Squiggly road lines in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania will be removed, officials say
Traffic calming measures designed to slow down speeding drivers will be removed from a road in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania, officials said this week.
Curved lines known as chicanes were added to Grays Lane in Montgomeryville in March after residents complained about drivers speeding down the road. It connects a residential area to Route 202, a major artery in Montgomery County.
While township officials claimed the changes reduced traffic speeds by at least 5 mph, residents living near the road were largely critical, with neighbors voicing concerns over the past month that the new design didn't solve the problem but instead created new ones. Several attended meetings of the Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors in recent weeks to express concerns about the road's redesign, records of the meeting show.
The board discussed the road for about an hour in a meeting on Monday, April 28.
Supervisor Candyce Chimera said she had spoken to multiple residents who claimed they had not seen improvement in speeding on the road.
"One person said the only improvement she has seen is when there are cars going both ways," Chimera said. "So on a regular time when there's only one car, they're still flying down the road, they're ignoring our attempt to slow them down."
Supervisors mentioned other concerns from residents about the chicanes. One common refrain was that the curves at some points take drivers very close to the curb, where pets or pedestrians could be present.
"Some of the curves come so close to the curb, walking along it, being along it, feels dangerous," said neighbor Katie Staudt.
The board also received criticism from residents who said they were not notified the changes were coming. The township followed up with letters delivered on April 11, "addressing the missed communication, as well as explaining why a variety of other traffic calming devices were not considered."
Minutes from a prior meeting indicate that stop signs were considered for the road, but that PennDOT does not permit their use for traffic calming, only for controlling volume, and found stop signs were not warranted on Grays Lane. The minutes said speed bumps would be an impediment to first responders, particularly EMS, and could be a hazard for Public Works staff needing to plow the road.
Chicanes have been installed in other municipalities, though they tend to be made with curved areas jutting out from the shoulder, planters in the center or sides of the roadway, or areas of street parking to create a gradual curve for drivers to travel through.
Earlier this week, the township's board of supervisors decided to change the road back.
Chairwoman Audrey Ware-Jones tells CBS News Philadelphia that the decision was made because of residents' complaints. She said the township will now focus on increased enforcement while they work to find another solution to the speeding problem.
"I think as a community we were really happy we were heard," said Staudt.
Neighbors said addressing the speeding issue is still something they want to see get done, but they just hope they're included on any plans moving forward.
"Let's do a survey, a study and let's see what happens and determine the next steps," one neighbor said. "Clearly, what was initiated was not the overall effective solution."
For the next step, the township said crews will begin removing the road design on Friday.