Traffic calming approved for Mont Clare

UPPER PROVIDENCE — The township supervisors have approved traffic calming measures for Whitaker Avenue in Mont Clare.

The township’s traffic engineer, Kenneth O’Brien, told the board Monday that residents were concerned by speeding in the area of Norwood Street, where there is a school bus stop. According to O’Brien, the “prevailing” speed limit on Whitaker was 37 miles per hour, or 12 miles above the posted limit. Additionally, there had been three crashes in a three-year period.

“The concern is really speeding,” rather than traffic cutting through the neighborhood, O’Brien said. He proposed implementing some small measures to see if they would be enough to have an effect. The measures would include restriping the roadway to provide for on-street parking, leaving 11-foot travel lanes, and markings at either end of the corridor. Those measures had been recommended by the township planning commission, O’Brien said.

Supervisor John Pearson asked about contacting the Spring-Ford School District about relocating the bus stop. Township Manager George Waterman responded that the district will be moving the bus stop across the street.

Board Vice Chairwoman Lisa Mossie asked how soon the proposed traffic calming measures would be revisited to see if they were working. O’Brien said he would give them three to six months. In response to a question from Chairman Philip Barker, he confirmed that the cost for the proposed measures would be between $3,500 and $4,500.

Mossie asked if a resident survey would be conducted as part of the process for implementing the measures. Waterman responded that that would not be done, because of the small scale of the project. He also pointed out that a survey would add months to the process.

Pearson made the motion to implement the traffic calming measures, and Mossie seconded it. The motion passed on a 3-0 vote.