Police to Calm Richboro Traffic

The 's is at it again, and this time they've teamed up with the Traffic Safety Unit to calm busy summer roadways.

Richboro, in particular, has made the must-watch list thanks to the intersection of 2nd Street Pike (Rt. 232) and Almshouse or Newtown-Richboro Road (Rt. 332). This crossing serves as a major vein through the county with service to Newtown to the east and Doylestown and New Hope to the north.

The traffic unit used to utilize the past three years' accident data to determine where they would place patrol cars, but they realized recently that some of it was outdated due to engineering issues that had been solved and changing traffic patterns, said Officer Joseph Rosowski, who is a member of both units.

At the suggestion of Chief Barry Pilla, the department instead decided to look at much more recent data. The result was overwhelming. More than 34 percent of the township's accidents occur on just 1.5 percent of its roadways – including the major Richboro intersection, Rosowski said.

"We realized we had a problem here, and rather than put our resources in areas where we might not be effective, let's try to hit this hard," he said.

To do that, the department is alternating marked and unmarked cars at the intersection. Each serves a different purpose. Marked cars immediately have an effect on drivers because they act as a deterrent by making them more alert and aware of their actions. Unmarked cars are less obvious and serve to take action when people don't obey traffic or speed regulations, he said.

"We’re not here to write tickets; we’re here to change people's behavior in reference to driving." he said. 

Some of the biggest problems are related to violations while moving, including speeding, drivers changing lanes when they shouldn't and also not following traffic control devices like stoplights, Rosowski said.

Police began the program at the start of June and plan to reevaluate the numbers at the end of the month. However, they're always taking preventative measures to ensure traffic safety around the township.

For example, officers will be monitoring Middle Holland Road by this afternoon because today is the last full day for students and police want to make sure drivers stay in control, Rosowski said.

The team has also continued a two-year program with "" signs below regular stop signs around the township in neighborhoods and places where drivers are consistantly rolling through. 

"It's difficult to find people who come to a complete stop," he said. "When necessary, we make the stops."

The team's actions depend on the factors like traffic data but also pull from resources like community imput and citizens' concerns, he said.

"We make a difference and that's the key. When I pull people over ... there's a little bit of a learning curve," he said, adding, "Honesty goes a long way in a traffic stop."