Philly is stepping up its game to make Lehigh Avenue, a notorious stretch between Kensington Avenue and American Street, safer for city dwellers whether on foot, bike or behind the wheel, responding to a startling 98 crashes from 2018 to 2022, as part of the city's wider High Injury Network clampdown on the deadliest 12% of streets, according to city officials.
The Lehigh Avenue project aims to enhance the corridor and has been identified as a key element in the Philadelphia Transit Plan, especially aiming to improve the notoriously sluggish SEPTA’s Route 54 and 57 buses, after the corridor's grim legacy as a part of the High Injury Network — the culprit for 80% of traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries in the City of Brotherly Love.
Phase 1 of the project saw a significant public engagement effort last summer and fall, with hundreds of residents and businesses contributing to the dialogue through door-knocking, an online survey receiving 89 responses, interviews, and community events, gathering insights like "more trees, designated lanes for public transit," and "a safe way to cross the street – we lost a lot of people due to the dangers of crossing the street," revealing a community deeply invested in the transformation of their streetscape, according to the city website.
With the rich feedback, the city has built a vision statement and set specific goals such as curbing speeding and aggressive driving, making street crossing safer and quicker, boosting the appeal and convenience of bus travel, and carving out safe spaces for cyclists, all while pledging to add greenery and improve lighting, said officials at a city-hosted workshop.
The conversation isn't over, with the next step inviting locals to weigh in on conceptual designs at a public workshop slated for May 22 at the Community Center at Visitation BVM, where participants will be able to rate each design alternative, shaping the final plans and serving up a direct say in the future of their neighborhood, according to Philly’s department of transportation.
Boosting community participation, the city is incentivizing feedback by dishing out $25 gift cards to five lucky attendees and a similar online stipend lottery for virtual participants who engage with the same survey questions, ensuring that even the less engaged or housebound have a chance to chip in on the future of their streets. Details were announced at the first session and shared again via a recent city press release.
