For some folks in Cranberry, Springtime is Speedtime

By Lt. Kevin Meyer, Cranberry Township Police Department

Thank goodness it’s spring.  People here are celebrating the warm weather with outdoor get-togethers, family vacations and, I’m sorry to say, by speeding on local roads.  Every year at this time, our Police Department sees the number of complaints about speeding vehicles spike, along with the number of drivers who blatantly disregard stop signs.  This is of particular concern in residential neighborhoods where children are outside playing in their yards, on the sidewalks, and occasionally in the street.

Our officers are keenly aware of the consequences of speeding autos; after all, we’re the first ones on the scene who have to deal with the consequences when something goes wrong.  So especially in residential areas, we will be out in force this spring to identify problem areas and enforce the posted limits. 

To help, Cranberry’s police department has created a dedicated Traffic Enforcement Unit.  Its primary function is to keep motorists and pedestrians safe by addressing such traffic-related issues as stop sign violations, speeding, and identifying distracted or impaired drivers.  They are also responsible for conducting accident investigations.  But we can’t be everywhere at once, so we need your help in two ways. 

First, I would encourage you and everyone you know to drive safely during this season and to persuade other drivers in your family, as well as your friends, to do the same.  Second, if speeders are a problem where you live, call 911 right away so we can act in a timely fashion.  And if you have any other traffic related questions or concerns, feel free to contact our Traffic Enforcement Unit head, Corporal Bill Ahlgren, at william.ahlgren@cranberrytownship.org or 724-776-5180 x1423.

Thank you. 

Cranberry’s Left-leaning Traffic Signal Patterns

By Duane McKee, Assistant Township Manager, Cranberry Township

Have you noticed a change in the traffic light patterns along Routes 19 and 228? It’s subtle, but it is one of many steps we have taken over the years to help improve traffic management along our major corridors.

During my tenure in Cranberry over nearly 20 years, I’ve been closely involved with putting a succession of new traffic management systems into place. Our first coordinated traffic signal system, 17 years ago, included 12 intersections; today, we coordinate more than 30 of them from a state-of-the-art Traffic Operations Center we opened earlier this year.

We completed our first signal project in 1994, which included the beginning of our fiber optic system that now connects 90% of our signals. It was the backbone for the current signal infrastructure, and it created a system we could update periodically. It was a simple, clock-driven, time-of-day plan. And for a while, it worked quite well. But as our needs grew, so too did traffic control technology – advancing from clocks, to closed loop systems, to traffic-responsive systems, and hopefully someday to automation. And Cranberry was an early adopter of all of them.

Those upgrades always involved Partners – PennDOT District 10, the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) and private developers. Most motorists do not realize that traffic signals are owned by the municipality, even those on state highways. And they are expensive to operate and maintain. We could have chosen the route most communities have taken in regards to traffic signals which is to be reactive, but that is not an acceptable method to our Board of Supervisors. Our position has been and will continue to be proactive in managing the traffic that is passing through our community, no matter where it came from or where it’s going. That includes allocating the appropriate resources to properly maintain those systems. We also understood that motorists did not know or care which municipality they were driving through and simply wanted traffic flows that were as efficient as possible.  Poorly operated traffic signals costs motorists time and fuel. That is why Cranberry advanced the idea of managing traffic as a traffic-shed and successfully engaged our neighboring communities of Marshall and Adams Townships and Seven Fields Borough in that effort.

In our proactive position we’ve always understood that simply adding more asphalt could not be the ultimate answer to traffic congestion. We knew we would need to use all the tools in the box – particularly the ones involving more advanced signal management systems – to get the most out of the pavement already in place.

That turned out to be a good thing because in 2007, the State's General Assembly approved Act 44. That Act severely reduced funds for state highway capacity expansion projects. It left Cranberry to deal with its congestion issues, just like other Pennsylvania communites.  Fortunately, due to the foresight of our Board of Supervisors we were far better prepared for that responsiblity than most other communities – by building upon the electronic technology that was the backbone of our system.

Our most recent opportunity to implement new enhancements came with an SPC SINC-UP grant and a state Infrastructure Development Program grant (IDP). The SINC-UP grant was created to help communities manage their traffic signals to decrease driver frustration, cut emissions, and reduce fuel waste. Due to Cranberry Township's history of effectively operating our traffic signal systems, we were a perfect fit for the SINC-Up grant. The IDP grant was specifically targeted to help Westinghouse mitigate it's impact on our infrastructure, including the traffic signal systems. The IDP funds were used to acquire the most recent generation of traffic management software, which went on line earlier this month.

All of those efforts resulted in the timing and movement changes that were implemented on April 5. This was a team effort. The IPD grant was managed by the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development and the Community Development Corporation of Butler County. SPC pulled together a great team of traffic engineering, operation and technology specialists and our own signal technicians to develop and implement custom-crafted traffic signal patterns. Our new signal sequence, known as “leading lefts,” was part of that solution.

