SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — In the past, South Whitehall Township residents have raised concerns at public meetings about speeding in their neighborhoods.
Now the township has a new process for dealing with those concerns.
- South Whitehall has a new Traffic Calming Policy for implementing speed reduction measures in neighborhoods
- The policy outlines the process the township will follow if a resident submits a complaint
- It also sets standards an issue has to meet for the township to take action
South Whitehall’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a new Traffic Calming Policy, which outlines the process for the township to implement speed reduction measures in neighborhoods.
The policy has an application residents can fill out if they think their neighborhood needs a traffic calming measure, and it sets out the steps the township will take after the application is submitted.
The policy also sets the standards that an issue has to meet in order for the township to take action.
“It's really to standardize the process and set criteria so it's equitable across the board."David Mandhardt, director of community development for South Whitehall Township
Township Director of Community Development David Mandhardt said the policy is important because it makes the process equal for everyone.
“It's really to standardize the process and set criteria so it's equitable across the board,” Manhardt said. “Everybody has to go through the same process, and it's laid out.”
Manhardt said the Traffic Calming Policy first was introduced to commissioners in 2018, but they tabled it then.
Township staff brought back the policy and revised it after the state Transportation Department’s Local Technical Assistance Program recommended the township implement it.
Commissioner David Kennedy said he attended a recent Public Safety Commission meeting, which many people attended with concerns about how fast people drove on roads near their houses.
Kennedy said residents at the meeting were in favor of the idea of the Traffic Calming Policy.
"It was very, very favorable," Kennedy said.
What’s in the policy?
South Whitehall Traffic Calming Policy by LVNewsdotcom on Scribd
The traffic calming policy lays out a process for residents to request traffic calming measures in their neighborhoods, which includes filling out an application and getting feedback from other people in the affected area.
It also outlines what is needed before a traffic calming measure can be implemented. At least half of the properties in the affected area have to sign the traffic calming application, and an area must meet eligibility requirements for traffic calming measures.
The requirements include that the street must have a speed limit of 30 mph or lower, 10% of vehicles must be traveling more than 10 mph over the posted speed limit and the street must be in a residential area.
The policy lists several ways a municipality can calm traffic, including traffic circles, raised crosswalks, on-street parking and speed humps, which are like speed bumps but shorter and flatter.
Manhardt said PennDOT does not recommend stop signs as a way to restrict speed, so it is not on the list.
Other business
Supervisors voted unanimously to let township staff apply for a PennDOT grant to “upgrade and modernize” the intersection of Hamilton Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue, which the resolution says is a high-crash corridor.
If the township gets the grant, the plan is to optimize the traffic signal, improve signage and install traffic sensor cameras and pedestrian countdown timers, Township Manager Tom Petrucci said.
“The township believes this project will greatly improve traffic flow, reduce crashes and improve pedestrian mobility safety along the supercritical corridor,” Petrucci said.
Petrucci introduced Rand Yazji as the township’s Human Resources Generalist, which is a new position.
Yazji said she will help the township update its employee handbook, create a new performance management system and provide training for its employees, among other goals.
