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Roundabout Could Calm Traffic Near Winter Garden School


Parents of Lake Whitney Elementary school students in Winter Garden are celebrating plans to move ahead with a roundabout at a busy intersection nearby. It's hoped the roundabout at Windermere and Roberson roads will help calm traffic and make the intersection safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

The announcement came after students gathered at the intersection for a rally to support International Walk to School Day.

Orange County initially wanted to widen the intersection and add turn lanes to ease congestion, but area residents said they wanted a safer solution.

Orange County Commissioner Scott Boyd says the county now has to decide how to fund and build the roundabout.

“It’s positive, we’re moving forward," says Commissioner Boyd. 

"I think the next step for us is really going to be once we’ve ironed out all the details we’re going to bring it back to the community, give them a presentation, let them know where we’re at.”

Boyd says the design has to be done right, because the intersection will have a huge impact on development in the area.

"This has been an important intersection for me for a long time. My aide had even totaled her car here while I've been in office, so it is vitally important to get it fixed and it's an issue that has been ongoing."

$600,000 is already set aside by Orange County and Winter Garden for the million dollar project, and impact fees from future development along Roberson and Windermere road could also be used to fund the roundabout.

children crossing

The walk to school event at Lake Whitney was part of a push to get people out of their cars and to highlight pedestrian safety.

A coalition of law enforcement, public health and local government agencies is working to try and cut down pedestrian injuries under a program called Best Foot Forward.

That includes safety programs rolled out in public schools, and an enforcement operation targeting drivers who don’t stop at intersections.

 

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