Green Parrot Owner Gives $7,500 Toward Safer Sycamore Street

NEWTOWN, PA — The owner of the Green Parrot Restaurant Pub & Patio donated $7,500 on Tuesday "to assist the police department and Newtown Township in their efforts to reduce traffic incidents involving pedestrians along Sycamore Street."

Lutz's restaurant is located at 240 N Sycamore St, one of downtown's busiest blocks. That area of Sycamore Street is also home to Jules Thin Crust, Lovebird, and other favorite eateries.

It's no secret that Sycamore Street can be treacherous for people on foot.

Residents have called for a traffic light at the intersection, better lighting, speed bumps, and a lower speed limit, among other requests. The urgency was bolstered when in late December, a pedestrian crossing N. Sycamore at night to catch an Uber with his friends was hit by a car and died.

The tragedy renewed a conversation about the dangers of walking on that block.

"We chose Newtown because being able to walk places is important to me but I’ve found being a pedestrian here is very frightening," one resident who recently moved to town shared on a Patch site. "We always cross at crosswalks when there is a walk sign and don’t generally walk anywhere after dark but we’ve almost been hit multiple times."

She specifically mentioned Sycamore and State streets as areas of concern.

Residents applauded the local business owner's gift when police shared the news.

"Newtown Township has engaged their consultants for guidance in order to determine the most beneficial option(s) to utilize the donated funds in order to increase the safety of the Sycamore Street corridor," a township spokesperson told Patch.

Agenda items for Wednesday's Board of Supervisors' meeting also include a consideration to amend any necessary ordinances and to authorize potential implementation of traffic and pedestrian safety measures on N. Sycamore Street.

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