Flyer of last Saturday’s “Keep Seniors Safe” rally posted on a tree across from the Four Freedoms House. (Photo: Rasheed Z. Ajamu)

After launching last fall, the Walnut Lane Complete Streets project is set to begin community engagement Monday with the first recommendations for the problem intersection at Morris Street. The city officially identified the area as a problem last summer after numerous reports of safety issues from nearby neighbors.

The Office of Complete Streets looks to ensure safe transportation options, no matter the mode, including walking, biking, driving, and public transit. According to their website, these roads should be ”designed and operated to ensure safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders, regardless of age and physical ability.”

And though the initiative looks to resolve reports of speeding, unsafe biking conditions, sidewalk gaps, short times to cross the road, and bus stop accessibility, nearby residents say the project, and whatever it seeks to address, isn’t coming fast enough.

“I’ve been here for 18 years and it’s always been a mess,” says Robyn Tevah, who lives between Morris Street and Wayne Avenue.

Tevah also says she’s seen cars drive onto neighboring properties over the years, going back as far as a decade ago. Her point is similar to that of other neighbors. Many that GIH spoke with say that while the project raised the reports last year, these issues have been ongoing for years.

This past weekend, neighbors at the Four Freedoms House (FFH), sitting directly at the faulty intersection, held a rally at the site in partnership with West Central Germantown Neighbors to make noise about the matter.

Seniors in the building say that they are at the highest risk of enduring safety issues due to a plethora of things.

“I don’t know who’s responsible, or which came first, but who would build a senior home on a curve like this one?” asked Bill Green.

Green shared his own horror story, saying that last summer he almost got hit.

“Guy came through, had to be doing 50-55 miles per hour, and when he hit that bridge, the car lifted up off the ground and BAM,” he explained. A sign at Wayne Ave and Walnut Ln indicates the street’s speed limit is 30 MPH.

He says the car missed him by a small margin and left him in a state of shock. He calls the intersection a “killing magnet” and asks why city officials and offices aren’t moving in on the issue in a more timely manner.

Speeding vehicles were an undeniable sight on May 8, around noon, when GIH visited the intersection to see how traffic flowed.

FFH resident, Jay, was waiting for the 65 to go westbound and said, “They drive around here like it’s the Indianapolis 500!”

Jeff Jones is the West Central Germantown Neighbors’ Safety Committee Chair. He helped organize Saturday’s rally alongside organizers like Chea Villenueva, vice president of the FFH Tenants Council, with a call to “Keep Seniors Safe.”

“We could write a book on the amount of correspondence we’ve had,” he said, referring to Complete Streets managers. “It’s just been no action.”

Jones questions why Walnut Lane cannot get things, like speed cushions, that could help mitigate safety issues in the duration of the city’s planning. Other neighbors say that changing how the nearby stoplight works could be helpful.

Both Jones and Villenueva believe that the demographics of the neighborhood play a role in where funding for safety measures are prioritized.

“You can go up Mt. Airy or Chestnut Hill, and they have them all over the place,” Villenuevo said. “Put some money here!”

Right now, the only stoplights are closer to the bridge over the Tulpehocken Station, which differ in functionality.

Both lights do not change colors unless someone pushes the designated button to allow pedestrians to make their way across the street. On the north side, the triggering takes around 20 seconds to change, and then only lends about 30 seconds for folks to get across the street, which may not be enough time for those with mobility disadvantages.

The southside changes more quickly, but allows about the same amount of time for pedestrians to get across the street. While GIH notes 30 seconds for folks to get across the streets, neighbors say it’s more like 15 seconds.

All of these issues bring an extra layer of pain to seniors who are either traveling eastbound on the 65 bus or coming back from westbound travel, as the access to and from the opposing side of the street requires use of the stoplight.

But the hazard doesn’t end there for nearby neighbors.

The bus stop on the south side also has no actual signage. A crash that took it down last year. Right next to it, there is also a gap in the bridge and slope, leading to the woods. Villenueva said there was an incident where a senior in a wheelchair had begun to slide down the hill, but folks were there to keep them safe.

“It’s not ADA accessible or compliant over there at all,” Villenueva says. She continues to make 311 calls about the hazard, but says the department won’t accept the case because it doesn’t have an associated address.

Ron Burks, another FFH resident, was looking to use the 65 going westbound and said, “It’s a shame the stop is so far away from the seniors’ house entrance.”

While the first open house to unveil first drafts of plans is set for Monday evening, Jones raises the point that it’s set to happen at the Kendrick Recreation Center in Roxborough.

“While this is a project for Walnut Lane, between Germantown and Roxborough, the problem area is listed here,” Jones said. “Why would the conversation be centered elsewhere?”

Suzanne Ponsen, WCGN’s President, says that after years of being strung along with presentations and questionnaires with no action, a meeting in a different location is the “final straw.”

“It’s stupid,” says Robyn Tevah. “Why are they doing it way over there? There are plenty of places to meet over here.”

Neighbors like Bill Green don’t necessarily care about where the meeting happens, but stand on the fact that there have been no safety measures in the area, and that needs to change.

Jones and some neighbors say they’ll be at Monday’s meeting, while others name accessibility needs as a preventative force. 

“We won’t be there,” said the FFH Tenants Council vice-president. “It’s in Roxborough, and we’re seniors. They could’ve easily had it at Happy Hollow or something.”

GIH emailed the city for comment about the Walnut Lane Complete Streets project to ask about the timeline, sentiments from neighbors, and more, but haven’t received a response.

It should be noted that while managed by the city of Philadelphia, Complete Streets projects are handled by a number of partnering organizations and entities that analyze and review information to consider all possible outcomes.

For this project, the Office of the Mayor, the Managing Director’s Office (MDO), the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS), the Department of Streets, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) are all listed as partners.

Monday’s open house happens at 5800 Ridge Avenue from 6:30-8 p.m. A final draft of the plans is supposed to be shared in the summer after the community engagement phase to gather feedback.