Newtown Walk Residents Press For Expedited Pedestrian Warning Signal

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Residents from Newtown Walk are asking the board of supervisors to expedite plans to install an overhead flashing beacon at the entrance to their development on Newtown-Yardley Road.

At the June 14 meeting, residents raised ongoing safety concerns with the mid-block crossing at Tara Boulevard and asked the supervisors to make the safety measure a priority.

Last fall, the supervisors voted to pursue a two-pronged fix - reducing the speed limit from 35 to 25 mph, which happened earlier this year, and installation of an overhead, pedestrian-activated flashing beacon to alert motorists when pedestrians enter the crosswalk.

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

At the June 14 meeting, the board voted unanimously to pursue an Automated Red Light Enforcement (ARLE) grant to pay for the Tara Boulevard project and for a second pedestrian safety warning light at North Sycamore and Silo Drive.

ARLE grants are not expected to be announced until the end of the year, according to the township's engineer. If the township is successful, the projects would move forward beginning in 2024.

The residents expressed disappointment at the meeting when they learned that the project may not start until the beginning of 2024.

"We're concerned with safety," said resident Charles Feuer. "We had a three-car accident there this week at this intersection. We had believed that funding from ARPA had been approved by the township with the initial approval of this plan."

Township manager Micah Lewis, however, told residents that funding had not been allocated in the 2023 budget for the Tara Boulevard project. "We're seeking funds to be able to do this project at this time," he said of the ARLE grant.

Lewis did confirm that $250,000 in ARPA funding has been earmarked for the overhead caution beacon at Sycamore Street and Silo Drive.

Feuer asked if there's a possibility of redirecting the ARPA funding from the Sycamore Street project to the Yardley Walk project.

"We definitely want to work with you," said Supervisor Chairman Dennis Fisher. "As it stands now Sycamore and Silo have been on the docket for a year and a half. We've been working with you about three-quarters of a year."

Supervisor Vice Chairman John Mack said the board "shouldn't make funding decisions based on who came to us first. We should allocate funds based on the perceived danger. I know we made improvements at Silo Drive and I haven't heard of any accidents at that intersection. I would suggest that instead of the $250,000 set aside for Silo and Sycamore that it be used instead for this overhead light at Tara Boulevard. That would make it more responsive to the current situation."

Newtown Walk resident Valerie Mihalek thanked Mack for the suggestion, agreeing that funding should be targeted to where the problems are occurring.

"Although we had one win with lowering the speed limit to 25 mph, unfortunately, a lot of people aren't following it. There is a sign there now monitoring people's speed limit. I do believe that is working," she said. "To hear now that the project may not be starting until possibly next year is very concerning to us. I know at Silo a person was killed there, but that is not a mid-block crosswalk. It's not the same issue we have with line of sight, the sun glare and the speed limit issues," she said. "I'm just concerned that someone is going to get hurt there."

After listening to the residents, Chairman Fisher said he'd "be happy to have a conversation with the administration to see how much of the ARPA funds are still available. It would be something I can bring back to the board to look at and we can make a decision about what to do about it."

Supervisor Elen Snyder said she would favor anything the township can do to expedite the project.

"Every day I cross right there to walk my dog over to the cemetery and probably eight times out of 10 I'm confronted with motorists who are not paying attention, don't care about the speed limit," said Snyder. "It s just about the most dangerous place to cross the street."

The township's engineering firm is currently working on a preliminary design for the project and expects to submit it shortly to PennDOT. Once PennDOT grants its approval and funding is in place, the township can go out to bid on the work.