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West Chester planners push bump-outs, trees and pilot painted treatments to calm traffic and improve crossings
Summary
Planning commissioners recommended block-by-block streetscape designs — adding bump-outs, street trees and midblock crosswalk pilots on South High and nearby corridors — and asked staff to produce visual mock-ups and a low-cost pilot to test painted treatments before permanent work.
Planning commissioners on May 11 recommended moving forward with pilot streetscape measures designed to improve pedestrian safety and reinforce West Chester’s downtown character.
At the meeting commissioners and staff focused on bus-stop locations, intersection sight lines and where curb-radius changes, bump-outs and street trees could be used to slow traffic. Chair Jim Cherry opened the discussion noting limitations where state-owned roads require PennDOT coordination.
The discussion centered on a toolbox of near-term and longer-term actions: painted or mountable bump-outs at constrained intersections, planting strips or tree wells to create a consistent tree line, midblock crosswalks at pedestrian desire lines, and incentives for developers to reduce curb cuts. A technical presenter overlaid PennDOT geometries and vehicle turning radii and concluded some intersections (notably Bernard, Walnut and Adams) could reclaim 8–12 feet of walking space without preventing fire-vehicle access if curbs are mountable or paint treatments are used as pilots.
Commissioners asked staff to produce clear visual mock-ups that use borough design elements and to prioritize low-cost pilots — painting intersection treatments and installing tree planters that can be modified if necessary. The group emphasized coordination with PennDOT on state-owned streets and noted some work will require highway-occupancy permits.
The commission also discussed funding options and tradeoffs. Several members said street trees are “low-hanging fruit” that provide pedestrian-safety benefits and stormwater capture, but noted the borough’s tree-planting budget is limited; staff suggested pairing tree projects with grant applications and treating sidewalks and planting strips as part of the public-realm network to make them eligible for parks and stormwater grants.
Next steps: commissioners asked for block-specific design sketches and a short list of pilot locations and cost estimates to bring back to a future work session. The meeting record shows no formal binding commitment to specific construction; items discussed are intended as guidance and to inform future capital or grant-funded design work.
