. There are also “No U-Turn” signs posted.

We went to the expert to find out What’s Up with That? – Brentwood Police Officer John Maxwell, the guru when it comes to traffic in Brentwood. If you are one of those parents or students who have been trying to beat the system, you best take note.

Maxwell confirmed the police department has also received complaints on this issue. “We have sent cars to the area to conduct enforcement,” he said. Last Wednesday, he and two other patrol cars were in the area and one citation was issued for an illegal u-turn.

Here’s item 66-228 in the city’s municipal code that covers u-turns:

The driver of any vehicle shall not turn such vehicle so as to proceed in the opposite direction at any intersection or at any location between intersections. Any violation of this section shall be known as making a U-turn. This section shall not apply to turns in dead-end streets and similar locations where a U-turn is the only practical means of changing directions, or to turns between one-way roadways of a divided highway unless signs specifically prohibiting such turns have been erected along the section of street or highway in question. No U-turn shall be made unless such movement can be completed in safety and without interfering with other traffic

“Along with this city ordinance, there are also  two ‘No U-Turn’ signs posted on Franklin Road in this area,” Maxwell tells BHP. “As our schedule allows, officers will be assigned to this traffic complaint and we will continue to issue citations for violations.”

So there you have it. Might we suggest getting up a few minutes early? That’s cheaper than paying for the $100 moving-vehicle violation you’ll pay, per city code if you are cited. Just saying…