Of Traffic Studies and Spotted Lanterfly Combat

If the wheels of the Gods grind slow, the wheels of government grind just a bit slower.

A regional traffic study under discussion for more than a year, took a tiny step forward Thursday night when Karen Whittaker, a transportation planner for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, outlined what the study will look like -- again.

This will not be the first time the members of the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Committee have heard about what the study will do. But it may be the last time.

That's because at the Jan. 24 meeting, at least according to Montgomery County Community Planning Chief John Cover, the members had better show up "prepared to work."

That's when the DVRPC folks will actually get down to brass tacks and start collecting data about what roads and intersections in the eight towns which comprise the regional planning area, are problem areas.

Cover said the best result of the study will be identifying fixes that "can have a big impact in more than one town for not a lot of money."

The planners also learned the state has provided more money for the parks "mini-grant" program which is also funded by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation.

And, they also endorsed a letter urging more funding to fight the invasive species "spotted lantern fly."

Here are the Tweets

Traffic Talk and An Absent Supervisor/Defendant

Seriously? More traffic coming?

The frustration caused by the traffic -- and potential increase in traffic -- in the Boyertown/Gilbertsville area was front and center once again during Monday's Douglass (Mont.) Township Board of Supervisor's meeting.

But before we get to what was at the meeting, let us take a moment to mention what, or rather who, wasn't.

Monday was the first day of the theft trial by judge of Fred Ziegler, former police chief and current vice chairman of the board of supervisors.

This case having dragged on for more than two years, curiosity required coming to Monday night's meeting to see if he would.

He didn't.

Other than that, the subject that attracted the most interest was the last -- a move for a regional traffic study among the eight municipalities that comprise the Pottstown Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Committee.

Regular readers of this blog will know the subject was covered pretty extensively in Friday's post, as well as two subsequent Mercury stories which have been posted on the web site, but have set to see any ink.

(Links to those and more are include in the Tweets below).

What Monday's discussion offered was an opportunity to hear what non-professionals think about the current traffic situation.

In short, they hate it.

The often-outspoken Alex Brumwell said "I didn't move here to be stuck in traffic all the time."

Another resident said that Hoffmansville Road has become a speedway during rush hour, and now even Middle Creek Road is suffering the same fate.

Supervisors Chairman Anthony Kuklinski said he hopes that not only will a regional traffic study get a handle on the big picture, but that hopefully it will help convince PnnDOT and even the state legislature that it is time to update how Pennsylvania deals with traffic costs.

And now here, without further ado, are last night's Tweets.

New New Hanover Traffic on Planners' Minds

No. This is NOT the traffic prediction for Swamp Pike. Yet.

No one likes traffic.

But the recent revelation that a sprawling residential, commercial and office project planned in New Hanover could increase traffic on Swamp Pike by 50 percent has put the subject on the front burner.

Wednesday night, the Pottstown Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Committee took up the subject.

Crystal Gilchrist, Montgomery County's Principal Multimodal Transportation Planner, was on hand to answer questions and she explained that the project is not as far along in the process as developers made it seem last week when they reviewed the project for supervisors in neighboring Douglass (Mont.) Township.

This drawing shows that the proposed New Hanover Center project

stretches along Route 72 from Route 663 to Township Line Road.

As the discussion continued, the planner realized they could provide more information beyond the limited area the developers might be required to study.

For example, although the traffic impacts of Route 73 through Gilbertsville, where homes close to the
street make expanding the road difficult or not impossible, is likely to be extreme, current statutes do not require the traffic study by the developers include an area so far away in another township.

This even though many of those drivers will be trying to get through Gilbertsville to get to Route 100.

"But there's nothing that prevents you from doing one," Montgomery County Planner John Cover pointed out. And so, with the adoption of their budget, they may do just that.

For more, look for our story in The Mercury in the next day or so.

In the meantime, here are the Tweets from the meeting.

5,000 More Cars Coming to Route 73

Photo by Evan Brandt

This map shows the sprawling New Hanover Center proposal that stretches from the intersection of North Charlotte Street (Route 663) and Swamp Pike west to Township Line Road and the border with Douglass (Mont.) 

A massive development proposed in New Hanover that will take more than a decade to complete will have impacts outside the borders of the township, not the last of which is the addition of as many as 5,000 cars per day through Gilbertsville.

The potential traffic impact from New Hanover Center was the issue of primary concern Monday when the developers -- American Real Estate Development -- outlined the project for the Douglass (Mont.) Township Supervisors.

Supervisor Tony Kuklinski pressed the issue, resulting in the revelation that currently, Swamp Pike, which becomes Philadelphia Avenue in Gilbertsville, currently sees about 10,200 vehicle trips per day.

This project, which has already received preliminary approval from the New Hanover Board of Supervisors, calls for 760 housing units -- 509 of which will be townhomes; 124 of which will be single family homes, and 130 of which will be senior housing.

It also plans for about 200,000 square feet of retail space, including a new grocery store, which is seen as a primary generator of traffic.

"I am going to be able to walk to Spring City faster than I can drive there," said Kuklinski, who is the police chief in Spring City.

There is not much Douglass Supervisors can do given that the project is not in their township.

And there is not much traffic engineers can do given that Gilbertsville was developed with homes up to the sidewalk, so there is no room to widen Philadelphia Avenue.

The plans do call for improvements to the intersections with Gilbertsville Road, Township Line Road and North Charlotte Street.

Another impact, observed Henry Road resident Bernie Sell, is the impact on Boyertown area schools.

After Kuklinski noted to the developers that "Douglass doesn't get anything out of this, other than the traffic," Sell added "oh yes we do. We get to build new schools."

Here are the Tweets from the meeting.