ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Months after its launch, Allentown's "Safe Streets for All" program already is seeing a public hungry for the change it promises.
Seeking to enhance public safety; increase mobility; make streets safer for walking, cycling and public transit; and have cleaner air as a result, the city is getting feedback from residents about the changes they want to see.
"With a deep understanding of the profound impact that a well-structured Safe Streets for All [SS4A] Action Plan can have, the City is embarking on a transformative journey to prioritize safety enhancements and justify essential investments."Safe Streets for All website
"With a deep understanding of the profound impact that a well-structured Safe Streets for All [SS4A] Action Plan can have, the City is embarking on a transformative journey to prioritize safety enhancements and justify essential investments,"the website for the program states.
In April, Allentown officials were joined by U.S. Rep. Susan Wild to announce the project, funded by a federal grant to analyze streets’ safety and develop a “holistic approach” and “roadmap for safety improvements.”
After that, the city engaged in a public survey for residents to tell the city with precise geographic detail where they want to improve the safety of transportation infrastructure.
The survey closed at the end of July, with hundreds of responses marking specific driving, cycling and pedestrian concerns.
General safety ideas and accessibility concerns could also be highlighted.
What respondents say
Many responses noted the need at specific intersections — such as Ninth and Walnut and 10th & Linden streets — for repairs, upgrades or the introduction of pedestrian crossing signals.
At some intersections and actively crossed roads, residents called attention to crosswalks and signals that do not exist or ramps that required repair.
"People speed going to the schools. My kids play here."A resident, talking about the corner of Warren and North Fulton streets
Many complaints brought attention to a lack of ADA-compliant infrastructure, or that that infrastructure needed improvement.
Drivers and cyclists brought attention to difficult visibility or unsafe conditions.
Some responses were general, some specific and others more personal.
"Since moving here in December of 2023, I have witnessed the aftermath of 3 separate collisions at the intersection of 12th and Chestnut," one resident wrote.
"I believe future collisions can be prevented by making Chestnut a one-way street instead."
Others brought concerns related to speeding violations and lack of traffic calming, and how that poses a danger.
"People speed going to the schools," a resident said about the corner of Warren and North Fulton streets. "My kids play here."
Speeding and other problems
The dangers of speeding were noted multiple times on the American Parkway and Airport Road corridor, with respondents noting frequent violations of the speed limit, and pedestrians crossing without crosswalks.
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, which features immediate access to many parks, also was panned by survey responses for frequent unsafe speeding, illegal parking and tight space for traffic to traverse.
At Seventh and Hamilton streets in Allentown, the center of downtown, respondents said pedestrians have to cross too many lanes, and vehicles don't yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
The intersection recently was subject to redesign renderings to turn it into a new plaza.
The survey also brings attention to cycling concerns, such as the sudden end to the Jordan Creek Greenway trail.
Hamilton Street Bridge also was panned for not having dedicated bike faculties and featuring merges unsafe for cyclists.
Other roads were seen as great underutilized opportunities to connect cycling paths in safer ways.
"MLK [Jr. Drive] is a perfect road to add separated multi-modal facilities that link the East side with West side," one respondent said. "I myself would bike this often if it was safe.
"No bike user wants to share the road and gamble their life."
You can see the full responses here:
The data is also displayed on this website.
A vision for zero severe incidents
Allentown City Council also in January unanimously approved a $312,000 federal grant-funded contract with Michael Baker International to develop an “all-encompassing” action plan for safe streets and roads throughout the city.
The action is part of the city's Vision Zero plan, with a goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries on the roads in Allentown by 2030.
According to Allentown, in 2023 there were 4,085 total collisions in the city, resulting in 136 pedestrian-related incidents, 71 suspected serious injuries — 17 of those pedestrian-related — and 11 vehicle-related deaths.
Five of those deaths involved pedestrians.
In recent years, Allentown has seen hundreds of pedestrian-involved accidents where someone was hurt.
“That is simply too many,” Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said.
The Vision Zero and Safe Streets for All initiatives were announced to be based on public input efforts in meetings and other efforts such as the survey.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, established as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden in 2021, funds regional and local initiatives through grants to prevent traffic deaths and serious injuries.
Other area cities and national view
Allentown also got a $35,000 state grantthis year to improve and better connect cycling routes throughout the city.
Bethlehem became the first local municipality to join Vision Zero, a nonprofit organization that supports communities with information, training, peer exchange and more.
Easton also got a $120,00 Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant, with the funding intended to reduce road deaths and injuries 75% by 2030.
National traffic data has shown that Pennsylvania has had a rising number of traffic fatalities year over year as the national number of fatalities has fallen.
Specifically in the Lehigh Valley, federal data shows a significantly greater risk of traffic fatalities.
Specific dangerous intersections where multiple crashes were noted were at Seventh and Union streets, Lehigh Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, American Parkway and Irving Street, and 13th and Hamilton streets.
The three biggest "high injury crash corridors" were along Tilghman Street, Hamilton Street/Boulevard and Lehigh Street, all of which are at least in part owned by the state and maintained by PennDOT.
