BETHLEHEM, Pa. — As more people find themselves out and about in this change of seasons, Bethlehem-based Coalition for Appropriate Transportation is hanging five “Slow Down, Look Around” banners around the city to remind drivers they’re not the only ones using the roadways.
- Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, city of Bethlehem have teamed up for a banner campaign to improve pedestrian safety across the Lehigh Valley
- Five banners reading "SLOW DOWN, LOOK AROUND: YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS" will be going up along Bethlehem roadways
- CAT aims to bolster active transportation amenities in the area, improving health, the environment and social opportunities for residents
Four of the banners are located at Main Street near Moravian University's North Campus, Elizabeth and Chelsea avenues, Linden and Beech streets, as well as South New Street between 3rd and 4th streets. The fifth will go up June 20 at Broadway between Fourth Street and Five Points.
“One of the things that I like to say here in the city is that we have too many streets where people feel like they’re made for cars,” Mayor J. William Reynolds said at a news conference Wednesday to announce the initiative.
“And that’s the type of car culture that we do not want in the city of Bethlehem.”
Reynolds cited that CAT’s efforts, even before the banner campaign, support the city’s climate action plan initiatives. Residents play a large role as well, he said.
“There are so many people in the community that are ready to do the work, that are ready to make the community a better place,” Reynolds said.
The banners are planned to remain up throughout the summer. Also, CAT will be hosting a public pedestrian awareness event this Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rose Garden Farmers' Market on Bethlehem's West Side.
CAT board member Shari Wilson said federal agencies are aware of the issue regarding speeding drivers. But it’ll take more work at the local level to change the culture behind sharing the roads, Wilson said.
“It’s well documented that speed is a known factor in death and injury, particularly among people outside of a vehicle, the vulnerable people,” Wilson said.
“We will not stop this message until there are zero pedestrian deaths and fatalities.”
CAT Executive Director Scott Slingerland said that from 2013-22, the numbers show that a pedestrian was struck by a car essentially every 10 days in Bethlehem.
Over that same 10-year period, Slingerland’s data showed that in the Lehigh Valley, 2,044 people were killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes, including 310 pedestrians.
"It’s up to all of us to remain vigilant. When we’re behind the wheel, a passenger on foot or bike, working together, we can make a difference.”Maria Wescoe, trauma injury prevention and outreach coordinator with Lehigh Valley Hopital-Muhlenberg
Car drivers hit 2,237 pedestrians during that time, including 384 in Bethlehem.
Maria Wescoe, trauma injury prevention and outreach coordinator with Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, said the hospital network sees about 200 pedestrian crashes each year involving walkers and bikers.
“With the increase of trauma centers, more people are surviving severe trauma than ever,” Wescoe said. “But scars remain and lives can be changed forever.
“It’s up to all of us to remain vigilant. When we’re behind the wheel, a passenger on foot or bike, working together, we can make a difference.”
