Vera Andryczyk ( - )"You were almost playing chicken." - Vera Andryczyk, Westover Woods resident
Traffic light brings relief to drivers by Keith Phucas - Times Herald Staff
West Noritton -- After years of witnessing vehicle collisions or near misses, Westover Woods residents are breathing easier with a new traffic signal at the Egypt Road and School Lane intersection.
As the pace of development picked up in the 1990s, the growing volume of traffic on Egypt Road made getting on or across the road on School Lane nearly impossible, residents said.
Trying to cross Egypt Road from the Westover Woods neighborhood was dicey, recalled Vera Andryczyk.
"In the morning, it was not only inconvenient - it was dangerous," she said. "It was impossible to get out."
In a 2003 traffic study, the state Department of Transportation counted 1,187 vehicles traveling on Egypt Road between 7 and 8 a.m., PennDOT traffic control specialist Brent Brickley said. A total of 82 vehicles traveled to the busy intersection on School Lane during that hour.
Closer to the afternoon rush hour, however, PennDOT's counts jumped to 1,911 vehicles on Egypt Road between 4 and 5 p.m. and more than 100 cars on School Lane.
Driving straight across Egypt Road on School Lane was particularly hazardous because a motorist had to dart across two lanes of traffic, Andryczyk said.
"You were almost playing chicken," Andryczyk said.
In 2001, Andryczyk's neighbor Dottie Volger suggested petitioning for a signal, and with the help of Rie Andersen and Lynn Kulp, the women began gathering signatures in the community.
But when the women brought the issue before the township's Board of Commissioners, they say they didn't get encouragement.
"We were told at a meeting, it would never happen," Volger said.
The word on the street was that someone would have to get killed at the infamous crossroads before a signal was considered.
However, putting traffic lights up at too many intersections in close proximity can wreak havoc with traffic flow. And, because Egypt is a state road, the municipality had to get approval from PennDOT before moving ahead.
The neighbors also called on state lawmakers for help. Before PennDOT performed a traffic study, West Norriton had done its own counts and concluded a signal was warranted, Commissioners President Mike Vereb said.
"We did a full-blown traffic study, and the intersection met the criteria for a light," he said.
In the fall of 2002, the residents' petition was officially submitted to the township, Vereb said; in January 2003, the municipality applied to PennDOT and a permit was issued last November, Brickley said.
Last spring, the long-awaited traffic signal was installed.
"I can't tell you what a relief it is," Andryczyk said.
Jefferson Fire Co., which sits at the corner, is also a beneficiary of the new signal.
Initially the light blinked yellow to allow residents to get accustomed to it, Brickley said. This "flash period" lasts for up to 10 days before signals are set to operate normally.
In the past, local residents have appealed to PennDOT directly when they believe a signal is necessary, he said. However, a municipality must make any request for a traffic light to the agency.
Keith Phucas can be reached at [email protected] or 610-272-2500, ext. 211.
Source: The Times Herald, Sept. 19, 2004.