Newtown Township Pursuing Safety Measures For Mid-Block Crossing

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Pedestrian-activated overhead flashing strobe lights and a
reduction in the speed limit have been put forward as solutions for an unsafe mid-block pedestrian crossing at Tara Boulevard and the Newtown-Yardley Road.

In response to concerns raised by the residents of Newtown Walk, the supervisors voted on Dec. 7 to move the improvements forward to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for consideration.

In addition, the supervisors said they would be ask State Senator Steve Santarsiero and State Rep. Perry Warren for their support.

The crosswalk is heavily used by the residents of Newtown Walk to access the Newtown Trail on the south side of the Newtown-Yardley Road. The trail provides safe pedestrian access to downtown Newtown Borough.

But a posted increase in the speed from 25 to 35 mph on the road leading up to the pedestrian
crossing, combined with sun glare and a slight hill make the crossing dangerous, said the residents of Newtown Walk who have been pressing township and state officials for solutions since August.

The residents on Dec. 7 expressed appreciation to the township for taking on the challenge, working to address the concerns and for the motion

“I appreciate the motion because that’s the appropriate culmination of all of our discussions,” said resident Charlie Feuer. “But it’s got to be both - the speed limit and the flashing strobes. I think this will resolve the issue. I sure hope so.”

Randy Edgington, who lives at Newtown Walk, told the supervisors he had to wait for at least 10 cars to go by until he was safely able to use the crosswalk. “I’m jumping, waving, screaming, hooting and hollering and the cars did not stop,” he said. “Reducing the speed limit is great but people just don’t stop.”

Edington said as motorists leave the borough they see the 35 mph sign and "gun it." At the same time they're going up a slight hill that obscures the mid-block pedestrian crossing creating a dangerous situation for anyone using the crosswalk.

Resident Valerie Mihalek, who leads the group of concerned township residents, said ironically the development is named Newtown Walk. “But how can you walk when you feel like you’re taking your life in your hands?” she asked.

According to Mihalek, a small group of residents began knocking on doors in July. “Every person we talked to told us a horror story. Everyone joined the effort because they, too, had an experience where they were almost hit or felt like they were going to get hit.”

The residents came to a township meeting in August asking for improvements to the mid-block crossing. They specifically requested an overhead warning device and a reduction in the speed limit.

The township’s traffic engineers told the supervisors on Dec. 7 that there’s a good chance PennDOT would approve additional signalization at the crosswalk, including the overhead Rapid Flashing Beacons.

The reduction in the speed limit, however, may be more challenging, they said.

According to the township’s traffic engineers, a preliminary look at crash history, sight distance and speed data currently would not warrant a reduction in the speed limit under PennDOT standards.

The engineers, however, said they could conduct additional studies by using a video camera to view real time “to see how long it takes a pedestrian to cross the street and how many cars don’t adhere to the pedestrians crossing.”

The speed limit in the borough is 25 mph, but at Elm (the borough line) it ramps up to 35 mph just before the mid-block crossing. The residents would like to see the 25 speed limit extended from Elm to Rick Steele’s Gulf Station.

“This is a residential area. Why can’t we continue the 25 mph into the township to coordinate with the borough speed limit? It’s the same road,” asked Supervisor Phil Calabro adding justification to the township’s request to reduce the speed limit. “We’re just asking
for an extension past some residential properties. Why would it be so hard to show PennDOT that this could be a continuum of the 25 mph speed limit? PennDOT should be notified and presented with this scenario.”

Supervisor John Mack added additional justification, noting that the only way for pedestrians from Newtown Walk to access downtown Newtown is to cross the highway and take the trail into town.

“A lot of people want to go into the borough for the shopping and events,” said Mack. “We want to encourage more pedestrians to walk into the borough. It’s a good idea if we could get the 25 mph continued from the borough.”

Meanwhile, residents have been looking into who actually owns the road and have turned up documentation that would suggest the township at one point had taken back the road from PennDOT. If that’s the case, the township may not need PennDOT approval to lower the speed limit.

While they were happy with the motion passed by the supervisors last week, residents said they are continuing to work behind the scene to make the changes and improvements happen.

“I and the team have been in constant communication with the supervisors and state officials even since last Wednesday’s meeting,” said Mihalek.

“We (our team ) just discovered that the Newtown-Yardley Road is a ‘turn back' road. It was originally state-owned, but the state gave it back to the township.

“It looks as if the speed limit part could happen faster possibly as a result of this finding as it would not have to go through PennDOT,” she said.