Politics & Government

Traffic-Circle Option Has Slight Edge Among Lower Merion Officials

Seven of 13 township commissioners present Tuesday night voted in favor of pursuing the "roundabout" renovation of the Wynnewood Road/Wynnewood Avenue intersection.

A minimum majority of Lower Merion's Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to explore converting the intersection of Wynnewood Road and Wynnewood Avenue into a traffic circle, a motion the borough of Narberth also made earlier this summer.

The curved intersection sits at a boundary between the borough and the township's Wynnewood neighborhood—near the Merion Station section, too.

Officials from both municipalities have indicated the need to improve its safety. However, some residents and government representatives have expressed a preference for a traffic light instead.

At Tuesday's meeting, Merion Station commissioner Brian Gordon joined colleagues Jenny Brown, Rick Churchill, Jane Dellheim, George Manos, Brian McGuire and Scott Zelov in supporting the roundabout option. It will be brought to a second vote Sept. 18.

"There is one reason for my support of the traffic circles with a clearly defined cross walk," Gordon told Patch in an emailed response to a request for comment on the vote. "It is by far the safest solution for both drivers and pedestrians. All cars will have to slow down to 20 mph each and every time they approach the intersection an not just when confronted with a red light. It is the only solution that will truly slow traffic and it is an ingenious and a creative solution."

"Having recently experienced traffic circles far and near (England, Cape Cod, New Jersey and Mount Airy) I know that traffic circles work well."

Board President Liz Rogan, a representative of Wynnewood, voted no, along with commissioners Cheryl Gelber, Dan Bernheim, Phil Rosenzweig, Paul McElhaney and Lewis Gould. Commissioner Steven Lindner was not present.

Asked to comment on her vote, Rogan told Patch, "I don't think, on a curve right by the train trestle with limited visibility, that that's the appropriate location for a traffic circle. Basically, I'm representing my neighbors, and they want a traffic signal."

Rogan noted that even a final vote on the motion for a roundabout would be far from the last step in the process, as the township and borough would need to come to agreements on paying for and maintaining the intersection, among other aspects.

If Lindner attends Sept. 18 and votes no along with the motion's other opponents, creating a tie vote of 7-7, the motion would fail, as it would if there were any other tie with fewer commissioners present.

Narberth's seven-member council, which doesn't have to worry about ties, voted unanimously to pursue a Wynnewood-and-Wynnewood traffic circle. One of the chief advocates of this option is Councilman Michael Alexander, who responded by email to Patch's request for comment on Lower Merion's vote.

"I'm happy that we got enough support to move forward, and I think we'll see more Commissioners support the roundabout proposal at the next meeting after they learn more about it," Alexander said. "I think the same is true for citizens of the Township. I heard a lot of people say they haven't seen a drawing or a picture of the preliminary design, don't understand what a roundabout is or how it works, or make comments that indicate a lack of basic understanding of this proposal. That's something we are actively working to change. We must educate people so that they can make an informed decision. All the information anyone could want is available at www.narberthcalendar.com."

"The truth is that the best way to make this intersection safer for pedestrians and vehicles is to slow down traffic. A roundabout will accomplish this, and a traffic signal will not. One of the commissioners noted that they have seen videos of LM drivers actively flouting the law at existing traffic signals. This is further evidence that a traffic signal is not the optimal solution."

What do you think should be done, if anything, to the intersection of Wynnewood Road and Wynnewood Avenue? Please tell us in the comments section below.


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