At their meeting Tuesday evening, Indiana Borough Council presented the results of a pedestrian safety study conducted by PENNDOT.
The report provided multiple numbers, such as the average amount of people that cross Philadelphia Street in downtown Indiana each day, and how many vehicles make turns on specific intersections, at what times.
Indiana Borough Chief of Police Justin Schawl said that he wasn’t surprised by the large numbers of people that populate Philadelphia Street each day.
With the numbers in, council was presented with three options. The first was to keep the traffic light and safety system as it is, with more enforcement and education efforts. The second was an “all-red” pedestrian phase, giving all four signals the red light while people cross, all along Philadelphia Street. The final option is to have an “all-red push button”, while also eliminating left turns from Philadelphia Street onto Oakland Avenue via the 9th Street intersection.
During public comment, many members of the community pushed for the all red phase option, with a strong emphasis on the return of the “X” style crosswalk at 7th and Philadelphia.
PENNDOT representative Matthew Burkett said that any decision would have unknown traffic implications.
Ultimately, council decided to move forward with the third option, adding push buttons for an all pedestrian walk phase, and eliminating the left turn. Borough Manager Nicole Sipos talked about what the next steps in the process are.
You can find a video of the meeting on our Facebook page.
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