Traffic report envisions a new pike
A conceptual traffic taming study draft for Bethlehem Pike was presented by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission in Springfield Township Aug. 7.
The meeting was not open to the public, but representatives from the township administration, board of commissioners, local business leaders, Montgomery County Planning Commission, Septa and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were present, Commissioner Doug Heller said Aug 8.
The primary improvements recommended by the draft study are all-hour on-street parking, two vehicle traffic lanes with a two-way left-turn lane between, improved visibility of crosswalks and the installation of passenger shelters at Septa bus stops.
The changes cover the length of Bethlehem Pike in Springfield and Whitemarsh townships from Stenton Avenue north to Skippack Pike, according to the draft document.
The goal of the project is to improve the safety for pedestrian and vehicle traffic and to encourage bicycle and mass transit use, Heller said.
Ultimately improved traffic conditions, along with a proposed village center zoning ordinance, which will further contribute to creating a sense of place for passing motorists, should spur business development, Heller said.
Currently, motorists are too preoccupied with traversing the area safely to have time to look around and consider stopping to shop, he said.
The regional planning commission will consider responses to the draft received Aug. 7 and could return a finalized version of the study to the Springfield Township Board of Commissioners by the end of the year, Heller said.
If the conceptual study is approved, an engineering study and the implementation of the plan would follow in the next two to five years, although the township would need to secure funding for both projects, he said.
"It is a lengthy process," Heller said. "If the ultimate result is getting Bethlehem Pike a slower, safer place to drive, it will be worth it."
Realtor and developer Dan Helwig also attended the presentation and said Aug. 8 the study contained "generally some good ideas."
The intersections at College and Bysher avenues are particularly dangerous and "need to be taken a step further," he said, but he praised the central turning lane and on-street parking.
"We have been advocating that since we started [the Flourtown-Erdenheim Enhancement Association]. Every engineer we talked to said if it's set right it will help," he said.
Helwig and Heller both agreed that having all the stakeholders, including Septa and PennDOT, which will have to approve any plan, at the meeting helped everyone get on the same page.
The draft version of the traffic taming study is available to the public at Heller's Web site, www.hellerspringfield.com.