I will preface this post with the fact I was a passenger in the car.  I was not driving. I had someone give me grief in another post multiple times because they could not grasp the concept that while I may have been driving, the poor photos taken with my cellphone camera were done when I was STOPPED in traffic, NOT moving.

Last evening we were coming down Goshen Road to attend an event on the Main Line.  As we approached the intersection of Route 252 and Goshen Road, after barely recovering from viewing the incredible savagery that Toll Brothers has inflicted upon the once beautiful DuPont Estate formerly known as Foxcatcher Farm, we noticed the traffic seemed to be in a huge snarl.  It was after all around 5:30 P.M., which in my mind is still rush hour.

This is Newtown Township, Delaware County, by the way.

So we quickly realized the traffic lights to the intersection were OUT. ALL OUT. As in the very major and always busy intersection of Route 252 and Goshen Road. A lot of people almost got hit trying to navigate through this intersection as only a small percentage of drivers were even attempting the “you go, now I go” taking turns thing that you are supposed to do while carefully navigating intersections with traffic signals out.  Typical arrogant and aggressive driving prevailed creating a rather dangerous situation.

There were NO police officers to be seen.  There weren’t even those short stop signs out that police put out when the lights are out.

So I tried looking up Newtown Township Police Department to let them know they needed someone out there ASAP.  Guess what?  There really isn’t a phone number you can call.  Every phone number to the police department I looked up had a recording on it.  Newtown Township  Police Department doesn’t want to talk to those they protect and serve, apparently.  They only want you to waste precious time calling EVERYTHING in on 911 which goes to Delaware County Dispatch which is MILES away.

This is why they need a non-emergency or alternate phone number that is answered.  Ordinary people don’t know what exactly constitutes a 911 emergency by the definition of a police department and we don’t want to get hollered at for phoning in something they do not feel is an emergency.  The other thing is when you call these county seat dispatch centers the people answering the phones do not necessarily understand WHERE you are calling from.

If Newtown Township Delaware County Police doesn’t want someone answering the phones in their station although you know there is always someone there, then their phones at night should feed into dispatch automatically and not make people feel like they can’t contact the police department.  All it would be is a simple call forward, and surely they can afford that? Especially with all the money the township will make selling themselves to Toll Brothers, right? Speaking of Toll Brothers, there were little red flags all around that intersection last night – you know like utility companies and others use to mark?  Did this development in progress have anything to do with the traffic lights failing at rush hour?