Lobby for a safer River Road

Living on River Road in Upper Bucks County means many nice things, like beautiful views from the front porch, spectacular sunsets and an excuse to keep a kayak handy.

But lately it also means dangerous car accidents. Twice in eight days, right in front of my home, speeding cars veered off the road, launched into the air and nearly destroyed the retaining walls of me and my neighbor. In Upper Black Eddy, we lobbied for years to get signs to restrict 18-wheelers on the road.

But the real threat to public safety is everyday drivers, not truck drivers.

I met two of the young people who were riding in the car involved in the last accident and asked them how fast their car was going when they crashed. They told me the driver was going 60 or 65 miles per hour. That speed is not unusual.

Residents on River Road need proper signage, road markings, speed controls and a robust law enforcement presence or someone will be killed. We’ll be able to fix our retaining walls; a fatality or a permanent injury is a different matter.

To any readers who are concerned about traffic and speeding on River Road, wherever you might live, I ask that you email, call or visit your local township supervisors, state legislators and local police and ask them to implement sensible traffic restrictions on River Road. You might save a life.

Marc Elliott, Upper Black Eddy

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