Residents oppose possible two-way conversion on Duncan Avenue; council to seek traffic study and outreach

Crafton Borough Council on Jan. 23 heard repeated opposition from residents to a proposal to convert portions of Duncan Avenue from one-way to two-way traffic, and council said it will obtain a traffic-study quote and do neighborhood outreach before taking any action.

Residents who live on Duncan said the residential section is narrow, used heavily by pedestrians, and relies on on-street parking; several urged preserving the current one-way configuration. "It's too tight. It's too busy. We have a lot of walkers," said Debbie Reagan, who identified herself as a Duncan Avenue resident. Rich Schubert, also a Duncan resident, said he was "on record opposing the two-way possible conversion." Steve Crescenzo, who spoke during the agenda comment period, asked council to clarify exactly which segment was under consideration and noted that his block has narrow lots and on-street parking that could be lost.

Engineer Mike Keenan told council the infrastructure committee discussed the request and concluded that a traffic study should examine the entire section of Duncan in order to understand impacts on adjacent blocks, intersections and parking. Keenan said Gateway (the borough's engineering partner) will be asked for a written quote for the study; council members repeatedly said cost estimates and finance-committee review will precede any motion to spend money. "We will get a quote and bring it back to council to decide if we want to do the study," Keenan said.

Council members and the public also discussed short-term alternatives, such as adding a stop sign or adjusting signage; some residents supported limited, temporary fixes that would not require a full conversion. "If we're already required to do a traffic study, gathering a little more information by adding one more block makes very little difference but allows us to consolidate and have all that information gathered at one time," Keenan said.

Council did not vote on any change. Several council members emphasized that any study and any expenditure would come back to council for approval and that the finance committee should review cost implications.

The next steps outlined by council: request a written quote from Gateway or another traffic-engineering provider; present the estimated cost and scope to the finance committee; and, if approved, conduct resident outreach (letters, meetings or surveys) to gather neighborhood preferences before any ordinance or signage change.