During Thursday night’s meeting, the Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners dealt with bread-and-butter municipality issues, such as traffic lights and fallen trees.

The five-member legislative body instructed Township Engineer William Erdman to ascertain the costs associated with a traffic study at the intersection of East Texas and Brookside roads to determine whether a left-hand turn arrow without a left-lane addition could be installed to ease traffic congestion during morning and evening rush hours.

The current traffic light pattern has caused long waits for some motorists during heavily traveled times, said Commissioner Roger Reis during his report of the Public Works & Facilities Committee.

“It’s convenience issue, not a safety issue,” Commissioner Reis added.

“We are advocating there is a problem there,” added Commissioner James Lancsek, also a member of the two-person Public Works & Facilities Committee.

Erdman is likely to issue his report at the next commissioners’ meeting on those costs.

In other business, commissioners voted 5-0 to adopt an official policy on the responsibility of property owners to haul away fallen trees in streams and waterways.

The official policy states that “trees in streams and waterways are ultimately the responsibility of the property owner (s) from which the tree fell. If there is potential for stream blockage, the property owner must contact the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Lehigh County Conservation District as to permits and conditions related to the removal of the blockages.”

The document added that if there is no potential for stream blockage, the property owner has the right to leave the tree where it falls, adding that the township has no responsibility for trees on private property. If a tree falls on township property, it will be removed only if the blockage presents a “clear and present danger” to township property by threatening infrastructure such as bridges or culverts.”

“Our concern here is hydraulics,” said Commissioner Lancsek.