Cutting Through Parking Lots Now Banned In Forsyth

CUMMING, GA — Forsyth County drivers who cut through parking lots to avoid red lights might want to think twice. Now, that's illegal.

An ordinance recently passed unanimously by the Forsyth County Commission makes it illegal for drivers to disobey a traffic control device by driving through either private property or public property that's not a street or highway.

Officials say drivers using parking lots as a cut-through has increasingly become a problem that threatens public safety.

"The ordinance recently enacted by the BOC gives the sheriff’s office another tool in keeping Forsyth safe," said Sheriff Ron Freeman, who pushed for the ordinance. "As congestion and road construction continue to build in Forsyth County, it was important to have at our disposal a legal way to limit dangerous cut-through of private property simply to avoid a red light or other traffic control device."

Existing county laws didn't address the issue, Freeman said.

Freeman acknowledged that parking lot cut-throughs aren't a problem everywhere, but said they are a real safety hazard in some heavily congested areas. He said he anticipates deputies mostly giving warnings about the practice at first, but said drivers who endanger others will be ticketed.

"As I consistently state, the sheriff’s office is not in the ticket writing business," Freeman said. "We are in the business of keeping our community safe, whatever that requires."

Commissioners approved the new ordinance on a 4-0 vote at their Oct. 5 meeting.

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