(Juneau) Dodge County authorities say recently installed cameras are for highway safety improvement. The cameras have been placed at the intersections of County Highway A and W, Highway’s S and G, State Highway 16/60 and County Highway T, and State Highway 16/60 and TT.
Sheriff Dale Schmidt says these cameras have been placed for a very short time as the highway department is evaluating safety improvements for these intersections. They are scheduled to be removed later this week as the highway department is only gathering traffic counts, turning movement, and other traffic hazards and near misses.
Schmidt notes that these devices are not license plate camera readers and are not related to law enforcement. He adds that they are providing this information to the public as so many have made false assumptions about the cameras and their use. The sheriff says his agency thanks the highway department for constantly looking at these intersections for potential improvements.
He points out that these intersections should not need safety improvements as the incidents that occur there are all preventable and the vast majority of crashes are due to drivers not obeying the stop signs.
Schmidt notes that the turn lanes that are at County Highway A and W are also legal for passing on the right under state statute. He adds that there are no signs that regulate otherwise, and white lines are not regulatory lines, they are recommendation lines. Only yellow lines are mandatory.
Schmidt says while they do not recommend it as people turning left from the opposite direction have a difficult time seeing you passing on the right, it is legal to do so. He says many people like to point out incorrectly that these lanes are the reason for crashes that occur at this intersection.
–Photo courtesy of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page
