Valley Forge Road brake retarder ban passed in Upper Gwynedd

A ban on loud brake retarders is coming soon to a stretch of Valley Forge Road, after a plea from residents to put those signs in place as soon as possible.

“I cannot begin to tell you what that is like, with the truck drivers using those brake retarders: I use the word to some people that it is ‘ear-shattering,’” said resident William Potts. “I can’t even describe how loud it is, and there’s gotta be a stop to that.”

Township officials recently discussed approving traffic studies in two areas of the township, and voting to enact a ban on brake retarders at a third, along Valley Forge Road between Whites Road and Sumneytown Pike on the border with adjacent Towamencin Township.

Towamencin voted to do so in February, and Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners did the same on Monday night, after hearing from William and wife Portia Potts, who said they live on nearby Scobee Drive parallel to Valley Forge, and hear those loud brakes often.

“I do a lot of work outside, and to hear that — RRRRAP RAP RAP RAP,” Portia said, imitating the rumbling of the brake retarders. “It’s every other minute, as those trucks go by. And I don’t know how much North Penn High School is disturbed by it, but they are loud.”

“There are residents all the way along that section, from Whites Road to Sumneytown Pike, that it is disturbing. And I have a feeling that the truck traffic is probably going to increase, not decrease,” she said.

She added that the couple have trouble sleeping during spring and fall when they have windows open, and William said he tried contacting state lawmakers about a ban last fall, with no luck, then tried again recently and heard it had been approved by PennDOT.

“My question is, what does it take to get the signs up there?” he said.

Township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell answered that the ban would need to be approved by PennDOT, which happened in December, then both municipalities would need to advertise the ban, field feedback in a public hearing such as was held Monday night, then vote, order the signs, and schedule township public works staff to install them, likely within the next few days.

“There can be delays on ordering signs, but they’ll be placed shortly. It is a priority,” she said. After the hearing was formally closed, and the board voted unanimously to approve the ban, came another vow from the manager: “You’ll see the signs just as soon as we can get them there.”

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