READING Pa. – Reading City Council is set to vote Monday night on a resolution that calls for changes to Hampden Boulevard.
“It’s been a subject of much concern over many years,” said City Council President Donna Reed.
Reed said the road needs some improvements.
“One of our city employees is on his third car now because he lives along Hampden Boulevard. Two cars now, the third has been demolished. He can’t live like that,” said Reed.
The road has been the scene of several severe and sometimes deadly crashes over the years, including a deadly crash in April.
Reed said the biggest problem she’s seen on the wide five lane thoroughfare is speeding.
“People are driving ridiculously high speeds there,” Reed said. “The kind of speed people use in that roadway is really beyond objectionable. It’s really disgusting.”
Now, the city will vote on a resolution that will send a traffic calming policy to the Reading Area Transportation Study group to review.
“We understand their concerns, we understand their anger, but we also understand that it’s time to move forward,” Reed said.
The policy suggests multiple potential changes, including crosswalk painting, curb extensions, speed bumps and medians.
“At this point, all this is under consideration,” Reed said.
Reed said changes like these will help slow cars down and make the boulevard safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
“We look forward to this plan being adopted by council, working with our city engineer and moving towards everything,” Reed said.
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