Unsafe drivers will lead to disaster

On too many occasions, Lakewood Ranch residents, especially those who live at the Moorings, are observing unsafe driving on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.

Specifically, and too often, people are driving the wrong way on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard near Main Street. I personally observed this twice in the same week — both during daylight.

Ten other such daylight incidents were reported to me by Moorings residents.

The primary source of the problem is at the Lakewood Ranch Boulevard/Lakewood Main Street intersection. Occasionally, drivers who are leaving Lakewood Ranch Main Street, and who are attempting to head south on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard by turning left, are turning into the northbound lane.

They should be driving past the central median. An easy fix would be white, dashed curved lines painted onto the intersection’s roadway.

Less often, at the Lakewood Ranch Boulevard/Rodeo Drive intersection, drivers who are leaving the Main Street area using Rodeo Drive and who are hoping to head southward turn sharply left into the northbound lane.

An easy fix would be a dividing sign or a raised concrete slab that would divide the left-curving pavers from the right-curving pavers.

The problem at the third intersection (Lakewood Ranch Boulevard/hospital entrance/exit) might be occurring on an hourly basis. People leaving the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center parking lot and who are hoping to head north sometimes cross the southbound lanes and enter into the curved section of roadway that passes through the median. (That short curved roadway section is intended for northbound cars who are attempting to enter the Medical Center parking lot). Then, the errant drivers turn left heading north.

An easy fix would be an additional arrow or two that could be painted onto the asphalt, with those arrows positioned closer to the southbound lanes.

Regarding the problem at the hospital entrance/exit, there is another cause — a surprising one. There is a very smart traffic light at the first intersection. Some of the cars on Health Park Way that are stopped at that light and which are facing east are attempting to cross Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and enter Main Street.

On some occasions, after the left turn arrow comes on and goes off, the “go straight” solid green lights do not come on. Out of frustration, those drivers turn right on red and do an illegal U-turn at the third intersection through the curved section of roadway that passes through the median.

An easy fix would be to reprogram or replace the traffic lights at the Lakewood Ranch Boulevard/Lakewood Main Street Intersection.

And lastly, it sometimes happens that drivers leaving Moorings Point Circle at the Lakewood Ranch Boulevard/Moorings Point Circle intersection are not seeing the large sign with the curved arrow and the word “ONLY.” If they would see the sign and understand it, they would understand that left turns onto LWR Boulevard are wrong and dangerous.

I believe that wrong-way driving on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard is occurring more often, especially as the population of Lakewood Ranch increases. I am worried that significant accidents will occur. A fatal accident occurred in March of 2018 when a driver drove down Lakewood Ranch Boulevard in the wrong direction near the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

Traffic accidents sometimes occur because of “too-quick” or “reckless” driving decisions. Some occur because of a lack of focus or cell phone usage. Others occur because of a lack of familiarity with the roads. The complete elimination of traffic accidents is impossible, of course. But on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, some simple traffic engineering changes will make that road more safe. MIKE RESETARITS MOORINGS AT EDGEWATER