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Trustees advance plan to ban parking, stopping and standing near Lakota West crosswalk after two pedestrian strikes
Summary
Trustees opened the process to add “no stopping or standing” to a stretch of Westchester Road near Lakota West High School, following police traffic studies and two recent pedestrian strikes. The item will be advertised under state notice requirements and return for a formal vote in April.
Resolution 4-2025, introduced March 11, 2025, would add “no stopping or standing” in addition to existing no-parking restrictions along both sides of Westchester Road from Mauthauser Road to Union Center Boulevard, the trustees were told.
The change aims to reduce pedestrian exposure at the crosswalk directly outside Lakota West High School after two pedestrian strikes: one in November 2018 and a second on Sept. 20, 2024. Colonel Brian Revholtz of the West Chester Police Department described traffic and pedestrian monitoring the department conducted, including drone observations and on-site officer watches during school arrival and dismissal.
Revholtz said the traffic-safety unit worked with Lakota West administrators and the township engineer’s office to identify short-term and long-term measures. Short-term moves include adjusting the school parking-lot traffic flow so pick-ups and drop-offs occur inside the lot rather than along Westchester Road, and new signage adding “no stopping or standing” to deter quick curbside drop-offs. Revholtz said the aim is “to get all the traffic into the school parking lot for pick up and drop off, instead of putting it out on Westchester Road.”
Why it matters: Two people were struck at the crosswalk described in the presentation: Madison Bear Jones in November 2018 and Laura Diaz Nunez on Sept. 20, 2024. Those incidents prompted a police study and a package of proposals that also includes engineering options such as improved lighting and curb bump-outs to shorten pedestrian crossing distance and produce a traffic-calming effect.
Trustees and staff discussed practical questions: whether students have sufficient on-site parking, how parents who currently park along Westchester Road would be redirected, and whether the county (which currently owns part of Westchester Road) would allow repaving or changes in the future. Township staff said they had discussed the matter with Lakota West in January and would complete required outreach before the resolution returns for a vote.
The board did not vote on the resolution March 11. The trustees were told the measure is subject to a statutory advertisement period and will be scheduled for consideration at the April meeting after that notice period is completed.
The trustees also flagged longer-term engineering work — the township engineer’s office will be asked to return with specifics on lighting and bump-out designs — and said the school will notify parents about any upcoming signage and enforcement changes.
Next steps: Staff will post the required statutorily mandated advertisements and coordinate follow-up briefings with Lakota West and the county engineer. The resolution will be placed on the April agenda for formal consideration.
