(Credit: Katelyn Mathe)
New striping was painted on the residential Montgomery Township roadway Friday
The word chicane is derived from the French verb chicaner, which means “to create difficulties” or “to dispute pointlessly.”
Both of those verbs were true Friday afternoon on Facebook, after Montgomery Township Police Department debuted the new traffic calming measures on Grays Lane between Cove Circle and Forest Trail Drive, which left commenters both confused and amused.
It was no early April Fool’s Joke – Grays Lane has chicanes.
“In response to many of the comments, yes, this is a legitimate precaution that has been put in place,” commented Montgomery Township Police Public Information Assistant Ava Komasz on the police’s Facebook post. “Our Highway Safety officers and traffic engineers have determined that this is the best course of action for the area to ensure the safety of the local residents.”
In its initial post, the police department wrote that the lines were painted on Friday, with chicanes, or delineators, to follow soon.
(Credit: Montgomery Township)“These traffic calming measures are being installed due to the numerous complaints/concerns we receive from residents about the ‘speedway’ Grays Lane has become,” police said. “It was discussed at length with our traffic engineers, Highway Safety officers, and Public Works.”
A Montgomery Township Police trailer will be placed along the roadway Friday alerting motorists of the new traffic pattern.
A chicane is a manmade serpentine curve in a roadway, which are meant to force drivers to make extra turns, in order to slow traffic for safety. With a driver turning slightly left and right, it requires them to reduce their speed to properly continue on the roadway.
Chicanes are constructed either as single-line chicanes, with staggered build-outs, forcing traffic in one direction to give the right-of-way to the other direction. There are also two-way chicanes, which also use build-outs, but separate lanes with islands or road markings.
A similar chicane traffic calming measure was in place for years on Walnut Street in the Colmar section of Hatfield Township, but has since been removed.
(Credit: Montgomery Township)The Board of Supervisors approved the $7,578 purchase and installation of 108 Pexco-brand posts, anchor bolts, and signage, and line striping contract on Feb. 26, 2024 in a 4-0 vote, with then Chairwoman Candyce Chimera absent from the meeting.
(Credit: Montgomery Township)According to Public Works Director Greg Reiff at that meeting, the traffic calming measures were a result of the police department receiving a complaint in April 2023 of excessive speeding on Grays Lane. The police Highway Safety Unit conducted a traffic study confirming the validity of the complaint, Reiff said.
The Highway Safety Unit then presented recommendations to the township staff and township engineer Gilmore & Associates Inc.
The township engineer came back with a recommendation for chicanes at two locations on Grays Lane, as well as special striping.
The chicane and signage installation was done in-house by township public works; the striping was a third-party contractor.
