Status quo in school zone
Township had looked into making changes due to traffic near Inglewood Elementary School
If you’ve been stuck in traffic on Allentown Road near Inglewood Elementary School, don’t expect any changes in the near future.
Township officials said this week they have met with North Penn School District officials to talk about traffic near that school, and likely will not make any changes for now.
“All parties agreed that the best course of action was the status quo,” said supervisors Chairman Chuck Wilson.
Starting in February, residents have asked if the school zone on Allentown Road could be expanded around the elementary school, which is located just east of Weikel Road and west of Woodlawn Drive. The initial resident request would have extended the school zone roughly 800 feet west, past Weikel Road, and township staff contacted PennDOT about
doing so, but learned that PennDOT would have required adding signals with flashing lights at that intersection, at an estimated cost of roughly $70,000.
Last month, the township said they would have to discuss that cost with the district, and Wilson reported
on those talks this week: township officials and district administration, the school principal, and support services staff have all agreed to make no changes for now.
One of the options that had been discussed by board members and residents would have been to limit left turns from the school driveway onto Allentown Road during school hours. Resident Kristen Kimball
of Woodlawn Drive said she hopes the board does not consider that option, since she knows of many parents who live in that direction, east of the school.
“If you guys were seriously considering the leftturn option, unless you want more Inglewood parents in this room, I would steer clear of that,” she said.
“If status quo is where we’re at, status quo is where we’re at,” Kimball said.