Bend police warn drivers: Don’t cut through lots to avoid traffic

(Update: More from store owner, police0

As summer road projects ramp up in Bend, police are seeing more drivers getting creative in getting around backed-up intersections. But they warn that such parking lot cut-thrus to save time could bring a ticket your way.

According to a posting on the Bend Police Department Facebook page, drivers are cutting through a parking lot to avoid a traffic signal.

Tom Ledford, who works at the 7-Eleven near the intersection of Northeast Greenwood Avenue and Eighth Street, told NewsChannel 21 that drivers fly through the store’s parking lot every day, almost hitting another vehicle or person trying to get into the store.

Ledford said it’s a constant problem they see every day, and those drivers are careless and not looking at their surroundings.

“People that are trying to get from A to B, they’re not even concerned with stopping at the store. They just want to cut the light and cut traffic off,” he said.

Police said drivers are breaking the law and could face a $150 fine.

They acknowledged that “traffic is tough around Bend,” as the city grows and tourists arrive, but warn cutting through parking lots to avoid a light could result in a crash — or a ticket.

“There are a lot of people walking in parking lots and on sidewalks, and most of them are not expecting vehicles driving through the parking lot to avoid the traffic light,” the police posting said.

It’s also the topic of our new KTVZ.COM Poll: Do you ever cut through parking lots to avoid traffic? Find it on the right side of our home page. We’ll also post results of Tuesday’s poll, on term limits for state lawmakers, in our Community Billboard area.