Penn Township to draft 'no parking' ordinance; Rowe Road residents vie to keep street parking

The Penn Township Commissioners gave the go-ahead to start drafting a “no parking” ordinance for some roads throughout the municipality.

Commissioners discussed expanding the parking ordinance to select roads about a year and a half ago but revisited the topic after township staff noticed potential parking complications on Rowe Road.

Commissioner Chuck Konkus recently noticed children walking out into Rowe Road near dusk to avoid parked cars along the street.

And first responders were delayed in accessing a house that caught fire Aug. 4 along nearby Timber Ridge Court, partially because of vehicles parked along Rowe Road.

Resident Regis Surmacz, who opposes a “no parking” ordinance for his street, said first responders would not have been delayed if the beginning of Rowe Road by Route 130 was not closed amid ongoing natural gas line repairs.

While replacing aging pipelines, Peoples Natural Gas has reduced traffic to one lane along a four-mile stretch of Route 130 — between the road’s intersections with Suhan Drive and Manor-Harrison City Road. The project is estimated to be completed late this month.

Because of the road closure, first responders were forced to turn onto nearby Anthony Street and make a tight turn onto Rowe Road before entering Timber Ridge Court, Surmacz said.

“I saw (the fire),” he said. “I was there in the backyard, and the minute that I saw the vehicle had a hard time making that turn, I went and moved my truck.”

Street parking support

Surmacz also expressed concerns of increased speeding along Rowe Road if street parking is eliminated.

“Right now, vehicles parked on that road slow traffic down,” he said. “To make the turn there, they’re very cautious because now they have to wait for a car to come down — a full maybe 5 to 10 seconds. …

“When there’s no cars there, those cars are flying up through (the road).”

Surmacz’s neighbor, Joe Yanovich, said Rowe Road is not normally as congested as it was Aug. 4 when firefighters from at least six municipalities flooded nearby Timber Ridge Court to address the fire.

“That doesn’t happen all the time,” he said.

Yanovich continued, “We only have 50-foot frontages. You take away our parking spots, people can’t even stop to say hello.”

Ordinance provision possible

Commissioner and Chairman Jeffrey Shula suggested adding a provision to the ordinance that would allow Rowe Road residents to park on the street during special occasions, including holidays and family gatherings.

Commissioners voted unanimously to start drafting a no parking ordinance.

No specific roads are slated for the ordinance at this time, but the township is considering Rowe and Spring Valley roads, as well as all streets with double yellow lines.

Officials from the township’s public works, police and ambulance departments will be consulted in selecting the roads for the ordinance, Perez said.

Police Chief John Otto assured Rowe Road residents officers will monitor the street for speeding.

“I want you to understand that I truly do appreciate your situation that you’re in over there as far as the stop signs and the speeding,” he said. “I can’t make any promises, with the resources that we have and the situation we’re up against. Speeding is tough, on a road like that, to enforce.”