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Montgomery County presents Willow Grove walkability audit; recommends four high‑level pedestrian projects
Summary
Montgomery County planner Claire Warner presented a finalized walkability audit for Willow Grove, identifying narrow sidewalks, poor crosswalks, limited pedestrian lighting and four candidate projects including Cherry Street Park crosswalk upgrades and York/Easton pedestrian crossing that would need PennDOT coordination.
Claire Warner, community planner with the Montgomery County Planning Commission, presented the finalized Willow Grove walkability audit at the Upper Moreland Community Development Committee meeting on April 20.
"There are many areas where there is a sidewalk, but the sidewalk condition is not great. It's narrow. In general, it doesn't feel very safe to walk through Willow Grove," Warner said, summarizing the findings of two field audit outings and follow‑up analysis. The audit maps deficiencies in sidewalk width and condition, inadequate separation from vehicle traffic, faded or uneven crosswalks, sparse street trees and limited pedestrian lighting.
Warner highlighted four potential, high‑level projects intended for future study: an improved crosswalk at Cherry Street Park; remediation of a steep drop‑off adjacent to the Willow Grove shopping center sidewalk; a new pedestrian crossing at York and Easton (a larger project that would require PennDOT coordination); and clearer pedestrian crossings at the train‑track locations on Davisville and Morland. Warner emphasized the recommendations are conceptual and intended to inform code and site‑planning revisions rather than immediate construction.
Township staff noted the audit ties into recent zoning updates and could feed proposed revisions to the subdivision and land‑development ordinance to require stronger pedestrian standards during redevelopment. Staff also said the township could memorialize the county and Temple University student recommendations with a resolution so developers have a clear reference during site renovation.
No formal action was taken. Warner said the draft audit has been filed with the township for review and that Temple student work on active transportation could provide complementary recommendations.
