Description
restricted traffic signs needed during specified hours: S Whitehall Rd, Wakefield Rd, Evergreen Rd, Butler Ave. These roads are a major cut through to Schuylkill Ave southbound.
Reporter
restricted traffic signs needed during specified hours: S Whitehall Rd, Wakefield Rd, Evergreen Rd, Butler Ave. These roads are a major cut through to Schuylkill Ave southbound.
26 Comments
Your Neighbor (Guest)
Well, Donna, I live on North Whitehall. Let's close my street to traffic, too. You'll just have to find another road if you need to get to the hospital.
You can't imagine how hard it is to get out of my driveway, worse than yours...you know, the one you want special signs for?
Oh, did you want to use Whitehall Road? Hint: The street you live on isn't just for your use.
Donna (Guest)
Donna (Guest)
Still here (Guest)
North Whitehall, too.
Still here (Guest)
Donna (Guest)
Still here (Guest)
Still here (Guest)
Donna (Guest)
Still here (Guest)
Private or otherwise, it is a street, has traffic and thus is not a dead end.
A street could indeed be made perfectly safe...by closing it completely. But that's not what streets are for.
You have a responsibility to handle a share of neighborhood traffic; the public streets are not your driveway, to be "restricted" when you feel like it.
If you wish to use the other highways in the township, you have to accept public traffic on the ones you live on. You'll note other areas in Jeffersonville are experiencing increased traffic, too especially as development continues in surrounding areas.
You're not exempt. And this isn't "broken".
Donna (Guest)
still here (Guest)
You just don't get it. I accept that my neighborhood roads are public highways, and you should too.
We all pay to pave and plow your street; as you point out, it is a *highway*; a public road. This means the public gets to use it. The solution to "we have traffic" isn't "try make them drive on somebody else's street".
I think you will discover that PennDOT is quite uninterested in your campaign to restrict access to a public highway to preserve it for your personal use. Surprisingly, it's not PennDOTs mission to inhibit the flow of traffic. Quite the opposite.
I also suspect PennDOT won't do signage for you because (unlike North Whitehall) South Whitehall is not currently on a state route. S. R. 3006 ends at Main Street.
That said, if your neighborhood roads are inadequate to the demand traffic places on them, perhaps S.R. 3006 should be extended down South Whitehall, the pavement upgraded and widened and turns properly radiused. This may solve your lawn problems quite permanently.
Eminent domain might find useful application to Christopher Lane too, were a traffic study to be done.
Donna (Guest)
still here (Guest)
Perhaps I shall attend as well to make sure my comments are not taken out of context and misrepresented, as you imply you will do. You do not have my permission to excerpt them.
You should look up eminent domain and think about how it might apply to the status of Christopher Lane and traffic reliever routes for Main Street.
Township roads are for the use of all.
Donna (Guest)
still here (Guest)
Even if I were "a renter" (I'm not; I own property and pay taxes in the Township just like your august self), I'd have a legitimate interest in keeping the public highways accessible to all.
Public means everybody.
Not just landowners.
Even children.
Dan (Guest)
The road is public, get over it.
And yes, I'm a township resident and taxpayer.
How about you stay off my road? I find it mighty difficult to even get out of my driveway at times.
Your expectations are selfish and unrealistic.
Donna (Guest)
Sir, you may change your name on this posting as many times as you like; everyone still knows who you are.
You are bordering on harrassment. Obviously you do not understand the request, nor do you understand the scope of the problem in the neighborhood in which I live. The request is not the restriction of the road for my personal use; something that ridiculous is an idea you schemed up. The request is for specific times of the day to restrict the volume of traffic; no one can close a road down for their personal use. I can not understand why you are having a problem with this request and why you feel the need to continuously attack at me personally. Give it a rest!
If you don't like where you live and you don't like what is happening on your stretch of Whitehall Road; than you come up with at viable solution for yourself.
I do not feel it is necessary for you to continuously post comments directed towards me.
There have been mulitiple problems on our small stretch of Whitehall Road and something needs to be done to get it under control before it gets worse; or even worse someone is injured or killed. You look at maps, maps do not explain the situation.
While I sympathize with your problems in your area; harrassing me about the solution our neighborhood has elected to present is not going to solve anything.
I do not understand if you motive is shear anger or if it jealousy towards a small neighborhood trying to do something positive. Are you one of the people who cuts through our neighborhood and the request to restrict the flow of traffic during specified hours will affect you? Just what is your motive to continue your brigade? Are you angered because you live near where the new hospital is being built? Are you angered because you live near the high school where they want to build a new stadium?
I am not looking for a fight; I am looking for a solution to the problem. We have gone to our township on many occasions looking for a solution; and we will continue to search for a solution to this dangerous problem.
Unlike yourself, when we moved into this community there was not the excessive traffic or the speeding as it is now. When you purchased your home I am certain the realtor did not hold up traffice to elude you to moving into a quiet neighborhood.
