Fatality Spurs Talk of Warminster Road Upgrades

A month after a 75-year-old Upper Moreland pedestrian was killed while walkingin Hatboro, her family and a neighbor have forged a campaign to have Warminster Road made safer.

Hatboro resident Scott Wenger, an interventional radiation specialist for Cooper Hospital in Camden, shared with the Hatboro Borough Council how in November he tried to save the life of Upper Moreland resident Dorothy Lodge, who had been struck by a car practically outside of his Lycoming Avenue home in November.

"I never want to see out in front of my home what I saw that night," Wenger, a father of four and medical professional of 20 years, said Monday night. "I was scared."

Wenger, along with Lodge's daughters, Joan Schemmer and Dot Stanley, said they would like to see measures put in place to slow traffic speeding by on the road, which has a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour. 

Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner said police regularly do speed enforcement on the roadway, which is jointly owned by Hatboro and Upper Moreland Township. Gardner would not comment on whether speed was a factor in Lodge's death.

The addition of sidewalks on both sides of the street would certainly step up safety, Gardner said.

"We certainly don't want pedestrians walking on the street," Gardner said. 

Lodge's daughter's said the vivacious Red Hatter, avid gardener and employee of Sunrise Assisted Living was hit by a vehicle as she crossed the street. The driver, a 60-year-old Upper Moreland man, has not been charged.

Lodge's death, coupled with a hit and run days before at the 7-Eleven in Hatboro, made for a "difficult month," according to Wenger.

Wenger, who reached out to State Rep. Tom Murt (R-152) for support before being redirected back to the municipalities that own the road, said speeding has been an issue on Warminster Road at least since he moved there from New Jersey seven years ago. 

In January 2011, a 25-year-old Horsham man was killed in a hit and run crash on South Warminster Road in Hatboro

Wenger said he'd like to see one or two more traffic lights, speed bumps, a flashing warning sign and stepped up speed enforcement measures. Ideally, Wenger said he'd like cooperation among Hatboro and Upper Moreland in finding a solution.

"This isn't a Christmas list by any stretch," Wenger said. "These things aren't $15 or $20 fixes."

Hatboro Council President John Zygmont said the issue would be discussed during the borough's next public safety committee meeting.

Gardner suggested Wenger reach out to Murt and Senator Stewart Greenleaf for help moving a state law to fruition that would permit radar for speed enforcement.

"It is purely a matter of public safety," Gardner told Patch, adding that opponents of radar often contend it's simply a revenue generator.

Ultimately, Gardner said no amount of enforcement can take the place of drivers traveling safely.

"They need to slow down," Gardner said. "People need to be responsible."