Concerned about the traffic on Bower Hill Road?

Maggie Thomas has concerns about the traffic on Bower Hill Road and posted this on a Mt. Lebanon Facebook group. I am reposting this, along with the November 1, 2017 Agenda for the Traffic Board Meeting, with her permission.

You may recall that I have previously posted my concerns about traffic along Bower Hill Rd., particularly on the stretch between Cochran and Washington Roads. Since my last post, I raised this issue before the Traffic Review Board and also received records requested via right to know requests. This issue will be taken up again at this week's Traffic Review Board meeting, and the Board needs to hear from concerned residents. If you share my concern, please consider attending or, if you cannot attend, email the Board members. Some information for your consideration:

• More than 40,000 vehicles travelled Bower Hill Road between Cochran Rd. and Washington Rd. in one week, making the daily average over 6,000 cars.
• Over 20,000 of those vehicles exceeded the posted speed limit of 25 mph.
• 50 of those 6,000 cars were travelling over 50 mph.
• Five vehicles were travelling over 65 mph, including one vehicle travelling 94 mph.
• As of late September, 82 traffic citations have been issued along this stretch of road in 2017.
• As of late September, the MLPD is aware of 16 accidents along this stretch of road in 2017. The MLPD is aware of 24 accidents along this stretch of road in 2016. I suspect there are many more than are not reported.
• The MLPD has evaluated this data and concluded that there is a low percentage of enforceable violations. I interpret this to mean that increasing police presence will not remedy the safety issues and instead, we need some form of infrastructure to prevent vehicles from speeding and ignoring the crosswalk.

The meeting will be held this Wednesday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the Municipal Building.

Can you help?

A sixteen year old boy was struck by a white SUV while crossing Bower Hill Road at Concordia Way. The media report for this hit and run is below.

On March 22, 2017 at approximately 6:40pm, MLPD officers were dispatched to a residence on Pennsylvania Blvd in reference to a leaving the scene pedestrian crash that had occurred earlier at a different location.  

Upon arrival, officers spoke to a 16 year old male, who stated that he was walking home in the 1300 block of Bower Hill Road at about 6:05pm this evening. He was on the north side of the road, standing on the north west corner of Bower Hill Road and Concordia Way. As the pedestrian signal light changed to "walk", he began to walk across Concordia Way and observed a white SUV coming out of the west parking lot exit of Temple Emmanuel. As he was walking east, the white SUV then made a left turn out of the parking lot and "clipped" him. The 16 year old stated that the driver's side front fender and bumper hit him in the hip and back, and spun him around. He does not recall if he was knocked to the ground, but said that he saw the SUV slow down, then speed up as it went west on Bower Hill Road. The SUV then came to nearly a stop, then quickly accelerated again and left the area. 

The 16 year old felt positive that the driver of the SUV knew he had hit him, but did not stop to check on him. He believes that the SUV was a 2010-2012 Ford Escape, and he described the driver as a white male in his 40s. There was also a white female in her teens in the front passenger seat. He was unable to see the license plate of the vehicle that struck him. 

As a result of the crash, the 16 year old male stated that he was not injured, but had soreness in his back and wrist.

Investigative efforts to track down and identify the SUV, the driver or any witnesses to the incident have been unsuccessful at this point.

Aaron V. Lauth

Chief of Police

Mt Lebanon Police Department

555 Washington Road

Pittsburgh, PA  15228

(412)343-4015

alauth@mtlebanon.org

www.mtlebanonpd.org