PENN TWP — Township police recently conducted a speed study on Country Club Road in response to complaints from township residents that incidents of speeding from members and employees of the country club, as well as residents, had become more and more frequent on the road.

The issue was first brought up during a supervisors meeting in May, when a group of residents suggested adding speed bumps along the road.

The study, which involved the use of a “speed minder” trailer and was conducted over the course of a week, found the average driving speed was 20 mph — well below the speed limit of 25 on that stretch of road.

“The vast majority of the vehicles traveling on Country Club Road are traveling within the speed limit,” said Supervisor Doug Roth at a meeting Tuesday, June 1.

Despite the findings, Roth said staff and members of the country club are certain incidents of speeding — as well as residents cutting through country club property — are on the rise, even though the club has sent out frequent reminders about both.

“I’ve talked to the manager and one of the members,” Roth said. “They said the issue has never been as bad as it has been in the last several years. … They said neighbors on Country Club Road speed past their children who are leaving the tennis courts and heading over to the pool, so there have been many close calls over the years.

“They have signs on the employees bulletin boards and in the lunchrooms. Emails are sent out on a monthly basis with a friendly reminder to watch the speed limit on Country Club Road. It’s posted on their website and in their monthly newsletter.”

A “speed minder” is an interactive sign that measures the speed of the nearest driver and displays it for them as they pass by. If they are traveling above the speed limit, it will display a warning. According to Penn Township officer-in-charge Cheryl Cranmer, the police department made sure the equipment used to conduct the study did not skew the results.

“We turned the indicator off on the speed trailer,” Cranmer said. “So when people are approaching it, it’s not showing their speed, so people think it’s off and will use their normal behavior.”

During the meeting, Roth discussed the idea of adding speed humps along Country Club Road, as was suggested by multiple residents at the previous meeting. However, he said, upon calling Seven Fields, which utilizes them, he was advised it would not be a good idea.

“They have had a lot of complaints,” Roth said. “Their cost has gone up a lot, they said. They started out being around $2,000 apiece, and now they’re over $10,000 apiece and they’ve had to remove some. … They reduce property values, they increase noise, they increase the wear and tear on vehicles and they disfigure the neighborhood.”

Both Roth and Cranmer said this year is not the first time the township has had to address safety concerns at Country Club Road, with the police department having to place a speed minder along the road on two separate occasions in 2023. The results were similar both times, with average speeds below the road speed limit.

“I don’t know what the board of supervisors will do, but the police can’t enforce a problem that doesn’t exist,” Cranmer said.

Despite the negative findings from the speed study, Roth said the township is doing something to help.

“We’ve put some new ‘Watch Children’ signs and some ‘SLOW’ signs, and we’re going to look into painting ‘slow warning’ signs on the pavement,” Roth said. “And we’re looking into purchasing some additional speed minders.”

This story was updated June 12, 2025 to correct who was interviewed. A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed Roth’s quotes to a different supervisor, Wilbert Mowry.