Supervisors Discuss Traffic Safety On Goshen Road After Recent Fatal Crash

NEWTOWN SQUARE–In the wake of the , the Board of Supervisors discussed traffic safety concerns on Goshen Road at Monday night's supervisors meeting.

Joseph Coffey, of Willistown Township, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Goshen Road, a state-owned road, is maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) including the resurfacing and repaving of the road.

Supervisor George Wood, who resides by the scene of the crash off of Echo Valley Lane and Goshen Road, suggested placing a stop sign on Goshen Road by Echo Valley going westbound.

"There have been two fatalities on Goshen Road at that point and a number of accidents that occurred there." –Supervisor George Wood

According to Wood, many of the accidents have ended up on his property. "All of those accidents are tragic but they occur, I believe, because as you round that curve and you're going downhill you pick up speed where you wouldn't otherwise if you're on flat surface or going uphill."

John Custer, a resident who also lives off of Echo Valley Lane and Goshen Road, attested to Wood's concern on that particular location of the roadway.

"I don't think it's a bad idea at all," shared Custer in regards to placing a stop sign. "I've lived there a little longer than George [Wood] has and I remember several more fatalities at that particular intersection. I would be in favor of that opportunity to help slow traffic down. I don't know if PennDOT would go for it but I think we should recommend it if there's any possibility that would happen."

Township Manager Mike Trio responded that it is "very unusual" for PennDOT to approve that type of stop movement on a road designated as through traffic with no other intersection, but assured that he would discuss the issue with the Newtown police chief and traffic safety.

According to Supervisor John Nawn, a licensed traffic engineer, any type of stop sign or traffic signal must meet certain warrants with a full-on traffic engineering study and analysis.

"Based on my knowledge of the roadway and simple knowledge of the regulations, I would give it less than one-tenth of 1 percent chance that we could get a stop sign on Goshen Road," stated Nawn. "It's a through highway. There's not enough traffic coming out of Echo Valley to warrant the signal. I don't know the accident history there but the accident threshold is fairly high in order to get any type of traffic control device just strictly based on accident."

However, Nawn said it would be more likely that PennDOT would be "more willing" to approve a warning sign by the location than a stop sign. If the township did receive approval for a warning sign, Nawn said it would be the township's responsibility to maintain that sign as well as incur the costs for that sign such as electricity.

Nawn recommended that Trio include the township's concern over the traffic safety of Goshen Road and the possibility of warning sign at the location of Goshen Road and Echo Valley Lane in a letter to PennDOT.