Perkasie Borough Council is considering how to calm traffic on Market Street from 9th to 5th streets.
While no action was taken at the recent council meeting, council requested the borough engineer bring costs for a traffic study to determine what options were available.
“During the last couple of years we’ve received complaints about cars,” speeds and traffic volumes, said Andrea Coaxum, borough manager.
From the intersection past 9th Street to the intersections with 7th Street at the approach into the downtown business area there “is a perception of speeding” and have been a few incidents with pedestrians in the roadway, officials said.
Borough officials did not elaborate about the pedestrian incidents.
Mayor John Hollenbach said he is “…very concerned when you talk about making it a one way.”
“It is a business district and you want to keep it [accessible] and keep people coming through there. You don’t want to do something that takes away from your business district,” Hollenbach said.
Councilman Steve Rose said the road “appears to be shrinking” and he noted vehicles, especially late model trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), appear to be wider and larger, thereby making the cartway, the road area where vehicles travel, seem more narrow.
“I think that’s the biggest issue. I’m not sure if stop signs are going to help that,” Rose said.
Suggestions included parking cars on an angle, making the road one-way only traffic, and installing traffic calming features such as speed humps, typically used where speed limit zones are from 10 to 15 miles per hour. Speed humps and bumps are commonly used around schools and playground areas.
Because the roadway outside of the borough is under Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) jurisdiction until it clears the railroad tracks, Councilman Jim Purcell said he did not believe the state would permit a stop sign there.
A previous traffic study at 8th and Market streets identified a “hazardous area” and council wants a traffic study at 9th Street to determine if a stop sign is warranted there.
“Cars are flying over that hill,” said Councilman Randy Faulkner.
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