Harris Township residents press for lower speeds and traffic calming as subdivision plan points to installed all-way stop

Residents and supervisors at the Harris Township Board of Supervisors’ April 8 meeting focused extensive public comment and board discussion on speeding and pedestrian safety in the village. Edie Binkley of 708 Bulzburg Pike asked the board to reduce the 35 mph limit to 25 mph near St. Joe’s and the military museum, citing frequent tractor-trailer and school-related traffic and people walking and biking along the roadway.

Board and staff members said speed-monitoring devices had been used but were placed at the bottom of the hill; the township’s traffic engineer will review whether a lower limit is appropriate and report back, with staff targeting the May meeting. Several speakers also emphasized enforcement limits — including that local police do not use radar — and suggested temporary radar-speed display signs and portable flashing signs as near-term measures. "We would like to see if we could get the speed limit on Bulzburg Pike reduced from 35 miles an hour to 25 miles an hour," Edie Binkley told supervisors.

The conversation broadened into villagewide traffic-calming proposals during public comment. Karen Conroy, a long-time resident, urged speed humps and other infrastructure to slow drivers on streets that lack sidewalks; others described a previously considered road diet that PennDOT declined and emphasized the need for a coordinated community push if major changes are to succeed. One resident cautioned that some measures could shift traffic to other neighborhood streets, a concern board members said they would weigh.

On the formal agenda, staff presented the Hawk Ridge subdivision plan history and noted that a recorded plan (2009, revised 2021) includes a requirement that the developer install stop signs and stop bars at Main Street and Academy Street to create an all‑way stop. Staff said they have contacted the project developer and that the township’s motor-vehicles and traffic ordinance will need amendment to add those stop locations. John Sepp was noted as attending on behalf of the developer. Staff said they would coordinate with the developer on implementation and bring draft ordinance language to the board.

Why it matters: village streets cited in public comment are used by pedestrians, children and people accessing village businesses and museums; residents and supervisors framed the problem as twofold — speed and intersection safety — and advocated both short-term mitigation (signs, enforcement) and longer-term engineering changes (stop signage, speed humps, or a road diet).

What’s next: staff will ask the traffic engineer for a recommendation on a speed limit change and report back at a future meeting, and township staff will coordinate with the developer on the all‑way stop and prepare any necessary ordinance amendments for board consideration.