UPDATE: Fourth Street Factions Find Common Ground

What could have been a turned into a compromise when Coopersburg residents turned out to represent their side of the 4th st. debate.

The section of 4th street behind the Coopersburg diner has been two-way a road for the past two years, in order to accomodate borough traffic during construction on 309. The alley, which connects the diner’s parking lot to 4th st., is also two-way.

Several residents of the area came out to support making the change permanent, though the street was slated to become one-way again after an Oct. 26 vote by the borough council to restore the street to one-way. The mayor failed to sign the bill, citing several petitions circulated around the borough asking that the street remain two-way. The motion to override the mayor failed to gain a majority during a Dec. 14 vote.

"I've been on Fairview for 14 years and I grew up on Landis st.," said Coopersburg resident Deanna Colagio. "Having 4th street two-way is a more convenient way to get to shopping centers. It's much safer than 5th street, where you can't see oncoming traffic without pulling into the intersection."

Some residents disagreed with that assessment, at times passionately. "The street's been [one] way for 20 years," said Denise Shafer, a resident who lives on the corner of 4th st. and the alley. "And I've got pictures to show the damage that’s been done to my yard because [the roads are currently] two-way. People just don't care what they do to the property."

In the end, the residents agreed to a proposal that would leave 4th st. two-way, make the alley one-way, and would restrict the ability to remove parking from 4th st. for road improvements.

The proposal will be presented to Coopersburg Borough Council at the Feb. 22 meeting.