Speeding

Hands down, speeding complaints are among the most frequent grievances municipalities receive from residents. According to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), speeding contributes to approximately a third of all fatalities in the United States, which is about the same as alcohol impairment. Speeding is of particular concern in Pennsylvania, which had the fourth-most speeding-related traffic fatalities in 2016. And what’s even more concerning is that Chester County had the highest percentage of speeding-related fatalities in the DVRPC nine-county region.

There are three common strategies to combat speeding: engineering, enforcement, and education. Engineering approaches aim to design or redesign roads and intersections to discourage speeding. These solutions include strategies like lane narrowing, roundabouts, speed humps/tables, and “road diets” (which can include a combination of strategies). Enforcement methods utilize policing tactics to increase compliance with existing speed limits and traffic laws. Finally, educational efforts seek to inform residents about speeding challenges and consequences.

Many of the speeding complaints that we receive in East Bradford are reviewed by the Traffic Committee, Township Engineer, and West Chester Police Department. Sometimes this group recommends an engineering solution, sometimes an enforcement solution. But, at the end of the day, engineering and enforcement approaches only get us so far. In order to curb speeding, we also need active involvement by residents. So, as you drive in your neighborhood and throughout the region, please observe the posted speed limit.