Leading lefts are not a common pattern in our area. So we published a lot of information about it. We used local media, our newsletter, variable message boards, and social media to prepare the motoring public for its rollout on April 5. Right now, we’re in the monitoring phase – tweaking the timings to refine our traffic model information and make sure it’s working as intended.

But you can prove it for yourself; drive the length of the Route 19 and Route 228/Freedom Road corridors and see if you notice the improved flow of traffic. Also, please pay attention to the other traffic corridors you travel, you may even get a better appreciation of what we are doing in the Cranberry Township area traffic-shed.

Keep an eye out for those leading lefts and if you notice something that needs a little more tweaking, I would appreciate it if you dropped me a note at Duane.McKee@cranberrytownship.org

Coffees confirm local pride and passion

Yesterday I held my tenth ‘Coffee and Conversation’ with Cranberry residents.  Maybe I had too much coffee, but I’m feeling overwhelmed with the pride over the way our residents think about their community.  We launched our series of coffees last year to provide an additional channel for dialogue between our residents and their Township’s government.  Most of our communication up to that point had been mediated – information carried by print or Internet or text messaging – all of which were essentially one-way.

At the outset, quite frankly, we weren’t sure if the coffees were going to be successful – after all, we started them around the same time that congressional representatives all over the country were getting hammered by their constituents at town hall meetings about healthcare, stimulus spending, and other issues.  It wasn’t pretty.  But we put on our game face and said: let’s try it. 

Well, not only did we end up sharing coffee with more than 150 guests altogether, it reconfirmed how well-informed and caring the residents of Cranberry Township really are.  I heard excellent questions and thoughtful comments that clearly showed that people really were paying attention.  And it led to a great exchange of thoughts and ideas.  I left each of those coffees beaming with pride over the honor I have in serving a community of such engaged, informed and supportive residents.  It was really reassuring.

As a high school student back in the 1970’s, I remember loving my civic class; it spurred my interest in local government and it really never left me.  Unfortunately, our schools don’t offer those same types of civic classes today.  Civics seems to have gone the way of wood shop and other practical courses which gave everyone the sort of hands-on learning that stays with you for a lifetime.  Perhaps that’s why we work so hard in Cranberry to make sure there are lots of opportunities for civic involvement and education.  Just look around and you’ll be amazed by the civic involvement of our residents. 

Let me give you an example.  At last night’s Board of Supervisors meeting, there were two significant recognitions of residents whose activities helped to improve our community.  One was Amy Fuller, who headed up the Relay For Life fundraiser last July in North Boundary Park.  The American Cancer Society honored her for running the most successful Relay out of the 5,000 that were held last year nationwide. 

Then Michael Sherry was honored by the Cranberry Township Community Chest and Chamber of Commerce as their outstanding citizen of the year.  Michael was the driving force behind the Miracle League Baseball Field at Graham Park.  It is a remarkable facility, designed to accommodate players with serious disabilities, and it demonstrates our community’s insistence that children of all abilities get to experience the joy of playing baseball. 

One comment I recently heard from a resident really summed it up for me.  It was from a guy who provides financial services to local governments all across the state to help them with their operating and capital needs.  He told me that when his clients explain what they need, they inevitably say ‘we want to do it the way Cranberry Township is doing it.’  At that point, he beams and says ‘I know exactly what you mean, I live there myself, and I’m very proud of my community.’  Well, so am I.

If you have any ideas on how we can even do better with communications, I would love to hear from you by contacting me at jerry.andree@cranberrytownship.org

Supporting our High School Seniors is just as important as supporting our Golden Age Seniors

Perhaps, during a recent visit to the Municipal Center or one of our outdoor facilities, you’ve noticed groups of high school students huddling together, carrying out strange and unexpected activities.  You don’t need to notify the police.  They’re probably Seneca Valley high school students doing their senior projects.

Starting in February and continuing for another week or so, Cranberry Township’s facilities will have hosted 40 different students, at various locations, doing an assortment of worthwhile projects which are required for their graduation.  Among them: a presentation on dyslexia, an anti-bullying seminar, a musical program, various athletic competitions, fund-raising projects, and taste testing.  

These dedicated, hard-working students are actually completing one of the most stressful parts of their high school experience.  And Cranberry Township is honored to be able to help them with facility support, staff guidance and in other ways helping them achieve excellence in their projects.  

Since the school district’s own facilities are not available to support these student projects, the Township and its resources have emerged as a critical element of Seneca Valley students’ ability to graduate.  We are genuinely pleased to play such a key role in students’ success and ensuring that they get the most from their high school education.

So, the next time you see a group of high school students standing around a table or display at the Municipal Center, stop by and say hi; you’ll be amazed at what our SV seniors are doing.  They make us all proud.

If you have had any experiences with the students undertaking their senior projects in Cranberry Township, I would appreciate hearing about that experience by contacting me at Jerry.Andree@cranberrytownship.org