MISHAWAKA — Drivers say the shopping district in a stretch of North Grape Road is extremely difficult, even dangerous. Left turns are especially tough because drivers have to cross three lanes of traffic.

Tough, dangerous, difficult and unsafe: that's how many drivers describe Grape Road. Those words should look familiar if you've ever tried to turn left onto the busy city street.

Randy Bystery told WSBT he drives on Grape a couple times a week. He said he sees cars who get halfway across the road, but have to stop in the middle for oncoming traffic.

Candace Brown agreed.

"All of a sudden you'll have someone turning right while you're turning left," she said Wednesday.

Mishawaka police Lt. Tim Williams said officers respond to more crashes on that stretch of Grape than anywhere else in the city.

"You're actually trying to cross two lanes of traffic," he explained. "And if there's somebody in the turn lane you've got three lanes of traffic."

Instead of taking that risk to make the left turn, Lt. Williams suggests first turning right onto Grape Road, then turning left into the next stop light or business to get yourself turned back around.

Turning right could also save time. WSBT clocked five cars trying to turn left out of the Lowe's parking lot. It took anywhere from 29 seconds to 1 minute, 30 seconds.

"Then you feel bad because of the people waiting behind you," said Candace Brown.

But are there any solutions to the problem?

Brown suggested making a left turn illegal.

Lt. Williams said that probably wouldn't work.

"If you put up a sign saying 'no left turn,' trying to make it something you can enforce, you're going to have a hard time [enforcing] it," he explained. People are going to do it anyway.

Everyone agrees that part of Grape Road will stay dangerous as long as drivers keep turning left.

Mishawaka Mayor Jeff Rea told WSBT the city knows Grape Road can be difficult for drivers. Rea agrees drivers should turn right as often as possible. He also said city engineers learned from Grape Road when they built Main Street — pretty much eliminating left turns out of businesses there.