FDOT Vineland Road changes may make things worse, they say
For decades, Polynesian Isle Boulevard through the heart of the Indian Wells subdivision, on the west side of Kissimmee, has been used as a shortcut to get from U.S. Highway 192 to Vineland Road (State Road 535) to avoid numerous other signaled intersections.
Like any other shortcut, people are in a hurry. So, add those drivers to the ones who enter and exit a Walmart Plaza at the east end of Polynesian Isle, and the result is a road that residents feel is unsafe for both those walking the sidewalks and drivers trying to turn out of one of the residential side streets.
At the corner of Polynesian Isle and Barefoot Path, there is a memorial for someone who died in a recent fatal car-versus-pedestrian crash. Just south of that corner, the main road curves a bit, providing a slightly limited sight line to the left. Cars that exceed the 40 mph speed limit can come up on a car pulling out into traffic very quickly.
Michele Molesky is the HOA president for Indian Wells, and said she gets a lot of complaints, and that residents are afraid of more fatalities.
“I’ve had talks with the Sheriff ’s Office about issues in the morning. School buses add to the morning rush hour,” she said.
Molesky, who noted a civil engineer did recently go to Indian Wells to check out the situation, also said a member of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office attended a recent HOA meeting, but was there just to provide a crime report.
“They are aware there are speeding issues. However, we were told there are speeding issues all over Osceola County,” Molesky said.
Osceola County’s response to residents who’ve asked for traffic lights at Barefoot Path or at Thunder Cloud Way has been to complete signal warrant analyses in 2017 and 2018 at those intersections. A county spokesperson said the reports done showed the intersections weren’t warranted, and the annual average daily traffic (AADT) hasn’t changed on that road since then. Since 2018, a yearly average of 20 crashes occur on Polynesian Isle, per the county.
“The County is reviewing if any improvements can be done for lighting, signing and markings to reduce crashes,” spokesperson Krystal Diaz said.
While speed bumps have been brought up, Molesky said the county refers to its criteria that include “a speed study, traffic counts, roadway lengths, and an analysis of median speed.” But, even if a location qualifies, the HOA is then required to gather the signatures of at least 60 percent of the affected homeowners to support the installation.
“This process would be nearly impossible as the majority of the homes in Indian Wells are investment properties,” said Molesky. “Owners do not live here. In order for the HOA to get owner approval, we would need to contact every owner by mail and gather signatures. We do not have good luck with any type of mailings. I was very deflated with this response.”
“Traffic lights would address the speed,” Molesky said.
There is a signaled crosswalk near Thunderbird across Polynesian Isle, connecting to the local park, with flashing lights when a pedestrian enters the street. But both Molesky and her fellow resident said the lights don’t always work. When they don’t Molesky said, the county does come out and service them back into working order within days.
“It’s not always a deterrent, anyway,” Molesky said.
Best Foot Forward, a local coalition that does education and outreach to improve pedestrian safety, has conducted its exercises in the past that involve police waiting to pull over those who don’t yield to street crossers who have already stepped off the sidewalk. But, one longtime concerned resident, who asked not to be named for this story, said concerns have fallen on deaf ears, until Osceola County administration got involved.
The resident also said proposed plans by the state’s Department of Transportation to change a number of intersections on Vineland Road won’t help things. The FDOT is looking into changing the ones at Polynesian Isle and Poinciana Boulevard to “Partial Median U-Turns” (PMUT) where Vineland traffic turning left on those roads must pass the intersection signal and make a U-turn a bit farther down the road then turn right on the street.
“People coming from 192 will stay on that instead, then turn right on Polynesian and have to go the whole length of the road,” the resident said. “That will make it worse.”
FDOT is holding a public meeting on Thursday, April 13 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Embassy Suites hotel (4955 Kyngs Heath Road). Project displays and FDOT team members will be on hand to ask questions. Attend virtually by visiting http://bit.ly/3SYuFxE, or call 1-877-309-2071 and enter passcode 959-658-675 to listen in via phone.
