Honesdale car dealership traffic hazard on Grandview to be addressed, manager says

Honesdale Borough Council President James Brennan on Feb. 26 called for an investigation into what council can do to require a car dealership to not load or unload vehicles in the middle of Grandview Avenue, creating a traffic hazard and disruption for neighboring businesses. Contacted afterward, the general manager of Honesdale Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram stated they are addressing this practice so it will not happen again.

Brennan acted after the council heard a detailed complaint from Chad Weigelt, owner of a used car business, Route 6 Sales & Service at 126 Grandview, directly opposite from Honesdale Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (125 Grandview). This dealership changed hands last year when the Carmodys sold their longtime business, B&B Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, more commonly known as B&B Dodge.

More: Honesdale's B&B Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram sold to N.J.-based auto group

Honesdale Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram has been parking the automotive transport trailer in the center turning lane when delivering vehicles or taking them to another location. B&B also used the turning lane, but Weigelt stated that under the new ownership there have been more deliveries, and they are taking longer.

Weigelt's position was that the borough should address this problem, given that when the council approved his conditional use request to operate his business in 2023, he was prohibited to load and unload cars at his Grandview Avenue location. Instead, he said, he "invested over a half million dollars" at a second location just down the hill where he can load and unload off road, at 260 Willow Ave.

He brought a petition he said lists nearby businesses on Grandview Avenue likewise affected by the increased loading/unloading activity by Honesdale Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.

"We are having a huge problem with traffic control up there." Weigelt said that on Feb. 14 "there were eight trucks in the road that day which blocked my road completely... I cannot exit, I cannot enter."

Contacted for comment for this story, Tristan Harper, general manager at Honesdale Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram said, "We made changes to be sure that doesn't happen anymore. We take it very seriously so that it does not happen again." He said that they do have another location where they can unload and load vehicles.

Harper said he could not estimate the average number of deliveries in a day because it depends on how many vehicles may be bought or sold at auction.

The unloading/loading, Weigelt stated to the council, lasts over two hours. Traffic information from PennDOT, Weigelt said, estimates that 16,000 to 20,000 vehicles use the 1.5-mile length of Grandview Avenue daily. He added that most people speed on Grandview, and with the prospect of more large businesses coming to the Route 6 Mall, traffic will only increase.

One day, Weigelt said, his mother and child were nearly hit. The same day, his salesperson was nearly hit being unable to see uphill due to the glare of the rising sun, he added.

"They are unloading morning, noon and night," Weigelt said. At times when the driver does pull into the dealership property, the trailer is backed out onto Route 6, with no one watching for traffic, Weigelt said. Downhill motorists are expected to stop.

He implored the council to address this before an accident occurs, by requiring the dealership to unload at another location.

"I want it on record for all or anyone that would file a lawsuit against the borough and Honesdale Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and all parties will be liable unless immediately rectified and allow traffic to flow properly and keep our business entrances open for our own customers," he told the council.

"I was very understanding at the beginning because they had to get inventory in. That was five or six months ago. I am done with not being able to exit my property, having an obstacle course in the road," he said.

His conditional use requirements imposed by the borough, he reminded, prohibit parking, loading and unloading on Route 6. "These guys are doing it to the extreme. We're talking about safety," he said.

Borough Solicitor Richard Henry responded that according to the state Vehicle Code, loading and unloading on a state highway is allowable, unless the borough rules otherwise. "I agree with you 100%. I can't speak for borough council. I know it's a safety hazard. We're going to try and do something," Henry said, adding that "it needs to be addressed immediately."

Councilor David Nilsen said this seems to qualify as an emergency and wondered if the Zoning Committee could act to forbid this activity. Henry said the present ordinance predates when Grandview was a three-lane highway, and the lanes are not very wide.

Brennan asked that Henry research the matter so that it is done legally and suggested the council have a special meeting within a couple of weeks from that evening’s meeting.

He said he has been tied up in traffic on Grandview sometimes five or 10 minutes. "It is a bad situation. It has got to be corrected," Brennan said.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale car dealership traffic hazard to be addressed, manager says