Grant To Pay For Safety And Walkability Review In Newtown Borough

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, Pa. — Newtown Borough has been awarded a $65,000 grant by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to fund a non-motor vehicle safety review of the borough.

The Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) grant, which requires no matching funds from the borough, will explore ways to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety through a Safety and Walkability Review of the borough.

Council President Susan Turner announced the grant award at this week’s borough council work session. "I'm thrilled to death," she said of the award.

The next step, said Turner, will be to advertise the project for bid and to bring a consultant on board to do a Safety and Walkability Review of the borough and produce a prioritization of multimodal improvement projects.

That prioritization, said Turner, could include re-timing of traffic signals to provide more time for pedestrian and bicycle crossings, all-way traffic signals for safer pedestrian crossings at busier intersections, among other suggestions and ideas.

“I would say fixing the timing of the lights would be the most important project on the list but we'll see what they come up with,” said Turner. “I have seen traffic rush through on red or start out when people are still in the crosswalks because only a few cars can get through at a time. That’s going to take coordination with the township and with PennDOT.”

Turner said she also likes the idea of an all way stop at traffic lights to create a safe crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists, said Turner.

The grant was secured by CKS, which the council retained earlier this year to explore and secure grant opportunities for the borough.

According to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the TCDI grant program supports smart growth initiatives that implement its Connections 2050 Plan for Greater Philadelphia. TCDI focuses on linking land use and transportation planning by improving the overall character and quality of life; enhancing the existing transportation infrastructure capacity; promoting and encouraging the use of transit, bike, and pedestrian transportation modes; building capacity in older suburbs and neighborhoods; reinforcing and implementing improvements in designated centers; and protecting the environment.