Traffic Safety Activist Dies Crossing Street

A 77-year-old resident who was struck and killed by a car while crossing La Colina Drive had been part of a group fighting to make the street safer, friends and neighbors said Thursday.

Charles Nelto Amorosa was walking across La Colina Drive near Kenwood Lane either to pick up his mail or visit a friend about 5:20 p.m. Wednesday when a car hit him, authorities said. He died at the scene.

Amorosa had been among scores of residents who lobbied county authorities to find ways to make the area safer for pedestrians, neighbors said.

“He was very active in this fight,” said John Dardashti, a 60-year-old architect who has lived on La Colina for almost 10 years. “He really wanted to see something done. . . . Unfortunately, he got killed.”

La Colina Drive traffic became controversial when commercial developments began pouring more vehicles into the residential area. Several years ago, after residents complained, county engineers studied the feasibility of closing off portions of the street.

“There was a large number of people out there who don’t want to see the road closed,” said Ignacio Ochoa, county traffic engineer. “It serves a good purpose.”

Ochoa said the street is a main thoroughfare that “collects traffic in the area” and reroutes it to the Santa Ana and Costa Mesa freeways.

In a subsequent compromise with residents, county authorities posted speed limits and a stop sign to slow traffic.

“That wasn’t enough,” Dardashti said. “The same problems still existed. And with more developments planned, it will continue.”

Supervisor Don Saltarelli said through a spokeswoman that he believes traffic is “dangerous” in the area and planned to meet with several community representatives about the problem. County traffic engineers said they planned to obtain a police report “to see what the primary factors were.”

The driver of the car that struck Amorosa was not cited pending an investigation.