John Boyle
Wed, 21 Jan 2004 09:08:36 -0800
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Hopefully you can read this in rich text format, I bolded positive bicycle
improvements and underlined projects that need to consider bikes mainly lane
counts that increase increase highway speeds and make it more difficult for
bikes to cross intersections. No dates listed yet on when public meetings will
take place.
By:MARGARET GIBBONS , Times Herald Staff 01/17/2004
COURTHOUSE - Fed up with traffic congestion? You and just about everyone else, according to numerous surveys of area motorists. But now you have an opportunity to be part of the solution. The Montgomery County planning commission next month will be holding a series of area public meetings on the proposed transportation component of the comprehensive plan that it is developing. One of the major goals of the plan is to "manage" traffic congestion. "I don't think we can reduce congestion other than on a spot basis, but I think that we can manage it better and prevent further congestion," said county the transportation planning chief, Leo D. Bagley. "I don't want people to think there is a silver-bullet solution out there because I don't think there is." While the county planners have their thoughts on the problem, they also want the public to offer their ideas. Who better to offer solutions than motorists who sit in traffic every day, said Bagley. That commute to work is getting longer and longer, said Bagley. In 1990, the average county worker was on the road for 22.5 minutes to get to work or approximately 45 minutes roundtrip, according to planning commission statistics. By 2000, this work travel time grew to 26.5 minutes or 53 minutes roundtrip each day. Using that 2000 statistic, workers overall spent 4.5 hours a week driving back and forth to work or 230 hours a year. This means the average worker spent the equivalent of 10 days on the road in traveling back and forth to work. And the drive to work is only getting worse, said Bagley. An increase in population means an increase in motorists, he said. Increased commuting time can partially be attributed to suburban living - large homes on large lots that are located far from employment centers and central urban areas, according to the plan. One of the planners' proposed solutions is to encourage mixed land uses, mixing residential uses such as apartments with commercial uses to prevent residents from always jumping in their cars to drive one mile down the road to a strip commercial center. This proposal repeatedly has met with more failure than success in the county. Another proposal put forward by the county planners is to limit the number of cul-de-sacs in new developments. In the older communities, there is a grid system of streets that enable motorists to go around traffic jams, particularly when there are accidents. However, new developments are using cul-de-sacs that go no where, leaving motorists to sit and stew during traffic jams. Bagley said there are ways to allow traffic to pass freely through developments while limiting traffic speed and discouraging routine cut-through traffic to preserve safety and the neighborhood character of the development. The transportation plan looks at 11 major transportation corridors in the county and offers major highway, transit and trail recommendations to improve traffic and make those corridors safer for pedestrians and motorists. The following are recommendations for just two of those corridors: - Pottstown to King of Prussia: Reconstruct Route 422 around Pottstown and upgrade interchanges; improve Route 422 Sanatoga interchange; selected widening and intersection improvements on Lewis Road, Ridge Pike to Knight Road, Ridge Pike at Township Line Road and Egypt Road; build Route 23 relocation project; study Route 23 through Valley Forge Memorial Park; widen and add turn lanes at Route 363, Park Avenue, Ridge Pike and Trooper Road; widen Germantown Pike; align Pleasant View Road to soften curve, Buchert Road to Sanatoga Road; construct the Schuylkill Valley Metro commuter rail line; extend the Schuylkill River Trail from Oaks to Pottstown. - North Penn and Indian Valley to Willow Grove: Selected widening and intersection improvements on Route 63, Welsh Road and County Line Road; widen Sumneytown Pike from Forty Foot Road to Church Road; widen Route 611 to seven lanes from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Blair Mill Road; widen Route 309 to six lanes from Stump Road to Fort Washington Expressway; widen Route 309 to six lanes from Upper State Road to North Wales Road; intersection improvements on Fitzwatertown Road at Route 63 and the Five Points intersection on Route 202; interconnect Towamencin's traffic signal system; align Troxel Road and Orvilla Road at Allentown Road; modify turnpike interchange ramp and widen Route 63 Forty Foot Road; study new slip ramps for Route 113 at the turnpike; institute bus service in unserved areas and extend bus route 88 service to Willow Grove; construct the Power Line and Cross County trails and extend the Pennypack Trail. The transportation plan also includes a list of road and bridge projects to which the county already is committed and a prioritized list of future proposed road and bridge projects. Margaret Gibbons can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 610-272-2501, ext. 216. |