Bradford Woods nixes pedestrian walkway idea; Bradford Road to be narrowed to slow traffic

A pedestrian walkway was nixed as a possible addition to Bradford Road in Bradford Woods, an area that locals say has become unsafe for pedestrians.

The borough had proposed a pedestrian walkway along the stretch of road at its meeting in July as a way to provide a safer area for walking. This was done in response to residents requesting the borough address traffic safety and speeding in the area.

The walkway would have required nine residents to agree to easements on their property of approximately 1 to 3 feet, said Rusti Null, manager of Bradford Woods.

“The borough requested a construction and maintenance easement from nine property owners, without which the project could not be completed. Only two of those nine property owners were willing to sign the easement agreement,” she said.

Though the borough is unable to move forward with the proposed pedestrian walkway on Bradford Road, it is implementing other traffic calming efforts.

“The borough is going forward with narrowing the vehicle lanes on Bradford Road, which is a proven method of slowing down vehicle traffic and approved by PennDOT. This was one of the recommendations from a traffic study performed by Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, a civil engineering firm, last fall,” Null said.

The narrowing would be completed in this fall’s paving program. Bradford Road is 6,614 linear feet. The portion involved in this year’s paving project extends from Wexford Run Road to the Pine Township line close to Route 19, with that portion being 4,279 feet, Null said.

Other speed deterrents that already have been implemented and requested by residents is increased enforcement by the Northern Regional Police Department and employing radar speed signs, she said.

The road is posted at 25 mph.

A field view Aug. 20 on Bradford Road found a “relatively high pedestrian activity despite a sidewalk,” according to the HRG traffic study.

HRG contracted Tri-State Data Collection services to conduct an automatic traffic count at two study locations, the eastern and western segments of Bradford Road, to collect vehicular volume, speed and class.

The counts were done Sept. 5-12, 2024.

To consider traffic calming, PennDOT recommends a road must have an average daily traffic volume of 1,000 vehicles per day and an 85th percentile speed exceeding 10 mph above the posted speed limit, Null said.

HRG suggested possible mitigation measures of increased enforcement, speed display signs, lane narrowing and speed humps at appropriate locations and spacing could be implemented to help bring vehicular speeds closer to the posted speed limit, according to a letter from HRG group manager Darren S. Myer, who sent the report to council.

According to the HRG traffic study from last September, only the east side of Bradford Road, from Pine Township to Wexford Run Road, not its west side from Wexford Run to Marshall Township, exceeded the volume threshold of 1,000 vehicles per day.

The eastern side had significantly higher traffic volumes, with an average weekday total of 2,465. The western portion of Bradford Road was 897, according to the report.

In regard to speed, only the eastbound portion of the east side of Bradford Road had an 85th percentile speed exceeding 10 mph over the posted limit. The 85th percentile speed was actually 11 mph above the posted limit, so this portion of the road barely qualifies for traffic calming, according to Null.

In the past 10 years, the borough has painted “slow, curve ahead” markings on Bradford Road and has painted stop bars and pedestrian crosswalks at the intersection of Bradford and Wexford Run roads.

The borough purchased two speed display signs in April.

“We have been providing data to the Northern Regional Police Department to help them target their enforcement efforts,” Null said.

VASCAR lines already are located on Bradford Road and will be replaced when the borough repaves the road this fall.

“We have always maintained a steady enforcement of speed limits on Bradford Road. Bradford Woods Borough has asked for increased patrol, which we have (done), but given our regular attention in the past that has not created anything out of the ordinary,” said Bryan DeWick, police chief of Northern Regional.

He said his officers still frequently find motorists speeding on Bradford Road. Some have received tickets and some have received warnings.

“We will continue to monitor speeds on a consistent basis along Bradford Road,” he said.

The lane narrowing, according to Null, would decrease the lanes from 13 feet to 9 feet.

As far as issuing traffic tickets, the lowest enforceable speed limit in Pennsylvania is 25 mph. And typically the police will not issue a citation unless the driver is going 10 mph over a limit, or 35 mph in this case, she said.

The borough could lower the posted speed limit to 20 mph if a traffic study by a civil engineer deemed 20 mph is warranted, but police still likely would not issue a citation for less than 35 mph, she said.

DeWick backed that up.

“The PA Vehicle Code restricts officers utilizing VASCAR, which we primarily use, from convictions unless the speed is 10-plus over the limit,” DeWick said. “For that reason, we typically will not stop drivers until the hit 10-plus on roadways posted under 55 mph.”

Pennsylvania also does not allow stop signs to be used as a traffic calming measure, and they must be warranted based on traffic volumes and line of sight issues. And placement would be based on the engineer’s recommendations following a traffic study, she said.

A few residents of Bradford Road submitted a detailed traffic deterrent plan to the borough and council, including Bill Farrell, who has lived there for 42 years.

Farrell, who measured some of the road himself, claimed portions of Bradford Road already may be less than 10 feet, so roadway narrowing wouldn’t make much of a difference. But he did suggest speed tables, which would be more favorable than speed humps and less intrusive to drivers and emergency vehicles.

Ken Nichols, another Bradford Road resident, believes traffic volume has surged dramatically with popular navigation apps such as Google Maps or Waze funneling thousands of drivers each month through Bradford Woods and onto the road.

“Our area has experienced explosive commercial growth, and the infrastructure around us evolved to handle the surge. Bradford Woods has not,” he said.

Farrell recommended a “not a thru” sign at Bradford Road, which would cause these apps to reroute drivers away from Bradford Road.

There were 28 accidents on Bradford Road within Bradford Woods between 2004 and 2024, according to Farrell’s report.

Null confirmed the number but did not have the data behind it as to what caused the accidents, such as weather or distracted driving.

Farrell said pedestrians have to be more attentive while walking. He suggested council could place “Walk on Left, Facing Traffic” signs on Bradford, Lincoln, Forest and Seldom Seen roads.

This is something that can be done without a traffic study, if council determines it is needed, Null said.

Farrell also said he believes stop signs at Bradford Road, and nearby routes, would encourage a driver to look and see a person, recognizing their presence. However, if approved via a traffic study, placement would be based on the recommendation of an engineer, Null said.

Farrell suggested placing trails on other roads to encourage pedestrian traffic off Bradford Road and onto other routes.

“Pedestrian trails are great, but do it in area that has less traffic,” he said.

Added Nichols: “This remains a wonderful place to live — rich in history and community spirit — but the amount of traffic through our neighborhood has grown to dangerous levels. The risks are not theoretical.”