Newtown Supervisors Implement Safety Measures On Treacherous Sycamore Street

NEWTOWN, PA — Safety upgrades to Sycamore Street, a Newtown roadway that can be notoriously dangerous for pedestrians, are already underway after approval by the township's Board of Supervisors last week.

On Friday, public works began painting a black and white piano-striping pattern onto the existing brick crosswalks to increase their visibility. This is one of several changes toward the goal of making Sycamore Street a safer place to walk.

The painting project will be funded, according to supervisors, with money from the federal American Rescue Plan to improve safety.

According to John Mack, a supervisor, the township has also already ordered between 15 and 25 Yield to Pedestrian signs to be placed in the middle of the road. A $7,500 donation from the owner of the Green Parrot secured the ability to buy these signs.

Engineers provided several other safety recommendations to the board, including: upgrading incandescent street lighting to brighter LED fixtures, evaluating existing signage and pavement markings for any needed updates, considering crosswalk beacons should PennDOT approve, modifying on-street parking setbacks and vegetation that could impede sitelines, pursuing a reduction from 35 miles per hour to 25 should PennDOT approve, and possibly introducing speed raises or other slowing devices.

While some of these steps will be more immediately and easily accomplished than others, supervisors gave sign off to pursue them all.

In the past, residents have also suggested installing four-way stop signs or a traffic light at the intersection of N. Sycamore Street and Silo Drive.

A man, identified by the Bucks County Courier Times as Scott Spitznas of Medford Lakes, New Jersey, was hit by a car and killed in December while crossing in that area to catch an Uber with friends. Spitznas' death is one of several accidents and near-misses in this area over the past few years.

"I think the items we can move ASAP on, we should," supervisor Kyle Davis said.

The board's full minutes and agendas can be viewed online.

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