When it comes to traffic infractions most things are black and white. If the radar gun clocks you driving above the posted speed limit, then you're speeding. Run a red light camera such as the one at the intersection of Boulevard and Freedom Parkway, it's pretty hard to refute photographic evidence. But what constitutes running a stop sign? Or more specifically, how long should you stop at a stop sign and who determines that you've stopped long enough? That's the question Ormewood Park resident Paul Schwartz is asking following two recent tickets he received in the last few months at the …

Perhaps with the exception of the red light cameras at Boulevard and Freedom Parkway, it seems traffic signals and stops signs are mere suggestions and routinely ignored. Such is the case at Metropolitan Avenue and Metropolitan Place in East Atlanta. The intersection sits at the East Atlanta Post Office. Motorists speed down Metropolitan Place, which runs to the side of the post office, and they zoom down Metropolitan Avenue. Though there's a stop sign for motorists on Metropolitan Place, they breeze right past it as do some post office patrons who ignore the stop sign coming out of the Post …

The intersection of Moreland and Glenwood avenues can be a challenge for motorists and pedestrians alike. It seems to be a case study in how not to design an intersection: There are turn lanes onto Glenwood from Moreland in both directions, but only the southbound turn lane on Moreland has a dedicated green arrow. Motorists driving north on Moreland and wanting to make a right on Glenwood have to floor it to beat oncoming traffic or wait through a couple changes of light during rush hour. There's "no-turn-on-red" signs onto Moreland from Glenwood in both directions, but motorists routinely …

On any given weeknight, and especially on the weekends, the northeast corner of Flat Shoals and May avenues can be a tricky one for motorists. Patrons of the Midway Pub park along east side of Flat Shoals and the north side of May. The problem is motorists headed west on May toward Flat Shoals have a difficult time entering the intersection. The corner is cut at an angle, so when cars are parked on Flat Shoals to the end of the block, drivers on May wanting to turn left can't see the oncoming traffic until they're halfway in the intersection. We've seen many a near-miss of motorists trying to…

In our travels around the Patch, we try to avoid Maynard Terrace, which at certain times can be nightmare of motor vehicle entanglement. There's no traffic signal there at that interchange which is just south of the Maynard Terrace and Memorial Drive intersection in Kirkwood, near the East Atlanta border. There's not even a flashing light. Problem is, those coming off the eastbound exit of I-20 are usually decelerating at a high rate of speed. They have to stop almost in the middle of that intersection, to see the southbound traffic coming down Maynard. Meanwhile, those traveling south on …

If you drive Ormewood Avenue to get to Moreland Avenue with any regularity, you know you have to be prepared for a wait when you get to the traffic light at the intersection — unless you're lucky to catch the green light. Moreland is a state road and controlled by the Georgia Department of Transportation. As such, the DOT's main objective is to keep traffic flowing on Moreland as freely and fast as possible. But Ormewood is a city road and takes a back seat to Moreland in terms of traffic flow. That explains why the red light for motorists turning onto Moreland from Ormewood Avenue is so long…

When former Mayor Shirley Franklin first took office in 2002, one of her initial moves was to form the "Pothole Posse" to address the many road hazards that kept auto mechanics busy. Motorists rejoiced, but equally as bad are the faded or sometimes non-existent road stripes and markings on the streets. Residents of Grant Park, Boulevard Heights and Benteen Park who share a stretch of Boulevard going north from the U.S. Penitentiary know that all too well. There are two lanes headed north on Boulevard, from McDonough Boulevard to the railroad tracks just north of Hamilton Avenue SE. But once …

If you like the sound of growling engines and the sight of speeding cars, you needn't travel to Germany's famed Autobahn or even the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Just come to Candler Park during rush hour and watch the intersection of Oakdale Road and McLendon Avenue. You can watch from the parking lot of the Gilded Angel Candler Park Gallery on the northeast corner. We have. So have area homeowners and business owners who've witnessed a troublesome number of accidents at that intersection, including one serious one last week. The incidents range from pedestrians and bicyclists getting hit by cars…

At morning and evening rush hour, the intersection of Boulevard and Memorial Drive can be trying on one's nerves. Adding the frustration is the traffic signal layout of the intersection for motorists making left-hand turns. There are four dedicated left-hand turn signals at all four corners of the intersection, where Cabbagetown and Grant Park meet. The problem, as Space Ship, an East Atlanta Patch reader, points out: Only three of the corners have dedicated left-hand turn lanes. Motorists traveling east on Memorial and wishing to turn left on Boulevard may have to sit through one or two …

This week, we start a new column, Traffic Signals, which will be a periodic look at some of the problem intersections and road hazards motorists face in East Atlanta Patch. We've heard from many readers and the problems they face as motorists regarding different intersections and the hazards those problems create not just for cars and buses, but for cyclists and pedestrians, too. We'd like to hear from you about not only the problem intersections for future columns, but potential solutions that could work that we could present to local city leaders and the Georgia Department of Transportation…