Montgomery Township weighs next steps for Grays Lane as supervisors review PennDOT traffic calming report

Montgomery Township officials signaled a shift toward a townshipwide traffic calming framework Monday night, as supervisors reviewed a PennDOT Local Technical Assistance Program report that outlines potential options for Grays Lane and recommends the township first adopt a formal policy to guide future requests.

The discussion, held during a Board of Supervisors’ virtual meeting, centered on the PennDOT LTAP technical assistance review requested after the township’s high-profile chicane installation on Grays Lane last spring, and the subsequent removal weeks later following resident backlash.

Police Chief William Peoples said the township pursued LTAP because it could provide guidance “at no cost to the Township,” after public reaction to the chicanes and their removal pushed supervisors to seek an outside review.

“PennDOT was identified as having the means to do a study at no cost to the Township,” Peoples said.

The LTAP report, prepared following a field review and analysis of township traffic data, identifies Grays Lane as a 25 mph residential corridor with traffic volumes averaging about 1,200 vehicles per day and an 85th percentile speed measured at 36 mph, according to the report. It also notes that the 85th percentile speed was reduced to 31 mph when chicanes were installed.

While the report offers a menu of possible traffic calming tools for Grays Lane, including reintroducing chicanes with improved design, curb extensions, raised crosswalks, raised intersections, and speed humps, tables, or cushions, it repeatedly emphasizes that Montgomery Township should first develop a traffic calming policy to avoid the kind of public confusion and process issues that surrounded the 2025 rollout.

“One of the biggest things they identified is having an actual traffic calming policy,” Peoples said Monday.

Peoples said the township’s Highway Safety Unit has drafted a traffic calming policy that has already been reviewed by him and Township Manager Carolyn McCreary. The policy is scheduled to be discussed at the Public Safety Committee meeting on Feb. 4, then presented to supervisors on Feb. 9 “for review and possible adoption,” Peoples said.

Part of the intent, he said, is to define what qualifies for traffic calming, establish a repeatable process, and build community buy-in before changes are installed.

“Part of this policy puts some of the partnership into the community with what it is they’re looking for with a buy-in from the community,” he said.

Supervisors Chairwoman Tanya Bamford, who lives in the Grays Lane area, encouraged residents to follow that process closely.

“I know this is a topic of great interest for people who live along Grays Lane, myself included,” Bamford said. “So, I would highly encourage anyone who has an interest in reviewing that traffic calming policy to attend the next public safety meeting.”

Supervisor Beth Staab sought clarification on whether the policy could eventually affect roads beyond Grays Lane.

“Just to be clear, this could apply to any of the residential roads in Montgomery Township eventually,” Staab said.

Peoples responded that not every road would qualify under the draft standards.

“The way the traffic calming policy works is it actually identifies what qualifies for traffic calming and what doesn’t,” Peoples said, adding that there are “a bunch of parameters” including that it be a 25 mph zone and a side road, not a major roadway.

“So, not every single street that someone’s going to say that they’ll do traffic calming that would qualify for it,” Peoples said.

    Chicanes on Grays Lane in Montgomery Township
 By James Short   

Supervisor Audrey Ware-Jones noted the draft policy does not single out Grays Lane by name. Peoples said Grays Lane would qualify anyway.

“Grays Lane does fall within the parameters for the traffic policy,” he said.

Supervisor Eric Pelletier, the board’s Public Safety liaison, asked what comes next once the policy is adopted.

“So we’ll put this policy into place, and then are we going to discuss the options that LTAP gave to us for Grays Lane specifically after that point?” Pelletier asked.

“Yes absolutely,” Peoples replied, saying supervisors could then discuss the policy and the LTAP options and move forward based on recommendations.

Bamford also pressed on whether the policy includes requirements for resident outreach, after one of the most persistent criticisms of last year’s chicane rollout involved communication and engagement.

Peoples said the draft policy includes a petition process and a public hearing component.

“One portion of it is the person that’s bringing the traffic calming, there is a petition that they get for a certain amount of people that live in the area to sign off for it,” Peoples said. “And then after the implementation of what we are going to actually do for the traffic calming, we have an open hearing where people are allowed to come in and say their piece about what they think about it.”

Bamford asked whether Grays Lane would need to start from scratch under that process or whether the township could move faster.

Peoples said the township is “ahead of the game” on Grays Lane because much of the study work has already been completed.

“We can skip ahead because we already have all the traffic study done,” he said. “We don’t have to take the three to four months to do the traffic study and get all the information. We have all that data already. So, I would say with that one, we’re going to be able to move forward faster than if it was just a new street that we don’t have a history with.”

The renewed focus on policy comes after the township previously spent money on the Grays Lane chicanes and related striping and signage. Supervisors approved a $7,578 purchase and installation package in 2024 for posts, anchor bolts, signage, and striping associated with the traffic calming installation. The chicanes were later removed after roughly a month, following sustained resident criticism and concerns about design, aesthetics, and day-to-day impacts.

If adopted, the traffic calming policy would not only shape what happens next on Grays Lane, but could establish a standardized process for future speeding complaints and neighborhood requests townshipwide, with clearer thresholds, defined public engagement steps, and a consistent menu of tools aligned with PennDOT guidance.