Haverford Township Installs Signage For 1.3 Mile Bike Route

Haverford Township recently installed new bike signs along a 1.33-mile bi-directional bike route along Buck Lane, Meadows Lane, and Williams Road. These signs were obtained through a small grant we provided to our Delaware County Cycling Committee.

Look below the jump for a description of the route from Rich Kerr and more photos of the signs at work.



The Haverford Township Public Works Department today installed Bike Route signs along Buck Lane, Meadows Lane and Williams Road. The route runs across the northern portion of the township, beginning at Haverford Road and ending at Darby Road. Across Darby Road, which has pedestrian buttons and walk lights, users can connect to a paved half-mile long sidepath along Parkview Drive into the Haverford Reserve, providing access to the 168-acre Community Park which holds playing fields, four miles of wooded trails, Freedom Playground, a Dog Park and more.

The 1.33 mile bidirectional Bike Route is unique in Haverford Township. It joins a small group of such routes in Delaware County, including the 8 mile Bicyclists’ Baltimore Pike and the 0.9 mile Campus Blvd. in Newtown Township. The route is denoted by four standard green “Bike Route” signs in each direction, funded by a grant from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia through its Delaware County Cycling Committee. Like the Bicyclists’ Baltimore Pike, this route provides a safer parallel alternative to a busier road, in this case College Avenue. The Delaware County Bicycle Plan, adopted in 2009, includes College Avenue as a candidate bicycle route and makes general provision for using safer alternate parallel roads. In addition to serving Haverford Reserve, the route connects to a new stairway and paved path to the Haverford station on the SEPTA Route 100 Norristown High Speed Line. It also passes by Coopertown Elementary School and the township playing fields that surround it.

The designation of the bike route by the township was a project of the Friends of Haverford Trails, an initiative of the Haverford Township Civic Council to promote walking and bicycling in the township through volunteer efforts and fundraising. The route designation was endorsed by Township Commissioner Jeff Heilmann, who represents the 5th Ward where the route is located, and received the support of the Coopertown Civic Association. The designation does not adversely affect the incidental parking, walking or other normal activities along the roads involved. -Rich Kerr