Whitehall Road north of Main St has always been heavily traveled; for the longest time most people did not even know Whitehall Road south of Main St existed. Do you find it acceptable to travel southbound 40 to 50 mph from the traffic light on Main St on the 1 block of S Whitehall (the length of 9 houses)?
Sir, I am asking you for the final time to please discontinue you personal vendetta with me; I have explained myself in detail.
still here (Guest)
Dan doesn't have anything to do with me; apparently he just agrees. I see no indication that he lives on North Whitehall. He might or might not; even if you haven't noticed, increasing traffic is a problem *everywhere*.
You need to get used to the idea that *many* people use that road -- as they have a perfect right to. (In fact, isn't that what you're complaining about?)
I think it's likely that the more attention you draw to the issue, the more people will express their objection to your unpopular attempt to turn a public street into your private driveway. It's only "doing something positive" from your own selfish little NIMBY point of view. In fact, "nobody else drive on *MY* street!" sounds pretty negative to me
I'd never use multiple names here because the site adds every new poster to the "I Want This Fixed Too!" counter, which is bogus. This doesn't need fixing because it's not broken.
You don't have some implicit right to have traffic levels on your street stay the same as they were when you moved in. Traffic has been increasing *everywhere* for years. Get used to it or move.
Dan (Guest)
Donna, I am not the individual who lives on N. Whitehall Rd.
Full disclosure - I live on S. Trooper Rd - (which used to be a dirt rd. when my grandparents bought the place - lotta changes, they didn't complain).
"Are you one of the people who cuts through our neighborhood and the request to restrict the flow of traffic during specified hours will affect you?"
Yes, I am one of those persons. I probably go past your house several times per week, as I keep a garage on S. Montgomery Ave. , and work a good bit in Halford Tract.
And...
I have been doing this for over 30 years. Probably longer than you have lived at your present location.
If it makes you feel any better, I believe these roads should be navigated very carefully, at low speeds.
I DO NOT believe these roads should be restricted.
Why should I go out into the mayhem that is Main St. when there is a perfectly good way to get to Schuylkill ave., and Egypt Rd., via side streets. If I were to use Main st., I would just be adding to that congestion.
I repeat the last sentence from my first post - your expectations are selfish and unrealistic. Your neighboorhood is not the only one with a lot of traffic. The entire region is congested, and if you live, own a car, work, travel, shop, etc. in the area,
you can bet at times that someone wishes the roads you are using had less traffic, thus you are just as much of the problem as anyone else.
Donna (Guest)
@ still here - you still think I am looking to turn this street into my own private use 24/7 - therefore, it is your NIMBY mind who can not comprehend.
@Dan - sorry lived in the area longer than 30 years. I have witnesses many changes starting with the insertion of Westover Apartments. So I am knowledgable of the traffic increase over many years. The point trying to be made here is to slow the traffic down, stop at the stop signs, and be mindful/respectful of the residental properties along these streets. We have requested another Stop Sign at the corner of S. Whitehall Road and Butler Ave. We have requested the Stop Signs present on Butler Ave and Williams Way be moved closer to the intersection, we have requested the insertion of speed humps to slow down the speeding. All of these suggestions have fallen on deaf ears or have received one excuse after another. This past winter the plow trucks, which my tax dollar helps fund as well, could not find the edge of the road and 1 foot of our properties along the road way were torn up - repairs to our personal expense. Please understand - we are not looking to shut the road down, we have offered less restrictive alternatives; this is just one more attempt to try and slow down the drivers, if you know the area than you know the roadway there is not a long stretch of road - thus there is no need for drivers to barrel down the road at 50 mph.
@still here: do you now understand why it has come to requesting restricted time usage of our road - there have already been minimal requests to correct the problem. There are other neighborhoods with these minimal restrictions; it is not a 24/7 shut down of the road; it is a defined time of the day restriction Monday thru Friday.
still here (Guest)
Donna, it doesn't matter that you only want to close the street to public access some of the time (the times when most people want to use it, it seems).
The street belongs to *everyone*, *all the time*.
I put up with the traffic on my street, so does Dan. You get your share as it increases just like everybody else.
You *don't* get to try to push it onto other streets where other people live. (You look pretty silly calling *me* a NIMBY; that stands for "not in my backyard", you know).
You're not special. And the public streets are not your private driveway, not even some of the time.
If the problem is actually speed rather than traffic volume (you seem to go back and forth on that--if closing a road solves speeding, let's close US 422 and save lives), get the police to patrol.
They can paint lines and time crossings to identify speeders. You could even host that cute radar trailer we all paid for for a while; and as a bonus it will protect you from all those semis and snowplows you have such trouble with.
You won't even need to buy a boulder.
donna (Guest)
still here (Guest)
Help S. Whitehall (Guest)
S.Whitehall Resident (Guest)