Residents request traffic signal at busy intersection on C.R. 535

SOUTHWEST ORANGE – Chances are, if you drive, you likely know the feeling of waiting for the stars and planets to align just to cross through traffic at a busy intersection. 

But if a post on the NextDoor social-media site is any indication, residents who navigate the Winter Garden-Vineland Road and Lachlan Lane intersection have just about run out of patience — especially now that new development has added more traffic to the already-busy intersection, which has no traffic-light signal. 

The end result, resident Paula Corano said, is insanity. And she, along with others, hope Orange County officials might soon recognize the danger in allowing the intersection to have no signal. 

“There’s a possibility of people turning four different ways,” Corano said. “You can go straight from both directions and you can also turn right and left from both sides. ... Sometimes, you’ll see four cars in the middle all trying to head in different directions, so it’s insane.” 

The intersection is sandwiched between a large residential development on one side and an upcoming shopping center on the other side, which has yet another residential subdivision behind it. 

“Once the shopping center opened, it got more chaotic, because it’s more and more directions people can turn,” Corano said, adding that she recently witnessed an accident at the intersection as well. “But it’s always been chaotic because (County Road) 535 is very wide. So for a car to go from one side to another, you have to cross like three lanes of traffic. And I think what makes it more dangerous is that now there’s more development. And it’s kind of like a runway; people are going 60 mph. So people are speeding on top of everything.” 

However, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes said there have only been four accidents reported at the intersection since April 8, 2009. 

When asked if the county has any plans to add a traffic signal at the intersection in the future, Cristine Loyfe, from the county’s traffic engineering division, said they have indeed received inquiries from residents regarding the intersection and that a traffic signal will be installed if a study determines a signal is warranted. 

The study and signal, Loyfe added, would be the financial responsibility of the developers behind the surrounding residential and commercial projects. 

Typically, a signal warrant study analyzes traffic counts and crashes to determine whether a signal is warranted, and the minimum requirement is five crashes within a 12-month timeframe.