JANESVILLE — A new electronic sign has gone up this month on Milton, Beloit and Prairie avenues warning drivers that street takeovers and reckless driving will not be tolerated.
“Warning active traffic enforcement zone! Street takeovers and reckless driving will not be tolerated!!! Zero tolerance policy in effect!!!” reads the scrolling message in the median near the McDonald’s intersection.
On Milton Avenue, the signage coincides with the opening of the Woodman’s Sports and Convention Center and the stepped up enforcement of the city’s cruising ban.
The city is hoping to crack down on reckless driving and cruising near the sports center as it hopes to put on a good impression as out-of-towners visit the city.
According to the ordinance, cruising means driving a motor vehicle past a traffic control point in the designated area more than twice in any two-hour period between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Passing a designated control point a third time under those conditions shall constitute unnecessary repetitive driving and cruising.
Citations range anywhere from $50 to $500.
The ordinance also gives police the authority to tow or impound vehicles operated by reckless drivers.
The circuit transitioned from its historical downtown Janesville location to the Milton Avenue
corridor in the 1990s.
According to a news release, Janesville police officers spend a considerable amount of time responding to a range of complaints, including noise disturbances, disorderly conduct calls, fights that have resulted in serious injuries, crashes, OWIs/underage drinking, vandalism, stabbings, and shootings.
Moreover, this has been a long-standing nuisance for our residents and those visiting the city, police say.
Residents can expect to see more traffic officers in the designated areas, and police will be taking a proactive approach to enforce all traffic and equipment violations.
Police say their goal is not to harass individuals, but rather to improve the quality of life for everyone who lives in and visits the area.
Additionally, police say they will be enforcing our loitering ordinance for businesses that request their assistance, as well as those marked with signage.
Here you will find a link to the new ordinance:
https://mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us/api/ordinanceDownload/15605/1341173/pdf







