Elaine Smith's heart beats a little faster every time she has to make a tricky left turn from Norwood Road onto Victory Church Road in northern Wake County.

Without a stop sign or a turn lane, Smith has to slow from 45 mph to a crawl to make the turn while hoping traffic isn't coming around the curve. It's why Smith wants a traffic signal at the intersection.

"If a person didn't know the area, you could really get into trouble there," Smith said.

These kinds of issues keep the state Department of Transportation busy.

Steve Johnson, the state DOT traffic engineer for Wake and six other counties, said his office frequently gets requests to install traffic signals and signs. He said it generally takes four to six weeks to investigate and determine whether they're needed.

In Smith's case, Johnson said, the lack of traffic at that intersection makes it less likely the state would put in a traffic signal or another stop sign. There's a stop sign on Victory Church Road.

Johnson said putting a stop sign on Norwood could cause people to ignore it because of the lack of traffic from Victory Church.

But Johnson said the state might be able to take other steps to improve safety, such as trimming vegetation or putting up warning signs. He said his office would investigate if Smith made a formal request.

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