(Credit: Lansdale Borough)
Move aims to cut down on rush-hour cut-through traffic near Sycamore and Lombardy drives
Drivers in Lansdale will soon face new turn restrictions on North Wales Road as part of the borough’s ongoing effort to reduce speeding and neighborhood cut-through traffic.
No right turns during evening rush
Starting the week of Sept. 22, signs will be posted prohibiting right turns from North Wales Road onto Sycamore Drive and Lombardy Drive between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. The restriction applies to all vehicles, including neighborhood residents, and is intended to prevent drivers from using the residential streets to bypass congestion at Main Street and North Wales Road.
For the first week, Lansdale Police will issue warnings to drivers. Beginning Sept. 29, officers will enforce the restriction with citations.
Study-backed solution
The change stems from a long-awaited traffic study presented to residents last fall and formally discussed in February. Conducted by Pennoni Associates, the study found traffic volumes on residential streets far higher than expected and identified the Norway Drive neighborhood — which includes Sycamore and Lombardy — as one of the borough’s worst hot spots for cut-through traffic.
Average daily volumes on Norway Drive exceeded predicted levels by more than 1,300 vehicles, and 85th percentile speeds were recorded at 34 mph in both directions, nearly 10 mph over the posted limit. Borough officials said those figures made the area a priority for traffic calming measures.
Along with the new turn restriction, the study also recommended speed humps on Norway Drive, curb bump-outs near Lakeview Drive and Main Street, and greater police enforcement in the neighborhood.
Part of a wider effort
The turn ban is the latest in a series of traffic safety actions taken in Lansdale this year. Over the summer, borough council approved repainting intersection setbacks to improve visibility, banned parking at select corners, and began evaluating additional traffic calming measures for the West Ward and the Hancock Street/Laurel Lane area near Wissahickon Park.
Police Chief Mike Trail has said the borough is pursuing “least intrusive measures first” to gauge compliance, with the possibility of more aggressive fixes if speeding and cut-through problems persist.
Residents are encouraged to pay close attention to posted signage starting later this month to avoid fines.
