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County traffic study recommends changes to ease school-area congestion; council considers temporary trial
Summary
A county traffic study found 6,301 vehicles on a key corridor over 10 days and recommended lengthening signal times and reopening Charles Street; the council discussed a temporary resolution to test changes while weighing safety concerns from school officials and police.
The borough reviewed a county traffic study that measured vehicle volumes on corridors near Old Penn schools and recommended signal timing and street configuration changes to reduce congestion during drop-off and pickup periods.
"I didn't realize 6,301 cars in the 10-day period went through that... so if you read the data collection... it almost looks like they want to open Charles again," Acting Mayor Wacker said while summarizing the county's findings and possible remedies. The study’s options discussed at the meeting include reopening Charles Street, closing K Street on both sides, and lengthening the signal timing at key intersections such as Washington to increase throughput.
Council members debated potential trade-offs: police and school officials warned that one-way or lane changes could create new safety issues at morning drop-off, and members discussed using a temporary resolution to trial changes before modifying ordinance language. The council asked staff to coordinate with the county and the police department and to return with a plan if they decide to pilot the temporary configuration for a month or a summer trial period.
