BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A roadway along the city’s border with Allentown, notorious for its traffic careening into street-parked cars, recently got its newest safety precautions: a few painted white lines.
And people who live along and surrounding Pennsylvania Avenue already are taking notice of improved safety conditions, residents told City Council on Tuesday.
The lined areas span from Eaton Avenue to Ridgelawn Avenue.
“My neighbors and I have noticed a decrease in speed. We’ve noticed that cars are not hugging the curb as they once did. Let’s just hope it continues that way.”The Rev. Bruce Stevenson, Bethlehem resident
The Rev. Bruce Stevenson, who lives in the neighborhood, thanked officials and said, “what you did made a huge difference for us.”
“My neighbors and I have noticed a decrease in speed,” Stevenson said. “We’ve noticed that cars are not hugging the curb as they once did.
“Let’s just hope it continues that way.”
City Council President Michael Colón insisted city Public Works deserves the bulk of the credit for making the changes happen.
The department seems to always “rise to the occasion,” Councilwoman Rachel Leon said.
Stevenson was last before City Council on the matter in May, when he said he and his wife have had three of their vehicles totaled in their time living and parking along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Pennsylvania Avenue is about a mile and a half long, running from West Broad Street past Lehigh Shopping Center and residential neighborhoods before ending at Catasauqua Road.
It's a road seemingly known for its chaos because of its design and size, residents have repeatedly said.
They've said drivers take to it like a two-lane road when there's been no painted line to guide them or offer a buffer for parked cars to begin with.
'A huge difference'
Another resident living close by, Maritza Figueroa, said she’s “more than ecstatic” that she and her family now are more comfortable parking in front of their house.
The line makes “a huge difference,” Figueroa said.
She said the line appeared to offer some protection at night, too. The lights have a kind of “glow” to them, making them hard to miss, she said.
Bethlehem resident Maritza Figueroa said she’s “more than ecstatic” that she and her family now are more comfortable parking in front of their house along Pennsylvania Avenue.
William Scheirer, who lives around the corner on Eaton Avenue, said he’s spoken with Public Works about the potential for a white line on the opposite side of Pennsylvania Avenue.
“There’s not a parked-car problem there like there is on the east side, but there is passing on the right,” Scheirer said. “It’s happened to me once and to a friend of mine once.
“I’ve told her when she comes down, drive in the middle. Otherwise, you might get surprised on the right — same problem, just no parked cars.”
Another problem spot
The city also has its sights on another area about three miles away at East Goepp and Maple streets — a pesky intersection with cars parked on both sides of the road and limited visibility reported Tuesday.
Two “Look Left-Right-Left Before Pulling Out” signs and two stop signs are on either side of Maple, but traffic continues moving east and west across Goepp.
A crosswalk across Goepp is at the eastern end of the intersection.
“Despite a crossing guard for the schoolchildren, a flashing light, signs and paintings on the road, I see drivers speeding through this intersection.”Bethlehem resident Randi Rice on chaos at Goepp and Maple streets
“There must be a way to divert traffic from this area of town every day,” city resident Randi Rice said. “Despite a crossing guard for the school children, a flashing light, signs and paintings on the road, I see drivers speeding through this intersection.”
“They will not stop, nor will they slow down to allow people to cross Goepp.”
Improving conditions
Mayor J. William Reynolds said he used to walk the intersection in question when he was in school.
A city Complete Streets plan in the works will detail how Bethlehem can make its streets as safe as possible for walkers, bikers and drivers, he said.
“Car culture is out of control everywhere, including the city of Bethlehem. And a big piece of that is how we view our streets and how we build our streets.”Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds
He said there may need to be broader street infrastructure changes beyond just more focus on enforcement or signs — citing the two-way conversion to come for a portion of nearby Linden Street as an example.
“Car culture is out of control everywhere, including the city of Bethlehem,” Reynolds said. “And a big piece of that is how we view our streets and how we build our streets.”
Even though his department is closing in on the end of its paving season, city Public Works Director Michael Alkhal said of the intersection troubles, “We’ll take a close look at it, and if there’s anything that we feel would help the situation, we’d certainly follow up and execute.”
