The 5 most dangerous streets for Philadelphia pedestrians
Over the past five years 8,690 crashes occurred in Philadelphia. 9,051 pedestrians were involved in these crashes resulting in 376 injured Philadelphia pedestrians and 158 deaths. Using geospatial data from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on crash locations in Philadelphia County between 2008 and 2012, Daniel McGlone of the GIS firm Azavea and Jonathan Getting were able to identify Philadelphia’s worst intersections and street segments for pedestrian crashes.
#1
Location: Chestnut Street between 10th and 18th streets
Number of Injured Philadelphia Pedestrians: 46
Data from The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation revealed that the most pedestrian accidents in the city of Brotherly Love occurred on Chestnut Street between 10th and 18th streets. Chestnut between 10th and 18th streets is situated in the heart of the Philadelphia downtown shopping district. As a result, this area sees a high volume of pedestrians and drivers.
#2
Location: 9th and Market streets
Number of injured Philadelphia Pedestrians: 27
It is very ironic that this intersection is #2 for dangerous Philadelphia intersections because the underpass through The Gallery is supposed to be a pedestrian crosswalk area. Yet the dark street lowers visibility, and the wide lanes allow cars to travel at a fast rate.
#3
Location: Broad Street and Snyder Avenue
Number of injured Philadelphia Pedestrians: 25, including one fatality
Most drivers like wide lanes, but the reality is that they give those behind the wheel a false sense of confidence. Wider lanes maximize fast travel speeds of cars. Broad Street has wide lanes, which result in many pedestrian accidents. Surprisingly, Broadsteet has up to six lanes for cars, but there is no lane designated for bikes or buses. The median, which many pedestrians bravely use as a half way mark when crossing the six lane road, is even used as a parking lane for cars. These influences construct an unsafe environment for pedestrians.
#4
Location: 34th and Spruce streets
Number of injured Philadelphia Pedestrians: 10
34th and Spruce streets are located in the heart of University of Pennsylvania and has a high volume of pedestrians. The city has tried to implement strategies to decrease the number of accidents, but more still needs to be done to prevent future injury.
#5
Location: Chestnut Street between 34th and 41st streets
Number of injured Philadelphia Pedestrians: 24
Another area with a high volume of pedestrians. Like Broadstreet, wide travel lanes result in fast cars and an increase of pedestrian injury.