Summerfield residents signal support for turn lane

Summerfield Park resident Lynne Van Eck finds that entering her community during rush hour can be a problem. With oncoming traffic heading south on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and no left turn arrow to halt it, residents are often left idling at the light, waiting for an opening.

Gil Pearce, a supervisor for Community Development District 1 who lives at the opposite side of Summerfield in Summerfield Glen, doesn’t have that problem. That’s because southbound traffic does have a signalized left turn for his community.

But Pearce raised the issue to the CDD board after Van Eck discussed it with him at a Summerfield community landscape meeting. The board agreed to put pressure on Manatee County officials in hopes of securing a light.

“There’s a period of time I’ve seen — between 4 and 6 p.m. — the traffic coming the other way is terrible,” Pearce said.

Van Eck has had to wait three cycles of signals to get into her subdivision, she said. With 600 residents on her side of Summerfield, the wait is getting to be a problem.

“I feel that traffic is getting heavier on the road, especially during the business hours when people are leaving work and going home,” she said. 

Instead of trying to battle the stream of traffic, Van Eck has been turning into Club House Drive, south of the traffic signal. The Club House Drive intersection, a four-way stop, is easier to get through — that is, if everyone stops, and they don’t always, Van Eck said.

Pearce said the board aksed the county a few years ago for a designated turn arrow but didn’t succeeded because traffic counts were too low to warrant it.

“In those days, they were probably right, but now it’s different,” he said.

Even if they can’t persuade the county to install a permanent system, Pearce said a signal even just during the busiest times would be helpful to keep traffic moving.

“We need to keep it on the county’s radar,” Chairwoman June Stroup said. “There is a community concern. No one should have to sit through three stop lights.”

Ryan Heise, director of operations for Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, said the signal is under the county’s jurisdiction.

“We can only present the concern and let the county make the decision,” he said.