CONCORD, N.C. — Poplar Tent Road at Highway 29 in Concord was transformed into a reduced conflict intersection about a month ago.
The changes were made to relieve congestion by restricting left turns. So, drivers are supposed to go through the intersection and then make a U-turn.
But that's not happening and police are cracking down.
"It’s a pain in the butt," driver Jerry Bradley said.
[ALSO READ: Security cam shows another crash at dangerous Union County intersection]
When Channel 9's Gina Esposito asked Bradley if he'd ever seen someone make an illegal turn at the intersection, he laughed and said, "I’d have to take the fifth amendment on that."
Channel 9 went to the intersection on Wednesday and saw a dozen cars make illegal left turns.
Concord police said officers conducted 40 traffic stops at the intersection between Tuesday and Wednesday morning. They said they gave out 16 warnings for traffic violations and 25 citations to drivers who they caught making illegal left turns.
Officers started issuing citations after they posted a warning on Facebook asking for drivers to be safe.
Esposito asked Allyson Sigmon, the spokesperson for the city, if they have seen some relief with the congestion.
Sigmon responded, "Absolutely, as you can see the traffic is just flowing consistently so there definitely has been a decrease in congestion."
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Sigmon said they haven't had any serious wrecks since the intersection opened, and they want to keep it that way.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation said a reduced conflict intersection is designed to reduce crashes by 15 percent, compared to a regular one.
"If there’s a police car around, people can see it yeah they are going to pay more attention to but there’s prob going to be an accident eventually," driver Tony Harris said.
If drivers get a citation, the fine is only $25, but with court costs, the price is more than $200.
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