CURWENSVILLE – A resident of Curwensville has asked the council for help with traffic issues.
At Monday’s meeting, resident Gary Jewart discussed problems with drivers dropping children off at the Curwensville Area Elementary School.
Jewart said he has lived at his home for decades. He said problems with traffic dates back to 1993, when a previous council began considering making Anderson and School streets one-way in order to avoid traffic congestion with vehicles traveling to the school.
Jewart presented several articles from The Progress newspaper where discussion of the problem occurred at council meetings and a solution was reached between the borough and the school district. Jewart said the problem had improved. However, Jewart said the traffic congestion was becoming a problem yet again.
“I invite anyone to come to my house at 8 a.m. to sit on my front porch and see this problem first-hand,” Jewart said. “This problem has been discussed since 1993.”
Jewart said the problem is not with the school district or with the borough. He said the problem is with people who choose to drive their children to school, rather than utilize the school buses.
He said the articles he has presented show that changing traffic patterns would only fix the problem if those driving are willing to use the alternative route.
“You should see them,” Jewart said. “They’re in their cars, with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, they’re on their cellphones and they’re speeding down the streets. They’re driving faster and they’re paying less attention than they ever have before.”
Jewart said the residents of Anderson Street and Susquehanna Avenue are being asked to change their street to accommodate traffic problems that are only occurring 180 days out of the year, for a short amount of time per day.
He said the existing traffic patterns would work, as they have in the past, if those driving children to school would leave their homes earlier and drive the 15-20 miles per hour, as designated in the school traffic zone, or if more students traveled to school on the busses.
The members of council discussed the concerns and agreed that they should set up a meeting with the school district to see if these problems can be addressed.