Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Traffic Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press council for traffic calming on West Willow Street; council says boroughwide study underway
Summary
Multiple residents told Carlisle Borough Council they face regular speeding and crashes on West Willow Street and other neighborhood streets. Councilors said staff are conducting a boroughwide review and a traffic-signal upgrade will be rebid to fit grant funding.
Two Carlisle residents urged Borough Council on June 12 to take steps to calm traffic on West Willow Street, saying speeding and crashes are frequent and put children and neighbors at risk.
Doreen Wober, who gave her address as 231 West Willow Street, told council vehicles ‘‘speeding down West Willow Street’’ often appear ‘‘out of nowhere’’ and that she and her family regularly experience near-misses while walking or pulling out of driveways. Tina Ziegler, who said she previously lived at 230 West Willow Street, described multiple crashes at the intersection of West Willow and College Avenue and said the street feels ‘‘one of the most dangerous’’ in the borough.
Mayor Sean Schultz and other councilors responded that the borough is conducting a broader, boroughwide look at traffic-calming needs rather than addressing every location piecemeal. The mayor said staff are attempting to identify recurring hot spots and develop a more systematic approach to traffic calming. Council and staff also referenced several specific initiatives: a proposed Bedford/East Street traffic-calming project that would convert sections to one lane with a parking-protected bike lane (noted for a future workshop) and the decision earlier in the meeting to reject bids for a downtown traffic-signal equipment upgrade so the scope can be revised and rebid to match PennDOT GreenLight-Go grant funding.
Resident Eric Smith, 121 Southeast Street, also urged continued attention to traffic-calming and praised an existing pedestrian-activated flashing signal near Dickinson College as an effective measure.
Why it matters: Residents said West Willow has active children and teen drivers and that local enforcement alone has not stemmed speeding. Council’s plan to do a systematic review could identify engineering, enforcement or education options but could delay immediate, location-specific measures.
What’s next: Council said traffic-calming will be discussed as a workshop item; staff will continue the boroughwide assessment and will bring project proposals such as the Bedford/East Street lane reconfiguration and the rebid traffic-signal project back to council for further action.
