ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — Residents near H.L. Johnson Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach say traffic safety near the school improved slightly on the first day of school Monday — but they want more than promises from village officials.
The concerns center on a no U-turn sign installed about a year ago near the BellaSerra neighborhood entrance. Residents say the sign forces drivers to make U-turns at a nearby intersection, creating traffic backups as people try to leave the community and potentially dangerous situations for pedestrians on sidewalks.
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Brianna Steel, a Bella Serra resident, said coverage of the issue last week made a difference — but not enough of one.
"I do think you guys coming out here helped a lot in some areas. There's definitely a lot of parents who had seen it on social media and acknowledged that this is a massive issue with this intersection," Steel said.
Steel captured video Monday morning — the first day of school — showing what she described as a smaller version of the larger problem.
"There's so many other issues and potential for accidents at this intersection aside from the pedestrian and bicycle situations; it's not just something for the parents," Steel said.
Residents from other nearby neighborhoods, including La Mancha, also say they are feeling the effects of increased traffic during drop-off and pickup times.
I reached out to the Village of Royal Palm Beach last week for answers. The village manager said in a statement: "While the Crestwood traffic plan does increase U-Turns at the Bella Serra entrance, making left turns out of Bella Serra toward the school less convenient, turning movements around the school are reduced."
When asked whether officials had considered adding another no U-turn sign in front of Bella Serra and pushing the U-turn down another block, the village manager said no, noting it would create other issues.
Asked whether there were plans to address residents' safety concerns, the village manager said: "We will review the intersection for this."
Steel said that response falls short.
"At a certain point, they either need to come out here themselves and see this, or they need to schedule a traffic study instead of just sending an email like, 'Oh, we're going to look into this.' Action is going to be key here to prevent a tragedy," Steel said.
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