Police: Speeding complaints up in Upper Gwynedd

Police Chief David Duffy urged residents to contact state lawmakers to push for radar for local cops

UPPER GWYNEDD >> Complaints about speeding vehicles are up in Upper Gwynedd, and law enforcement authorities are doing what they can to stay on top of the issue, according to police Chief David Duffy.

Upper Gwynedd police keep a list of all speeding complaints and “we patrol those areas as time permits,” Duffy said in a statement disseminated via the department’s Facebook page.

“Fortunately, there is usually no history of accidents in these areas,” Duffy continued. “Of course, an accident could occur on any part of the 81 miles of roads that we patrol. But we have to prioritize our limited resources on areas where crashes do take place.”

Duffy said that traffic studies have been done in some areas within the township where speeding complaints have been lodged, which determined that the speed limit there should be raised, but he did not specify those locations or when any proposed changes might be made.

Various methods of speed control were not permitted or practical, Duffy said. Citing Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) regulations, he noted that stop signs can’t be added for speed control, and said that speed bumps are “rarely recommended for a number of reasons and in some cases, speed bumps actually increase the (speeding) complaints because vehicles increase speed between them.”

Duffy stressed that many of the vehicles caught speeding by police are driven by Upper Gwynedd residents, “despite perceptions of ‘cutthrough’ traffic” by residents from other municipalities, and he urged local drivers to be patient and mindful of the posted speed limits.

He also lamented the fact that — despite years of state lawmakers trying to effect change, to no avail — Pennsylvania is the only state in the country where municipal police cannot use radar to enforce speed limits. “Our speed timing methods are archaic and often completely ineffective for the areas we are asked to patrol,” Duffy said. “Residents are encouraged to contact their state legislators to make radar for local police a priority.”