Council adopts amendment penalizing driving across private property to avoid traffic controls

The Wilkes-Barre City Council gave second and final reading May 22 to an ordinance amending Article 11 of Chapter 29 of the Wilkes-Barre City Code of Ordinances to address driving across private property and public property not intended to be a thoroughfare to avoid traffic signals or intersections.

The ordinance was filed as Council File 3 of 2025. Councilmember Barrett moved the final reading; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with all recorded members voting yes.

During public comment, resident Sam Troy raised enforcement concerns, saying the ordinance “doesn't focus on the real traffic problems of this city” and questioned how officers would enforce citations for drivers who say they stopped to buy something and then “kept going.” His remarks were recorded in the public-comment portion of the meeting; no enforcement protocols or new penalties were described in the ordinance presentation.

Why it matters: the ordinance seeks to address motorists using non-thoroughfare private or public spaces to bypass traffic controls. The council approved the ordinance by recorded vote; details about enforcement practice and penalty amounts were not discussed at length in the meeting record.

Next steps: With second and final reading approved, the ordinance will be filed as adopted in the city’s ordinance records and enforced according to existing municipal enforcement processes. Councilmembers and members of the public asked for clarity on enforcement; the meeting did not produce new implementation rules or an enforcement plan.