Residents push Narberth committee for fixes on 200 block of Price Avenue amid safety concerns

Residents of the 200 block of Price Avenue told the Narberth Borough Public Health and Safety Committee they are worried about sight lines from driveways, vehicle speeds and pedestrian safety, and urged the committee to pursue measures to reduce danger on the block.

Committee chair summarized background: the block’s roadway width varies from about 27 to 30 feet, and an engineering review recommended restricting parking on one side of the street in the narrower section — generally between Essex Avenue and Montgomery Court — to allow vehicles to pass safely. Chair said resident emails and in-person comments submitted to the committee were overwhelmingly opposed to removing parking and instead favored alternatives such as converting the block to one-way traffic or installing speed humps.

Several residents spoke at the meeting. Deborah Winfield, who lives at 210 Price Avenue, said it is “virtually impossible to see around the parked cars” when exiting her driveway and described near-miss incidents. Kyle Hawk, a parent and resident at 215 Price Avenue, said his block includes a bus stop with many children and asked the borough to consider “bump outs” or speed humps: “safety is really the most important thing here,” Hawk said. Lynn Fisher, of 207 Price Avenue, said she regularly sees cars exceeding posted speeds and fears children chasing balls into the street.

Committee members and staff discussed engineer findings and state rules. The traffic study cited average speeds of about 17 mph westbound and 16.6 mph eastbound and found very few outliers above 30–35 mph; PennDOT’s traffic-calming guidance generally bars speed humps where average speeds are already below the level humps are designed to change, a point staff emphasized. The committee’s traffic engineer recommended removing a small number of parking spaces to create pull-off areas that increase sight distance; staff said those removals could be implemented as a short-term restriping and tested for effect.

Committee members raised trade-offs. Several said converting the block to one-way traffic could reduce opposing-traffic conflicts but tends to increase vehicle speeds and may shift traffic and turning movements to adjacent streets, potentially increasing vehicle miles traveled and pedestrian risk at corners. Staff noted a borough-wide traffic-impact study that would capture these ripple effects previously was estimated at about $150,000, a scope that would go beyond a single-block fix.

The committee said it is generally inclined to try the engineer’s lower-cost recommendation — removing or restriping a small number of parking spaces to create pull-off opportunities — and to continue resident outreach before any permanent changes. Staff will coordinate follow-up with residents, Public Works, and the traffic engineer and report back to the committee.

Why it matters: Price Avenue is a mixed block with single-family and multi-family housing and a school bus stop; the committee must balance on-street parking needs against sight-line and pedestrian-safety improvements. The committee emphasized incremental, testable steps rather than immediate, large-scale changes.