Speed Limit Reduction May Come for Highland, Forest

At its September business meeting, Lansdale Borough Council will vote on reducing the speed limit on Highland and Forest avenues to 25 mph.

Soon, they could be considering a limit on truck traffic through that neighborhood.

At the July 11 public safety committee meeting, residents primarily of Forest, Church, and Highland avenues expressed their many concerns regarding the additional traffic that the YMCA project will generate in an area where cars already “blow through stop signs,” as one resident stated in the meeting.

The committee at that meeting was asked to consider lowering the speed limit on both Forest and Highland, restrict access of trucks except those making local deliveries, and increase monitoring of traffic by the Lansdale Police Department.

At the July 11 meeting, the committee was unable to suggest an immediate solution to concerns over trucks using the narrow throughway.

Lansdale Police Chief Robert McDyre said there are laws and regulations that need to be taken into consideration before the borough can proceed with limiting truck traffic.

Resident Jessica Behrle came before the public safety committee again last Wednesday to update them on a recent tractor trailer incident in her neighborhood.

"I know you are still investigating, but we recently had a tractor trailer that tried to make a left-hand turn from Church onto Forest and then Forest onto Highland. I'm assuming they were trying to make some turns and get back out to Main Street," Behrle said. "It did reverse several times on Church and narrowly missed several poles at both intersections. I don't know what happened when it hit Main Street."

Behrle requested the committee to look into limiting truck traffic on Forest Avenue.

"Highland Avenue has a sign as you turn off of Main. There's no sign elsewhere on the road (limiting truck traffic). I'm requesting one for Forest," Behrle said. 

The committee clarified that council authorized July 25 to prepare and advertise an ordinance to reduce the speed limit on Highland and Forest avenues. Since the advertisment has to remain for 30 days before action, council would not vote on it until its September meeting.

"That way, it anybody had an objection to it, they can come to us," committee chairman Mike Sobel said. "I've never heard of anybody objecting to reducing a speed limit." 

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