West Chester Borough Council agreed last Tuesday at Borough Hall to the installation of 240 “quiet zone” signs to be placed throughout the town in an attempt to lower the noise coming from areas in which there is a heavy nighttime student traffic flow coming to and from town. The proposal was met with unanimous approval at the council’s Tuesday work session, and was passed with a 7-0 vote at Wednesday’s council meeting.
The request for the signs, made by the Public Safety Committee, was one of two items on the council’s agenda meant to address the noise issue, with the other being council president Holly Brown’s proposal for the mayor to agree to heftier fines for noise violations.
“We are trying to address the quality of life issue, and let’s face it, it’s a glaring one,” council member John Manion said.
The request, which has gotten much media attention in the past several days, calls for the 240 signs, each measuring 18 by 12 inches, to be placed along 60 blocks of West Chester that are regarded as “high traffic” zones. There will be two signs on both sides of each block in these zones, many of which will be concentrated in the southeast part of town. Each sign will have the town’s quiet hours posted on them, which are 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., in addition to a posted notice of the noise violation fine, which is currently a minimum of $250.
“The signs would be primarily educational, raising awareness to the biggest quality of life issue we face, which is sleep deprivation,” council member Jordan Norley said. “We want to make those coming to and coming from town aware that there are permanent residents who are sleeping, renters who are sleeping, and other students who are sleeping, and they need to keep the noise down.”
Council member Charles Christy did raise concerns about the signage, stating that it might be a little much to spend $4,230 on these signs when the yearly sign budget allows only $6,000 to be spent on new signs and the upkeep of older ones. He suggested lowering the amount of signs to save money and eyesore.
“Sometimes, it just gets to the point where you have too many signs,” Christy said.
He also expressed concern that it would take 60 man-hours to complete the job, citing the lack of money to pay workers overtime.
All concerns were eliminated and the item was approved for vote after Manion explained that the number of signs was not set in stone and could always be dealt with later, and that no workers would have to be paid overtime. The workers who install the signs would do so during normal hours, and the project would be completed as schedules allow, so nobody works extra hours.
The ordinance has received generally unfavorable remarks from students, many of whom think the signs will have little effect on the noise levels and are a waste of money.
“I really question just how effective those signs will be when it comes to being loud,” fourth-year student Justin Park said. “I don’t think people will pay much attention to them. I also think that the 9 p.m. start time [for quiet hours] is a bit early and that the rule would be more effective if it were later.”
“The fact that they are spending the majority of the yearly budget on one project is quite absurd. There is no need for that many signs,” communication studies student Elisabeth Mudrock said.
Some students even admitted that they themselves would not pay any attention to the posted signs.
“[The signs] will make me want to scream even louder,” Jessica Michelli, a third-year West Chester student said. “It’s going to take more than a sign and a fine to shut me up.”
Students have also raised the argument that while those who go out in town at night should try to be a more conscientious of noise, West Chester is a college town and has been for more than a century: residents should not be surprised at the amount of night-time noise.
“I kind of think if you are going to live so close to a university, you should expect that there is going to be some noise,” third-year student Eileen Casey said. “I wouldn’t recommend anyone who likes peace and quiet to live near a college campus. It just seems like common sense.”
“I believe the residents of West Chester borough knew what they were getting into when they moved to a college town,” Mudrock added. “I understand we have to learn to coexist, but we have to be reasonable, as well.”
Now that the vote has passed, workers can begin installing the signs. According to Norley, they will all be placed within the next few months, as time allows.
Kenny Ayres is a third-year student majoring in communication studies with a journalism minor. He can be reached at KA739433@wcupa.edu.