This Wednesday evening, Lansdale Borough Council and I will be reviewing a proposed traffic study to help address the growing concerns around speeding and traffic congestion. Originally slated to take place in 2020 — but delayed for years due to the pandemic’s significant impact on traffic patterns — this study serves as a first step in making significant improvements to our traffic infrastructure and allowing us to identify comprehensive solutions to a borough-wide issue.
Covering approximately 4.5 miles across nine streets, the study aims to analyze traffic data meticulously. Our traffic engineer, Pennoni, will collaborate with the borough's police department ensuring comprehensive data collection, encompassing speed, volume, and crash reports over the past five years. This data scrutiny will pinpoint 'crash clusters' and identify areas where speeding and cut-through traffic pose significant concerns.
Streets to be reviewed in the study:
These roadways were selected because they, combined, create a perceived cut-through to avoid traffic lights on our main throughfares while still enabling commuter traffic to traverse the borough entirely. Traffic data collected will be reviewed to see if a speed or cut-through issue, in fact, exists and to what extent. Trip generation calculations will be conducted on specific study roadways where a cut through issue may exist allowing for remediation and traffic calming measures to be implemented.
Guided by PennDOT Publication 383 – Traffic Calming Handbook, the ensuing traffic calming report will propose measures to alleviate the identified issues. These recommendations will be tailored to address specific instances of speeding and cut-through traffic, prioritizing the safety and tranquility of residential areas. To be clear, this does not pre-subscribe any one mitigation feature, for example stop signs. Instead, the handbook will be used to help determine which, if any, mitigation feature is warranted based on the challenge the roadway is experiencing (volume reduction, speed reduction, conflict reduction, or emergency response).
Admittedly, I am excited to get this process underway and am hopeful that the Public Safety Committee will move forward with this study for the council’s full consideration later this month and then, hopefully, be passed fully and executed later this year. Rightfully so, many residents have come before me and the Public Safety Committee with legitimate traffic concerns that need addressing. This is a crucial first step in helping to address their concerns while also making our borough a better place to live, work, and play.
As we go through this process, please remember that community engagement remains paramount. The voices of residents are an important part of this process and your review and consideration of the suggestions made by the study will impact the daily lives of everyone on those streets for decades to come. As your Mayor, I look forward to engaging in this process with you. By working together, we can ensure that Lansdale remains not only a destination but a sanctuary for its residents, where the hum of traffic yields to the rhythm of community life.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert. The views expressed are his own and are not representative of North Penn Now or Lansdale Borough.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Opening of the 365 Foundation on West Main Street
Mayoral Musings: Lansdale Police Department’s 2024 Awards Ceremony
Mayoral Musings: Commuting Parking Tickets Issued During Monday’s Snow Alert
