ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The drop off and pick up zone can be one of the most dreaded spots when school is in session.

What You Need To Know

  • Resident concerned about traffic condition at Renaissance Charter School

  • School moved into Publix shopping center a few years back 

  • The student drop off/pick up zone caused one of the plaza exits to close

In this week’s Traffic Inbox, Robert Kelley tells us school traffic can cause dangerous problems in Hunter’s Creek.

“I’ve had two close calls over the past couple of years,” said Kelley, who moved to Hunter’s Creek in 2002.

Kelley says when Renaissance Charter School moved into the Publix shopping plaza at John Young Parkway and Town Center Boulevard a few years ago, it brought in more traffic.

The student drop off and pick up zone closed the plaza exit he used to leave from, forcing him to exit off Town Center Boulevard closer to the John Young Parkway intersection.

“My suggestion is they open another exit over here behind the school onto Town Loop Boulevard, not nearly heavily used road,” Kelley said.

But a spokesperson for the school tells us there’s no need to move the drop off and pick up zone.

“There are multiple exit opportunities within the plaza away from the school and those who utilize the plaza during drop-off/pick-up times can use alternate exits to avoid delays,” said Colleen Reynolds, a spokesperson for Renaissance Charter School.

If that’s not possible, Kelley would like a new signal at the intersection he currently has to use. But a project manager for the Orange County traffic engineering division says that’s unlikely as well.

“A signal on Town Center Blvd would not be warranted due to the location, it is too close to signals on Town Loop Blvd and John Young Pkwy,” said Lauren Torres with Orange County’s traffic engineering division. “Instead of making left turns, there are opportunities for U-Turns at the signalized intersections and at the two full median openings on Town Center Blvd.”

Torres told Spectrum News the county will conduct a field review to ensure safety in the area.

Kelley is just concerned something bad will happen until something is done at the shopping plaza.

“You’re really taking your life in your hands exiting Publix and turning back to the left over here,” he said.

If you have a traffic trouble spot, go to mynews13.com/trafficinbox and fill out the form.