Orange council approves safety measures for traffic circle known as recurrent crash site

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) -- The Orange City Council approved a package of measures aimed at increasing safety at an Old Towne traffic circle that has gained notoriety as the site of a series of crashes over the years.

The most recent of those crashes, several of which were recorded on surveillance video, occurred last month, preceded by another one in November.

In 2023, a wild pursuit involving a teenage driver ended in a violent crash that destroyed part of the plaza's landmark fountain.

The crash was captured on surveillance video, which shows the driver barreling through the park area at the roundabout at the intersection of Glassell Street and Chapman Avenue.

In a 5-2 vote Tuesday, the City Council approved additional crash-rated bollards, boulders, nightly street closures and raised median islands at the location. The cost of the upgrades was estimated at about $900,000, the Orange County Register reported.

Proposed rumble strips on the street were not approved.

"Given the noise that it's going to generate 24-7, I just think it's a bad idea," Mayor Pro Tem Denis Bilodeau said at the council meeting, referring to rumble strips.

Said Orange resident Jordan Ingersoll, who lives near the plaza: "A lot of bars around here, people drinking and driving. So, I don't know really what else to say -- people are crazy."

The city has already installed several safety measures in the area, including reflective pavement markers, added traffic signs, lane markers, and nighttime adjustments to traffic signals.