This week, we ventured out to the busy crosswalk at the intersection of Universal Boulevard and Destination Parkway. That location is also just north of the Beachline Expressway near the Orange County Convention Center.

  • Walkers try to navigate busy intersection near convention center
  • Nearby residents say intersection is precarious for pedestrians
  • Location sees a lot of foot traffic due to UCF Rosen College

Lisa D. wrote in:

"I've seen several potentially fatal accidents involving pedestrians on my way home from work. There are crosswalk signs that light up when someone wants to cross, but the walker has to cross six lanes of traffic, and most cars can't see these lights."

On one side of the street is the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management. On the other side is a large Publix shopping plaza. Throughout a typical day, you would see a lot of foot traffic here.

"Abdias," a local video blogger, or "vlogger," agreed there's a problem there.

"It's just a little scary, because sometimes you press the button, and the light is flashing, but sometimes the cars don't stop," Abdias said.

His suggestion: Take your time before you cross the street.

"If one stops, then they all will stop,” he said. “You just have to wait for one, and the rest will follow."

I decided to try it and cross the street myself. When I crossed the street, even though the flashing lights are on telling drivers to stop, a few continued on anyway, one even cutting right in front of me before I reached the other side.

There is signage in the road itself telling drivers there is a pedestrian crossing ahead, but the lights can be hard to see. So that begs the question: What is the county willing to do to improve the situation?

Officials said that particular crosswalk is consistently ranked as the location with the highest yielding compliance rate, per Best Foot Forward.

However, because of the high speed limit on Universal Boulevard and the crossing distance, Orange County will do the following:

First, they will collect a count of pedestrian crossings in the fall after UCF starts to determine whether the location may qualify for a higher level of traffic control.

Second, a new sign will be installed to say "Wait for Traffic to Stop" for pedestrians at the crosswalk.

Currently, there is a sign there that says, "Push Button For Flashing Lights."

So stay tuned and thanks for your submission! And if you have a traffic issue or question at home that you want looked at, go to mynews13.com/trafficinbox and just fill out the simple form.