Police To Increase Enforcement on Sycamore Street

If you’ve driven down Sycamore Street over the past two days, you’ve probably noticed the electronic sign cautioning vehicles to yield to pedestrians.

That sign is the first step in a series of initiatives by the Newtown Township Police Department aimed to improve pedestrian safety and slow traffic on Sycamore Street.  And police say subsequent steps to manage the problem won’t just be in the form of electronic signs – they’ll be tickets.

At the urging of the Sycamore Street Community Association, Newtown Township Police Chief Rick Pasqualini said the department will increase enforcement on the street to ensure cars adhere to the speed limit and stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. The intiative, announced Friday, is called the Sycamore Street Traffic Awareness Program.

“We need to make sure folks drive in a manner that ensures pedestrians can cross the street safely.  If you drive up and down Sycamore Street, be warned: state law requires that you yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk,” Pasqualini said.  “If you are observed not yielding to pedestrians, you will receive a ticket.” 

The initiative came about after members of the community association discussed the problem of pedestrian safety at an executive board meeting Thursday.

Following that meeting, Sycamore Street Community Association President Shawn Ward met with Pasqualini to discuss concerns about excessive speed its adverse effect on pedestrian access to Sycamore Street.

On Thursday, the township placed an electronic message board on Sycamore Street cautioning motorists to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.  Additionally, a traffic detail will be assigned to the street to ensure compliance with the posted speed limit, police said.

“Despite being in the crosswalk, traffic simply does not yield to pedestrians,” Ward said, adding that it is ironic that traffic comes to a halt when a gaggle of geese crosses the street but drivers often ignore a mother with a stroller. 

Sycamore Street Community Association Board Member Frank Tyrol said he expressed his concerns about pedestrian safety to the board after watching traffic from his office window at Tyrol Insurance, which is located on Sycamore Street.

“Until we’re able to obtain the traffic light at Silo Drive, we need enforcement of the 35 mile-per-hour speed limit,” Tyrol said, adding that the speed of traffic deters people from coming to the street to shop and eat. 

“Why go to Sycamore if you jeopardize you and your children’s lives,” Tyrol said. “The crosswalks mean absolutely nothing.  They are dangerous because some folks assume the cars will stop.  Bad assumption.”

Pasqualini said that pedestrian safety is always a primary concern for the police department.  “Sycamore Street is our main business corridor in the township and it is designed to be a pedestrian-friendly street,” the chief said. 

The Sycamore Street Community Association is a nonprofit community group made up of property owners, residents and businesses located on Sycamore Street.  The group's mission is to work the continued betterment of Newtown Township’s historic town center.