Scranton council introduces ordinances to alter downtown traffic patterns amid public safety concerns

Scranton City Council on Tuesday introduced ordinances to install all-way stops at selected downtown intersections and to convert portions of the downtown street network between one-way and two-way operation, measures presented as parts of a larger $15 million downtown streetscape effort.

Councilors also advanced related measures to create no-parking zones, apply for a grant to buy a modular vehicle barrier trailer, and voted to authorize two state grant applications to help fund the Lackawanna Avenue streetscape and the NAOG Waterway Phase 2 projects.

Council members and residents framed the debate around pedestrian safety, maintenance and the practical effects of changing long-standing traffic controls. Several residents said they feared new signals and sensor-driven crosswalk systems would fail or be insufficiently maintained. “Anything they do… they need to commit to long term maintenance. And if they're not going to do that, make no changes,” resident Joan Hodowanis told the council.

Why this matters: the measures, if ultimately adopted by ordinance, would change daily traffic flow for motorists, deliveries and emergency responders, and would pair physical changes — bump-outs, new sidewalks and streetscape lighting — with different traffic control approaches at many downtown intersections.

What the council acted on and the funding context - Ordinance 5b (introduction): installing all-way stops at specified downtown intersections. A motion to table 5b failed on a roll-call vote (King: No; Shuster: Yes; Rothschild: No; McAndrew: Yes; Smearl: No). The council then moved to introduce 5b into committee; a voice vote carried…