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A former Lunenburg County woman has started a petition hoping that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will recognize the need for improved signs and warning signals at an intersection she says has claimed many lives.

Kelsey Daniel, who now resides in Roanoke, said something must be done at the intersection that makes up South Hill Road, Dundas Road and Afton Grove Road.

“For years, there have been horrific and fatal accidents at that intersection, and we have lost too many loved ones to this intersection due to poor warning signage of the upcoming intersection,” Daniel said. “I created this petition to gain community support for the plan to request additional warning signs leading up to that intersection in hopes that it will reduce the number of severe accidents happening at that site.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, Daniel’s petition to VDOT had 845 signatures.

Daniel said she remembers the exact day that a family friend died at that intersection.

“It was July 18, 2012, and Wednesday, Sept. 2, I saw that another family friend was involved in what easily could have been a fatal accident at that same spot,” she said.

After a recent trip home, Daniel said that she noticed the lack of effective signage warning of the upcoming stop sign and the misleading approach to the main road.

According to Communications Manager Bethanie Glover with VDOT Richmond District, there have been nine recorded crashes at this intersection since 2012, four of which occurred in the past two years.

“VDOT last conducted a safety study for this intersection in 2017, and stop bars were installed on the minor street approaches as a result,” Glover said. “And another safety study is currently underway.”

Daniel said the petition serves as a demand to add additional warning signage (especially a flashing stop sign ahead sign) and even rumble strips as a warning to slow down as drivers approach the intersection coming from Dundas Road and Afton Grove Road.

“We must do something,” Daniel said. “We need VDOT to take action and put up additional safety signs that will protect Lunenburg County residents.”

According to Glover VDOT follows federal guidelines that establish minimum conditions under which traffic signal installation should be considered. Traffic engineers determine signals are needed by evaluating and considering the number of vehicles and pedestrians that use the intersection, the physical makeup of the intersection, roadside development, traffic delays during peak hours, average vehicle speeds, future road construction plans and the number and types of crashes that have occurred there.

The petition can be found at: https://www.change.org/p/virginia-department-of-transportation-additional-warning-signs-needed-for-137-138-609-intersection.