ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An initiative to end all serious injuries and deaths on Allentown streets could significantly alter roads and traffic patterns in coming years.
But speed cushions and other minor traffic-calming measures are soon to be installed at 20 locations around city schools and parks, Allentown Public Works Director Mark Shahda told LehighValleyNews.com on Tuesday.
“We know that [drivers] are going to make mistakes." The Safe Streets program aims to “reduce the consequences of the mistakes."Mayor Matt Tuerk
Officials spoke about those upgrades — the first phase of the Safe Streets and Roads for All program — during an open house at City Hall attended by mostly administrative staff.
The event also featured copies of the 280-page Safe Street for All Action Plan, which pinpoints numerous potential places throughout the city that need upgrades.
The Safe Streets initiative officially got underway early this month.
1st pedestrian death
The city recorded its first pedestrian death days later when a 69-year-old woman was hit and killed by a car as she walked near Hamilton and Franklin streets.
Mayor Matt Tuerk, who lives in that neighborhood, said he saw a car hit a bicyclist “at that same exact intersection” the next day.
“It was wild,” Tuerk said. “He got up and rode off, but it was unbelievable.”
“[We’re] trying to make people understand that the three minutes that you might save by speeding down Hamilton Street might cost somebody's life."Mayor Matt Tuerk
The second crash showed “there’s something wrong” with that intersection’s design, he said.
“We know that [drivers] are going to make mistakes,” Tuerk said. The Safe Streets program is meant to “reduce the consequences of the mistakes” by lowering speeds and altering infrastructure.
The Safe Streets initiative also will try to shift how drivers think about their time behind the wheel and encourage them to “prioritize safety over other objectives,” Tuerk said.
“[We’re] trying to make people understand that the three minutes that you might save by speeding down Hamilton Street might cost somebody's life,” he said.
Six pedestrians were fatally hit by vehicles in Allentown in 2024 and five died in crashes the year prior, according to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio.
Beyond Safe Streets
Pedestrian-signal upgrades are in the works along 17th Street near Raub Middle School and Allen High School, though those are funded through a source other than the Safe Streets program, Tuerk said.
And the city recently banked a $1.9 million state grant from Pennsylvania’s Automated Red Light Enforcement program to redesign a segment of Jefferson Street.
The mayor and public works director on Tuesday both said automated red-light enforcement technology would make Allentown’s streets safer.
Tuerk said it could further fuel a “behavioral change” among drivers.
Meanwhile, city officials are “being very aggressive” in seeking road-safety grants and are applying for $20 million to make improvements near Union Boulevard and Tilghman Street, Shahda said.
