Traffic Safety Issues

Join township supervisors, planning commissioners,

school board/administrators, and guest speakers at

Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

JOINT WORKSHOP

October 20, 2008

6:30 - 8:30 PM

Exeter Township

4975 DeMoss Road

Reading, PA 19606

Please send all of your concerns and wish lists to WalkBikeBerks@yahoo.com so that we can add them to the discussion and planning at the joint workshop. Let us know what is most important to you. We are organized and working to create better walking and biking for you.

The 2009 Transportation Bill

Transportation for America, Thunderhead Alliance, Complete Streets Coalition, and Smart Growth America, Safe Routes to School, and many other organizations who work for better biking and walking are collaborating to influence the new 2009 Transportation Bill. You can join them by visiting: http://www.walkscore.com/transportation-bill.shtml.

Of course, WalkBikeBerks is a proud member of Thunderhead Alliance, the Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth Online. Every 'grassroots' member of our local organization is also a member of the larger, national organizations mentioned previously. We would love to be able to help you have better walking and biking. Let us know what we can do for you.

Contacting Rite Aid for Complete Streets

I Googled Rite Aid this morning and found that the company -- like so many other successful businesses today -- supports 'sustainability.' They are promoting environmental building and design as well as working to improve access to riteaid.com for blind and visually-impaired.

When Rite Aid comes to Berks County at the intersection of 422 and 47th Street in Exeter Township, let's be sure they are fully aware of our request for Complete Streets -- to accommodate even the most vulnerable of all road users. Let's be sure to ask the company to build a store that promotes, encourages, and models walkability and bikability for all communities. Let's write letters and make phone calls directly to the Board of Directors to ask that the new store be built in such as way that customers can walk and bike to their store -- keeping our streets safer, less congested, and slowing cars that do come and go through our neighborhood to shop at Rite Aid.

Here is the official community relations position of Rite Aid:
Community Relations
"Rite Aid store associates are very involved in helping in their hometowns. They volunteer to speak at local schools on poison prevention and the dangers of drug abuse, visit nursing homes to review prescriptions with residents, help at local food banks and participate in walks for other charitable causes.
Nationally, Rite Aid supports Children's Miracle Network (CMN). By selling $1 CMN balloons in our stores and hosting special event fundraisers, we have raised more than $23 million for 110 different children's hospitals since 1994.
The Rite Aid Foundation, whose mission is to help improve the lives of those who live and work in the communities where Rite Aid does business was established in 2001. Visit our Foundation page for information on applying for a grant from the Foundation."

Visitors
http://www.riteaid.com/contact_us/contact_board.jsf

Rite Aid Corporation
c/o Corporate Secretary
P.O. Box 3165
Harrisburg, PA 17105

Communications may also be sent to the following e-mail address: contacttheboard@riteaid.com.

Walkability for Residents Behind Proposed Rite-Aid

Rite Aid is looking to move from their current location in Exeter to another location near the intersection of Rte 422 and 47th St. They showed their proposed plans at the Sept 2nd Planning Commission meeting in Exeter. Of major concern to those supportive of pedestrian safety was the proposed "back" entrance/exit onto Oak Circle. This would be the entrance and exit of choice for those driving from the south via Gibralter/47th St and those exiting who wish to continue west on 422 and even those going east on 422 who feel the current proposed exit onto 422 is too risky. This would bring more traffic to pedestrians and residents living there
and those who would like to walk along Oak Parkway and 47th St where no sidewalks currently exist! Further, 47th St is also a school bus stop where children must stand next to a road with no sidewalks!
The proposed owners seem receptive to meeting the needs of the residents and pedestrians and installing sidewalks along the driveway to the proposed business and crosswalks in the parking lot. Let's make sure of this by emailing your concerns to the Exeter Township Planners and to PennDot for them to enforce the Strike Off letter that mandates new construction consider the needs of pedestrians! This would also mean establishing sidewalks along Oak Parkway as more traffic along this road would necessitate more safety measures. This also means including in the design speed bumps and other traffic calming measures!
Voice your concerns NOW so plans do not progress without addressing the needs of pedestrians.

Riverfront Beautification Day

WalkBikeBerks is so very excited to volunteer for:

United Way Day of Caring

Riverfront Beautification Day

Friday, September 19, 2008

RiverPlace is planning to participate in the United Way’s 2008 Days of Caring with a Riverfront Beautification Day focused on the Bertolet Landing/Schuylkill River Trail area in West Reading and Cumru Township on Friday, September 19th.

Suggested maintenance and improvements include: tree and perennial plantings, mulching, brush clearing, painting, general cleanup, and creation of a kayak landing slip. Sara Kuzma of Suburban Water Testing Labs in Temple is the volunteer event captain.

If you or your organization would like to sponsor or volunteer for a project team, please contact RiverPlace today! http://www.riverplacepa.com/dayofcaring08.htm

The hours for the worksession are 9 am to 1 pm. We hope to see you there!

Be The Solution

WalkBikeBerks invites you to post to this blog to explain how you are choosing to Be The Solution!

Reducing your own dependence on foreign oil?

Improving air quality?

Reducing or refusing to contribute to pollution?

Going green?

Reducing traffic congestion?

Improving your physical health?

Tell us all about it now.

Bike Pottstown News

Courtesy of Philadelphia Bicycle News, http://bcgp.blogspot.com/:

Bike Pottstown Coverage on Fox 29
Gerald Kolpan at Fox 29 visits the Bike Pottstown free bike sharing project.

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