WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Measures to address the decades-long vehicle speeding issue on Water Street rolled on Monday night, but not without hitting a few speed bumps.
The board of commissioners unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the completion of surveying and engineering work on the narrow Darktown street where a resident, Edward D. Tomcics, 75, was struck and killed by a speeding vehicle on the night of Dec. 25.
Keystone Consulting Engineers and Benchmark Civil Engineering Services Inc. will perform the study, which will take several months, township engineer Frank Clark has said. The cost of the work will be $41,500.
The findings would provide recommendations and planning considerations for potential improvements for pedestrians and vehicles, including a potential traffic calming study.
Whitehall Township Mayor Joseph J. Marx, under the authority of the township’s Home Rule Charter, temporarily closed Water Street to through traffic on Sept. 22 to initiate a safety plan and traffic study to help mitigate the rash of speeding vehicles.
Marx determined the present condition of Water Street creates a substantial safety hazard due in part to the volume of traffic and the lack of substantive design improvements.
“We could’ve kicked the can down the road again. My fear is, there’s a lawsuit pending against the township. My responsibility is to defend all the taxpayers of the township."Whitehall Township Mayor Joseph J. Marx
The temporary closure has transformed Water Street into a cul-de-sac at Eberhart Road with a donated railroad crossing gate.
Calibrated boxes, radar speed display signs that provide accurate speed readings, were also installed by township police.
“I’ve been told by people in the neighborhood that people have slowed down,” Marx said. “But I don’t think it’s the end fix.”
Marx said the township has the data regarding traffic counts and speeding vehicles from earlier this year that can drive future surveying to determine what improvements are needed.
A separate motion in support of the temporary closure of Water Street for the purpose of public safety passed by a 4-1 vote on Monday, with board vice president Jeffrey Warren abstaining.
“I just wish this had come to us earlier,” said Warren. “I went to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission in February. Then I went to the mayor. Then in the middle of the year, he said the speed counts were there, and I asked that we should get a traffic calming study."
Yet another motion directing Marx to formally request a traffic study on Water Street failed to pass. The vote was 3-3, with commissioners Phil Ginder, Snyder and board secretary Randy Atiyeh voting against and board president Thomas Slonaker, Elizabeth Fox and Warren voting yes.
The motion, brought by Warren, would have had the project site reviewed by PennDOT's Local Technical Assistance Program to provide qualitative analysis of Water Street and offer recommendations.
Marx and Warren debated several aspects of the Water Street project, with Warren preferring LTAP, an independent agency, to perform an examination of what improvements are needed to slow traffic instead of township engineers.
“I prefer someone independent,” Warren said. “That removes all doubt.”
Countered Commissioner Phil Ginder: “If we can’t believe our engineers and traffic consultants, then why do we have them?”
Commissioner Ken Snyder emphasized the urgency in completing the evaluation of Water Street.
“We know some people have been clocked doing 70, 50,” he said. “I’m looking at this and saying this is a bad situation. I’m just looking for a fair study.”
Marx reiterated his position on temporarily closing Water Street.
“We could’ve kicked the can down the road again,” he said. “My fear is, there’s a lawsuit pending against the township. My responsibility is to defend all the taxpayers of the township.
“Now, we have safe passage for children to get on the school bus.”
Township commissioners for years heard complaints from street residents about the number of vehicles that speed along the 17-feet-wide, two-way street with a 25 miles per hour speed limit.
Only after Tomcics' death on Christmas night did they act.
During the public hearing portion of the meeting, five Water Street residents thanked the board for finally addressing the speeding problem.
“I just want to say thank you and appreciate what you’ve done on our street,” said Tony Jezik. “Water Street was pretty dangerous. It’s really nice to be safe where you live.”
Renata Brosky thanked the board for its action where she said other boards of commissioners ignored their pleas.
“We have faced indifference, ignorance and even incompetence from other administrations,” she said.
“If all drivers were courteous, we wouldn’t have needed this action.”
Seventy percent of Water Street residents who signed a petition initiated by Marx agreed with the temporary street closure.
