Officials put priority on pedestrian safety

KENNETT SQUARE » Known and celebrated for its wide variety of festivals throughout the year, Kennett Square officials are developing plans to make it safer for pedestrians.

“Something needs to be done to make Kennett Square a safer place for pedestrians,” said Kevin Martin, who lives on West Mulberry Street. “There is no reason that the borough can’t do a better job forcing drivers to slow down.”

Now the borough is doing something about the problem.

Last week, a pedestrian walkway was installed at North Union Street (Route 82) and West Sickle Street. The sign that reads motorists must stop for pedestrians crossing the road will be installed in the next week or two, said Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick.

And a new gateway will be installed at the borough line, on North Union Street at Fairthorn Road, near the Episcopal Church of The Advent. The gateway will have an island separating north and south traffic on Route 82, complete with a tree and plants with a sign reading “Welcome to Kennett Square.” Fetick said it will also help to slow traffic entering Kennett Square, especially truck traffic.

“It’s going to look a lot like the one in Greenville, (Delaware)” Fetick said, referring to the one on Kennett Pike leading into Delaware. “The numberone complaint I have as mayor is traffic, especially truck traffic. I think our police department does a great job, but they need tools like crosswalks and signage.”

Fetick said funding for the gateway has been approved and will be installed in spring, 2018.

The safety improvements can’t come fast enough for Martin and others in the borough, especially when festivals take place. People from nearby East Marlborough, Kennett Township and New Garden often walk along the major roads when festivals take place.

Martin, who said he, his wife and their two-year-old son were almost injured by an SUV trying to make a left turn from Union Street onto South Street recently, said police need to do a better job to slow vehicles down.

“More speed bumps throughout the borough is an absolute necessity,” he said. “The speed bumps at both ends of State Street are ineffective. I see drivers fly over them all the time. Our police force does a great job but they can’t spend all their time issuing speeding tickets.”

Jackie Johnson of Kennett Square said she is pleased a pedestrian walkway has been installed on Route 82.

“We have a lot of pedestrians and people need to slow down as they are coming into town to visit the shops and restaurants,” she said.

Motorists who don’t stop while a pedestrian is crossing the new walkway face a $25 fine and three points on their driving record. And if they are going over the 25 mph speed limit, they face a fine of $35 and $2 for every mile per hour over the speed limit.

There are sidewalks in many parts of Kennett Square, but not all. Last year, the borough finished a streetscape project that saw new sidewalks installed from the west end of Cypress Street near Victory Brewing Company all the way to the center of town.

“We have a goal to make Kennett Square a walkable town, and part of that is having every street have accessible sidewalks,” Fetick said. “Sidewalks and handicap ramps are an absolute priority.”

“We have a goal to make Kennett Square a walkable town, and part of that is having every street have accessible sidewalks. Sidewalks and handicap ramps are an absolute priority.” — Matt Fetick, Kennett Square mayor

FRAN MAYE — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA A pedestrian walkway was installed on Route 82 at Sickle Street in Kennett Square, mandating all traffic stop for pedestrians in the walkway. The signs will be installed in a couple of weeks.

By early next year, a gateway will be installed on Route 82 south leading into Kennett Square.