New facade of the 422Corridor.com website, being used to promote the merits of a land use plan from King of Prussia to Reading.

POTTSTOWN PA – Advocates of proposals to institute driver tolls on U.S. Route 422, and use the revenues to pay for road and mass transit improvements that reduce the highway’s increasing congestion, have turned to high-tech tools to spread the word about benefits of their plans.

Avoiding daily back-ups like this on Route 422 is one goal of the DVRPC's proposed master plan.

Automatic e-mail campaigns, website make-overs, and the introduction of new discussion software all are intended to help spur the buzz for what Montgomery County (PA) planners and others hope will become widespread public acceptance of what they consider as inevitable: that users of 422 must – some day – pay for that privilege.

Tonight and tomorrow night, (Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23-24, 2009) however, drumming up support for various components of what is labeled as the U.S. 422 Corridor Master Plan will be more along the lines of personal interaction.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) earlier this year issued a master plan draft to mixed reviews. Now it’s holding a second round of sessions to solicit more comment on and fine-tune the document. Public attendance is welcomed at DVRPC open houses being held:

• from 6:30-9:30 tonight at the Pottstown Middle School, 600 N. Franklin St., Pottstown PA;
• and during the same hours tomorrow night at the Spring-Ford Area High School, 350 S. Lewis Rd., Royersford PA.

These events have been added to The Post calendar.

The master plan, proponents say, is intended as an outline to deal with various land use issues that begin in Valley Forge and King of Prussia, and stretch west along the four-lane highway to Reading and Wyomissing.

Explosive residential and commercial growth in the corridor during the past 20 years has planners peering anxiously ahead to the next 20. They suggest that a coordinated plan which looks at the corridor as a whole, rather than township-by-township, could forestall future traffic nightmares, preserve open space, and save energy.

Consequently, the plan is expected to cover regional, not just local, zoning and land development; automobile, bus and train usage and potentials; and, perhaps most importantly, how to cover the cost of implementing them. Imposing a toll on those who travel Route 422 is one possible source of funds, and has been a hot-button topic with some commuters since the idea was first floated.

Keeping the public aware of news about the plan, and encouraging supporters to convince others of its value, are driving the use of technology in DVRPC’s publicity efforts. Last week it distributed e-mails to those who previously expressed an interest in mass transit through the corridor, reminding recipients of the open house meetings.

Earlier this month it re-designed and re-launched a website, 422Corridor.com, to provide more information and statistics to demonstrate the need for the master plan. And the website uses social networking and chat software supplied by Ning Networks so that people can talk, argue, and attempt to convince others of why the plan should or shouldn’t proceed.

Related:

• Route 422 Toll Meetings Next Week
• 422 Repairs, Delays Start Tuesday
• 422 Proposal, Like Traffic, Creeps Ahead
• Got A Route 422 Idea? Time To Air It
• Train Service On The Front Burner Once More

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