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Lower Merion Commissioner Craig Timberlake outlines traffic, parking and Ardmore plans
Summary
New Ward 8 Commissioner Craig Timberlake says his priorities are slowing traffic, addressing perceived parking shortages and guiding phased redevelopment in Ardmore, while chairing committees on grants and circulation.
Commissioner Craig Timberlake, newly elected to represent Ward 8 on the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners, said he will prioritize slowing traffic, resolving local parking perceptions and overseeing redevelopment projects across Ardmore.
Timberlake told the Community Connections program that constituents repeatedly asked for safer streets: "We need to make our streets safer for people, not cars." He said that concern outweighed other issues by roughly five to one during his door‑to‑door campaign.
On parking, Timberlake said he examined patterns across downtown Ardmore and concluded the township currently has more parking supply than peak demand requires. "I have come to the conclusion that we have currently more parking than the demand even at peak demand currently requires," he said, adding that some spaces could be repurposed for public uses such as open space or plazas.
Timberlake described several Ardmore efforts he expects to influence. He said the Ardmore Avenue Community Center is slated to open later this year and that the Shafel Plaza redevelopment will likely proceed in phases, beginning with improvements to Cricket Terrace and other pedestrian amenities. "We should be finding out here in the next week or so kind of where things stand," he said about the redevelopment timeline.
To protect pedestrians during nearby construction, Timberlake backs "tactical, quick‑build" street changes — low‑cost, flexible materials that can be tested and adjusted before permanent capital work is made. He said such pilot projects can inform later, larger investments to improve walkability and bikeability.
Timberlake also discussed traffic‑camera installations, saying the township must secure approval from PennDOT for cameras at intersections and that approvals to date have covered selected locations (he cited Remington and Langster) but not his ward. He said he does not currently expect cameras in Ward 8.
On governance, Timberlake said he chairs the grants and community development committee and an ad hoc circulation committee focused on transportation and pedestrian safety. He described his voting approach as first assessing impacts on Ward 8 and then the township as a whole.
Outside his commissioner duties, Timberlake said he works for a small education‑technology company serving school districts and is developing a newsletter to communicate with constituents.
The program closed with information on how residents may watch township committee meetings on cable and the township’s online channels. The township has invited the public to attend committee meetings in person or via the posted livestreams.
