Illuminada Rivera lives in fear of an intruder breaking into her home. It’s not that the 66-year-old woman is afraid of a home burglary or some other nefarious scheme. Rather, she is worried about an accident that would cause a vehicle to crash into her home that is located on the sharp curve of Dahlia Drive.
And her fears are well-founded. For the nearly 20 years since she has lived at the three-way intersection of Dahlia and Alder drives, there have been five instances when a vehicle has failed to navigate the turn, jumping the curb and ending up in her front lawn.
So far, like the crash last month when a truck careened into their yard, the only casualty has been a tree. But she worries that, at some point, a vehicle may come to rest in her living room or bedroom. “It’s been a problem for a long time, a long time.
We have had so many accidents.,” Rivera said. “I’m afraid to go to bed at night.” In the most recent incident, which occurred at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, a truck missed the turn, crashed into one of two small trees bordering her driveway and exploded into fire.
The occupant was not hurt, but a few years ago, a similar accident claimed the life of the driver. More than once the huge oak tree in Rivera’s front yard has served has stopped a vehicle in its tracks before reaching the home.
But the homeowner cannot help but imagine a worst-case scenario for her and her husband. “It’s hard not to think about it because you can never tell what will happen,” she said. The issue also has been of concern to the Azalea Park SAFE Neighborhood organization, headed up by Rev. Patricia Kant- Roberts of Christ the King Episcopal Church, located just up the road on Dahlia Drive.
For months the group has appealed to Orange County officials for help in improving the safety of the corner. Currently, and for as long as anyone can remember, the only warning signs are a series of reflecting chevrons (V-shaped diagonal stripes) intended to alert motorists of the 90-degree curve.
“[The Riveras] have been caused duress and are nervous whenever they have lawn care to do in their front yard. No homeowner should feel this threatened in their own yard,” Kant-Roberts wrote in an e-mail to county officials. In fact, the reverend has known about the dangerous intersection for much longer.
Before the Riveras bought the property, the house served as the home of the associate priest for Christ the King Episcopal Church. “We sold the house when we realized what a dangerous place it was,” Rev. Kant-Roberts said. Hector M. Bertran, project manager for Orange County traffic engineering, would like to do more to protect the homeowners.
Recently he ordered that pavement markers be painted on the roadway, indicating a curve was upcoming. He explained that a guard rail or other barrier is not appropriate for the intersection.
“A barrier at that location would be more of a hazard at that location than the potential for accidents,” Bertran said. Because alcohol is usually involved with these types of accidents, he wonders if any solution would completely resolve the problem.
But there are other alternatives. Atraffic study last year showed that the volume of traffic along Dahlia Drive had decreased, allowing for traffic-calming devices to be implemented. Bertran said residents must present a petition to show they are in favor of implementing a potential remedy, such as speed humps to slow down traffic.
“We need a petition from residents and that’s what we’re waiting for,” Bertran said. “I’d like to move forward on this. I’d like to do something for the residents. If they feel unsafe, they are welcome to undertake multiple options to protect their homes.”
Rivera is now working on the petition, already gathering 36 signatures from neighbors. She doesn’t anticipate much difficulty in gaining the required support of two-thirds of the homeowners in the area, since many are affected.
Her neighbor also has seen vehicles crash onto their property. Nor is the danger limited to traffic on Dahlia Drive. Rivera said cars on Alder Drive also pose a safety problem. “They come through here speeding like crazy. It’s terrible, terrible,” she said.
“I don’t dare go for a walk at night.” She noted that speed humps previously slowed traffic along Alder Drive, but were removed during a resurfacing project. “Why did they take them out?”
