Tyrone Borough Council is attempting to address concerns over the speed limit on West 15th Street.
The borough received a letter in early May from citizen Mark Laird who asked council to consider reducing the speed limit to 25 miles per hour from the current 35 mph.
He said, “Entering 15th Street from Clay Avenue can be a very dangerous experience and not necessarily the fault of the drivers.”
He claimed limited visibility along with the speed of those traveling on 15th Street creates “reduced decision time when entering or crossing 15th Street.”
In his opinion, Laird explained a reduction in speed would give drivers additional time to make a safe decision. He noted that 15th Street is a part of State Route 453 and other parts of 453, which run through the borough, are posted at 25 miles an hour. He asked if it would be possible to extend the 25 mph limit “an additional four blocks or so” to avoid accidents and near misses.
Interim Borough Manager Sharon Dannaway first informed council of Mr. Laird’s letter on June 6. She explained the matter was brought to Police Chief Joseph Beachem’s attention.
Dannaway told council that the police would step up enforcement of the posted limit in that area. She said the department would also look into speed enforcement devices, such as digital signs that show each vehicle’s speed.
At the June 6 meeting, Dannaway said she was also checking with PennDOT to see if the speed limit could be reduced to 25 miles per hour in that area.
On Monday, Dannaway further updated council on the issue. She said PennDOT agreed to bring a radar check sign to the borough. The sign will be set up at 15th Street to allow drivers to see the speed of their vehicle as they travel on the road. She said paperwork for the radar check was being completed through the borough’s Agility program.
The area in question runs from the American Legion to the Snyder Township border.
Dannaway told The Daily Herald the road in that part of town is posted at 35 mph since it is a state road. She said the reason State Route 453 is posted at 25 mph in other parts of the borough is because it runs through the business district. The area of concern is in a more residential part of town.
She said in her discussions with PennDOT she learned an accident study could be done but the area has not had a lot of accidents. She said PennDOT could also consider the lowering of the speed limit if there was an issue of cars parked on both sides of the road and two cars traveling in opposite directions found it difficult to get by one another. She said that was not the case on West 15th Street.
She said state roads with two or three digits such as 453 are generally posted as 35 mph unless some overriding circumstance applies to the road.
Dannaway said the borough could ask PennDOT to do a speed limit study but has not decided to do so at this point.
Instead, the agility program will allow the borough to use the radar speed check sign from PennDOT. Dannaway explained the agility program allows a municipality to trade services or equipment with PennDOT.
In this case, PennDOT will let the borough use the sign, in return, the borough will lend a sweeper to PennDOT in the spring to clean up debris around the Grazierville exit of Interstate 99.
Dannaway said council has taken no formal action on any of the issues regarding the speed limit on West 15th Street but has been keep up to date through her written and verbal reports to council on the issue.
