Philebrity: And Now, Today’s GOOD NEWS: The Baltimore Crossing Pedestrian Plaza Will Try To De-”Frogger” Your Walk

Link to Original Article

There are a handful of intersections (or even more) in this city that are laid out perfectly fine, but pedestrians, vehicles, and anyone else just don’t seem to follow any guidelines. That is one thing. Another thing, is intersections like that one at 48th Street, Baltimore Avenue, and Florence Avenue; a five-way mishmash of corners, crosswalks, and traffic lights. Now, that will hopefully be different.

Back in 2011, the “University City District (UCD) received a grant from the City of Philadelphia to transform this problematic intersection into a space more suited to pedestrians.” That grant has now been put to work, as UCD has just completed the new Baltimore Crossing pedestrian plaza. The plaza includes, “three new large painted bump-outs on the south side of the intersection [to] substantially reduce its scale and create a far less intimidating experience for pedestrians, while reducing the speeds of turning vehicles. Protected by a buffer of rustic blocks of salvaged Pennsylvania Bluestone and lushly planted large terra-cotta style planters, these bump-outs create a new safe space for pedestrians waiting to cross the intersection, which, importantly, includes a new crosswalk that directly connects the Gold Standard Cafe and the Calvary Center for Culture and Community. The bump-outs and new crosswalk together reduce pedestrian crossing distances by roughly 40% – 50%, while creating a beautiful new sea of green that serves to knit together Baltimore Ave. both functionally and aesthetically.”

You’ll still want to look all ways though, don’t be reckless.