I wanted to see how many topics I could address in one article of 600 words or less.
Use our Safety Resources, Be Alert and Be Safe!
I hope that most residents have noticed the Washington Road crosswalk safety enhancements that were approved by the Commission. I encourage walkers and runners to press the button alerting drivers of your crossing so that we can all begin getting used to the warning tool.
Drivers, please show others that Mt. Lebanon takes pedestrian safety seriously and obey these lights. If you don’t, you will be showing other drivers that it’s OK to ignore pedestrians who are trying to cross in the walkway.
As most know, we have had some very serious accidents between cars and pedestrians. These accidents have resulted in permanent or long-term effects, physically and emotionally, for all involved. Let’s use our safety resources, be alert and be safe.
Additional Resources and Enhancements
Traffic safety experts have given a number of presentations to the Commission regarding opportunities to improve safety throughout Mt Lebanon. Some of these items do cost money but should be addressed. It would be great to find the funds to tackle all the items at once, but the cost is great.
The estimated cost for potential enhancements would be around $130,000 but roads would be safer. I believe safety should be one of our top priorities and the money would be well spent. If you are interested in knowing the list, please contact me.
www.radarforpa.com
Another way you can address some of our traffic issues within Mt Lebanon is encourage state legislators to allow local police departments to use radar devices to enforce speed on our local streets. I hope that Pennsylvania will make progress on this in 2014.
We can’t wait any longer as it has been common throughout our state to see regular news stories of accidents resulting from a speeding driver. Our community could benefit from the use of radar devices to enforce speed in our neighborhoods. Please visit www.radarforpa.com [1] for more information.
Deer!
This Commission has had frequent conversations about deer over the years. Many residents see deer frequently, others do not. The Commission had two aerial surveys conducted, one in 2013 and another early in 2014. The results showed a decrease in population. However, some affected by deer share concerns about safety when driving.
Some of the Commission’s initial steps included adding deer signage and a ban on feeding deer.
A majority of the Commission has been vocal about not re-implementing a deer cull (killing deer by sharpshooter or bow and arrow). The concerns that have been shared are mainly about safety, but also that the program doesn’t work and once we begin we will have a financial commitment year after year, indefinitely.
That just didn’t make sense to me. So I began looking at alternatives, after hours of research, I found a forward-thinking, more permanent program that has been done in various places throughout the country. This program entails the sterilization of female deer. Please find more information about this method on my blog [2].
I hope if you are interested in addressing our deer population that you consider deer sterilization and learn more about this method. This proactive deer management program can provide a long-term solution especially if we partner with surrounding communities.
For additional information about these topics and more I would encourage you to visit my blog. [2]