SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Atlanta traffic is messy enough on its own. But when problems hit, how agencies respond can look very different depending on where you are.

In Douglas County, flashing red lights on Thornton Road south of I-20 caused hours of backups during at least three morning drives in August. My traffic co-anchor, Rachel Cox-Rosen, and I covered the delays on Thornton Road approaching these errant signals at both Factory Shoals Road and Douglas Hill Road. No one stepped in to direct traffic, so 11Alive reached out to find out why.

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Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson T.J. Jaglinsky said it comes down to resources.

“It is really a case-by-case basis," he said. "With the multiple lanes, it

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