Charlotte County residents along busy road still waiting for promised traffic fixes

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)— A Charlotte County man fed up with busy traffic in his neighborhood came to WINK Listens to get solutions.

The neighborhood in question is off Highway 41 and Sumter Boulevard. WINK Investigates found out the county has known about complaints on this road for more than eight years, but the complaints keep coming.

Charlotte County commissioners discussed a pilot program in 2018 aimed at calming traffic in several parts of the county, including McCabe Street. But eight years later, one neighbor told WINK Investigates he's dealt with traffic problems ever since.

When Lou DiGiovanni and his wife bought their home on McCabe Street 36 years ago, it was a quiet neighborhood. But these days, he says he deals with constant traffic.

His street, located off U.S. 41 south of North Port, has become a cut-through route.

"This connects directly to Sumter Boulevard on the interstate, and people are using it to go to Englewood Gulf Cove, Placida and Boca Grande," DiGiovanni said.

Without sidewalks, rumble strips or other traffic calming measures, he says a trip to the mailbox or putting out his trash cans becomes a safety issue.

"They don't want to move," DiGiovanni said. "I'm trying to put the garbage cans out or anything. They feel entitled."

It's not just the commuters causing problems. Signs on each end of the street prohibit vehicles over six wheels, but WINK Investigates saw firsthand those signs don't keep all the trucks away.

"And all my other neighbors in the area call the county, the county is reluctant to do anything," DiGiovanni said.

But the problems have been well documented for years.

In January 2018, public works told county commissioners some sort of traffic calming measures were needed on at least four different streets in the county, including McCabe Street. But eight years later, no such policy exists.

"But can't get them to put up a stop sign or rumble strips or, or, even those tables," DiGiovanni said. "You put it sign up in front of a table, and then the tables like six inches tall and it's three, three feet deep. That'll slow people down."

WINK Investigates reached out to Charlotte County leaders to find out why a traffic calming policy was never enacted and what steps homeowners like DiGiovanni can take to slow down traffic in his neighborhood.

County leaders admitted they often receive complaints about speeding on McCabe Street. The county installed a speed feedback sign in the neighborhood in 2018.

But when it comes to speed humps or cushions, Charlotte County Public Works no longer installs either on public roads.

In a statement, county leaders say they "observed that speeding often continued between devices, indicating that the treatments did not effectively address the underlying issue." Potential impacts on emergency response were also a significant concern.

Back on McCabe Street, DiGiovanni is hoping to return to the days of peace and quiet.

"We don't really want them to detour people," DiGiovanni said. "We just want to slow them down so it's a little safer."

Charlotte County leaders say vehicles driving with more than six wheels are prohibited on McCabe Street, despite the fact that WINK Investigates saw them on the road. They say they continue to collect traffic data and make safety recommendations.