State report calls for lights, medians to calm Route 206

A report conducted by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission recommended a number of changes for Route 206 in Lawrence including realigning intersections, adding traffic lights and installing raised traffic medians.

By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
   Aiming to improve traffic conditions on Route 206, a recently completed study by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission offered a laundry list of suggestions — starting with a traffic light at Darrah Lane and a realignment of the intersection at Carter and Fackler roads.
   The DVRPC, which studied Route 206 from Province Line Road to its intersection with Princeton Pike at Harney’s Corner, also recommended installing raised traffic medians along several sections of Route 206 in an effort to slow down traffic.
   The report, which cost $97,500, was paid for by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, according to John Ward, associate director of the DVRPC’s Transportation Planning Division.
   The report was presented to township officials last month, but Township Council has not had an opportunity to discuss it, Mayor Michael Powers said this week. The study is a long-term plan and vision for the state-controlled Route 206, he said.
   Mayor Powers noted that some of the DVRPC’s suggestions would likely be expensive, but it is unlikely that they would be implemented because of the state’s financial difficulties. The report did not include cost estimates.
   "I found it helpful to see what was (suggested), from a professional (traffic planner’s) point of view," Mayor Powers said. "The DVRPC obviously put a lot of work into the study. Township Council will go over the study."
   A traffic light was suggested for the intersection of Route 206 and Darrah Lane. The report noted that between 2002 and August 2005, there were five accidents at the intersection involving cars entering or leaving Darrah Lane.
   Darrah Lane provides a direct connection between Route 1 and Route 206. Although Darrah Lane is a residential street, its expansive width attracts high volumes of traffic and entices motorists to speed, the report said.
   The report also recommended some changes for the intersection of Route 206 at Carter Road and Fackler Road, noting that there were 33 accidents at the intersection between 2002 and 2005.
   The report suggested creating a conventional intersection by realigning Carter Road through township-owned land at the corner of Carter Road and Route 206. The new intersection would line up with the existing southern leg of Fackler Road.
   The DVRPC report also suggested that the northern leg of Fackler Road, which is narrow, should be converted to a one-way street northbound. Motorists would have to yield to traffic on Route 206.
   The report also addressed the issue of speeding on Route 206.
   To slow down traffic on Route 206, the report recommended installing raised medians along several stretches of the two-lane road. For example, the report called for installing raised medians in place of pavement markings in the roadway between Meadowbrook Avenue and Pilla Avenue.
   The report also noted that raised medians would calm traffic between the traffic signal at the main entrance to Rider University and Skillman Avenue. High speeds on Route 206 make it difficult to enter and exit the college, the report said.
   A raised median also would prevent motorists from making left turns out of the southern entrance to Rider University, which does not have a traffic light, the report said. Left turns are permitted from the southern entrance, but the report recommended banning left turns from that driveway — forcing motorists to use the traffic light at the main entrance to the college.
   The report suggested a raised median along Route 206 southbound, in front of the Municipal Complex, as a means to slow down traffic. The report also called for eliminating the right-hand southbound lane at the entrance to the Municipal Complex in an effort to slow down traffic.
   Raised medians in front of the Municipal Complex, which would slow down traffic, would make it easier for motorists to turn left from West Long Drive onto Route 206, the report said. It is difficult to leave the Long Acres neighborhood at certain times of the day because of speeding traffic on Route 206, the report said.
   Between Franklin Corner Road and Gordon Avenue, raised medians should be constructed in areas where there are painted medians. The medians would serve as a traffic-calming measure.
   Farther north, at the main entrance to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. campus, landscaped medians should be constructed to slow down traffic, the report suggested. A landscaped median would narrow the perceived width of the road and force traffic to slow, the report said.
   The report also addressed specific neighborhoods along Route 206, including the Eldridge Park neighborhood. The report suggested installing a curb and driveway entrance in front of the shopping area at Varsity Pizza & Subs and Dunkin’ Donuts. It would prevent northbound cars from passing cars on the right that are stopped to make a left turn into Lawrence Avenue.
   In the village of Lawrenceville, the report recommended improving the pedestrian crosswalk at Gordon Avenue by installing a textured surface that is distinct from the roadway surface.
   The report also suggested making northbound cars stop farther away from the driveway entrance to The Lawrenceville School, making it easier for cars to enter and exit the driveway when cars are stopped on Route 206 for the red traffic light.