No left turns from Park Forest Avenue, Patton Township says

An issue of left turns was brought to a close Wednesday when the Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to prohibit left turns from Park Forest Avenue onto North Atherton Street.

Concerns regarding the turn began in September when township Manager Doug Erickson reported that the state Department of Transportation was withholding approval of a traffic study needed to further the development of the old A&P site located at 1910 N. Atherton St.

Without the study, Erickson said Wednesday, supervisors can’t approve a land development plan, which in turn is needed to obtain building permits. In previous meetings, supervisors had shown no desire to restrict the turn.

Erickson said he had a discussion with PennDOT on the metrics used to determine intersection safety. From the township’s perspective, he said, safety has been measured by the number of crashes at the intersection, which have declined significantly since the Trader Joe’s plaza was opened around 2009 and a traffic light was added nearby.

According to PennDOT, he said, safety is measured by how much of a delay is caused by turning vehicles. The standard is if the delay is increased by 10 seconds or more, something must be done to fix the problem.

The easiest fix is to prohibit left turns off Park Forest, he said.

Erickson said he spoke with the PennDOT district executive, who told him the township didn’t have to restrict turns but would take on all indemnification for the intersection — the township would take PennDOT’s liability if there were a crash and a following suit.

Staff also looked at putting a traffic signal at the intersection, he said. Adding a signal would require a feasibility study to the tune of $10,700.

Park Forest residents were solicited for comment on the issue in December. Of the 38 respondents, Erickson said, 21 residents said they think the intersection is dangerous and avoid it, while 14 said they regularly make left turns out of the intersection and don’t want to see turns prohibited.

Vice Chairman Jeff Luck said the development is at risk of being delayed if the township continues to try to negotiate with PennDOT. The hope is that if the adjacent property — the former Franklin Manor Mobile Home Park — were to develop, the township would want to bring the road out from Woodycrest Street and add a signal there.

Supervisor George Downsbrough agreed with Luck, saying he had no interest in paying for a light that’s potentially going to be rendered useless if the road is realigned, and was not interested in paying $10,700 for a study for a light he doesn’t want in the first place.

Supervisors didn’t indicate when the prohibition would take effect.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 2:01 PM with the headline "No left turns from Park Forest Avenue, Patton Township says."