Mt. Laurel Council introduces ordinance to lower speed limit on Beaver Avenue
At the Oct. 5 meeting of the Mt. Laurel Township Council, the township held the first reading for an ordinance to reduce speed on Beaver Avenue.
The proposed change would drop the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph.
The change comes as part of an agreement reached with the planning board and developers of the Wal-Mart and Lifetime Fitness center located by the intersection of Fellowship Road and Route 73.
Residents have previously voiced concerns with the potential increase in traffic the project could bring to the area, which already sees a high volume during peak times.
In the past, residents have also voiced concerns that Beaver Avenue would be used as a cut-through to Route 73, despite local ordinances already in place that prohibit traffic from cutting through neighborhoods.
According to the ordinance introduced at the Oct. 5 meeting, the township engineer has concurred with a speed study of the area and recommends the proposed change.
“Part of the Wal-Mart and Lifetime Fitness site plan was to put speed humps in, and when you put speed humps in, you have to lower the speed limit,” Township Manager Maureen Mitchell said. “It’s designed to slow traffic through there so people don’t cut through.”
A public hearing for the ordinance, during which members of the public may speak about the proposed change, will be held at council’s Oct. 27 meeting.
In other news:
• Mitchell said the township would also be applying for a grant under the state Department of Transportation fiscal year 2016 savings program.
Under recommendation from the township engineer, the township will be applying for funds to improve a portion of Union Mill Road from Walton Avenue to Briggs Road.
• Council passed a resolution proclaiming that Oct. 18–24 would be “Friends of Libraries Week” in Mt. Laurel.
Friends of Libraries groups use the national week to celebrate Friends groups across the nation as well as raise awareness and promote group membership.
According to the resolution, Friends of the Library in Mt. Laurel raises money that allows the library to move from “good to great” by providing resources for additional programming, equipment, children’s summer reading and special events throughout the year.
The resolution also states the Friends’ time and commitment to the library set an example for how volunteerism leads to positive civic engagement and betterment of the community.
• Council passed a resolution designating October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Mt. Laurel to coincide with National Breast Cancer Awareness
The resolution lists statistics such as women worldwide dying of breast cancer every 68 seconds and one in eight women being diagnosed with breast cancer in their life.
Council encourages women in the township to participate in early screening and detection programs.
• Mt. Laurel resident Kevin Isky was commended by council for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout and using his Eagle Scout project to restore the Carl Jansen Memorial Creek Road Baseball Field.
• The next meeting of the Mt. Laurel Township Council is scheduled for Oct. 26.
