It’s not always easy to use the crosswalk that links Bower Hill Road to Railroad Street.
During rush hour, pedestrians might have to wait several minutes for a break in vehicle traffic so that they can scurry across the street.
Some residents are concerned that drivers using that three-way intersection look out for oncoming vehicles, but not for people crossing the road on foot.
“This is not a new topic,” said council president Michael Tolmer, when the issue was raised during January’s council meeting. Tolmer noted that some people choose to risk jaywalking further up the road rather that use the crosswalk.
The borough might be able enact a relatively quick and inexpensive fix by adding signs and possibly even blinking lights to better draw motorists’ attention to the crosswalk.
Another, potentially more expensive, solution would move the crosswalk entirely. But there’s at least one problem—further up the road, there isn’t a public sidewalk where a new walkway could connect.
It would be a “crosswalk to nothing,” Tolmer said, which potentially raises liability issues. The borough might have to extend the sidewalk that currently runs down Railroad Street.
Police chief Chad King said that in that past 18 years, one person has been struck by a car in that area. But the man was using the crosswalk that spans Railroad Street, not the one going across Bower Hill Road.
In any case, pedestrians should exercise patience and caution when crossing any street—a few years ago, there was an incident where a man crossing Bower Hill Road actually ran into a ladder. The man had his head down, wasn’t paying attention, and walked directly into a ladder attached to the back of a pickup truck.