Lower Merion approves change to lower speed on Montgomery Avenue

LOWER MERION – Drivers in Lower Merion will have to slow down on one major roadway under a new speed limit. There are also new no-turn-on-right signs along the same roadway.

Lower Merion officials have approved a speed change on a section of Lancaster Avenue in Wynnewood. As part of the same ordinance change, the commissioners also approved a limit on red-light right turns.

The change lowers the speed from 40 miles per hour to 35 on Lancaster Avenue from City Avenue to West Wynnewood Road. The change also prohibits right turns on red at Lancaster Avenue and Remington Road for eastbound traffic; at Lancaster Avenue and Haverford Station Road for westbound traffic; and at Montgomery Avenue and Airdale Road for east and west traffic.

During a committee meeting when the new speed limits were discussed, Lower Merion Police Superintendent Andy Block said the plan to reduce the speed came from a study PennDOT conducted that recommended the lower speed.

“In Spring 2025, the Township submitted a formal request to PennDOT for a speed limit evaluation along Lancaster Avenue, specifically between Wynnewood Road and City Avenue,” according to the township’s issue briefing to the commissioners for the police committee meeting, where the speed was discussed. “This request was part of a broader set of proposed improvements, which include the installation of turning lanes and red-light cameras at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Remington Road. In response, PennDOT conducted a speed limit study and shared the following findings: The study supports a reduction in the posted speed limit from 40 MPH to 35 MPH, aligning it with the existing 35 MPH zones west of Wynnewood Road (SR 3044) and along City Avenue. Contributing factors to this recommendation include the narrow lane widths—less than 10 feet— along the corridor, and safety concerns for pedestrians crossing four lanes at various points along.”

According to township officials, the new speed limit signs along Lancaster Avenue had already been put in place.

The new no-turn-on-red prohibitions are due to the new red light enforcement cameras at each of the intersections.

Lower Merion approved the new cameras on July 16. After the adoption of the ordinance, Lower Merion submitted a request to PennDOT seeking approval to install the cameras at Lancaster Avenue and Remington Road, Lancaster Avenue and Haverford Station Road, and at Montgomery Avenue and Airdale Road.

In October, PennDOT told Lower Merion that it was approving the camera request. However, the letter also indicated that a no-turn-on-red restriction must be implemented for eastbound and westbound traffic at each of these locations.