Navigating Bridgeville by foot isn’t as easy at it could be.
In some parts of town, poorly maintained sidewalks pose a challenge for pedestrians. In other sections of Bridgeville, beautiful, well-kept sidewalks lead residents to dubiously placed crosswalks with bad sight-lines—is there a car coming around that bend? Is a bus about to barrel over that hill? Is it really safe to cross?
“Getting across Bower Hill Road during normal, non-pandemic times can feel like taking your life in your hands,” said Bridgeville planning commission president Dale Livingston at a recent meeting.
As part of a sweeping evaluation of Bridgeville’s public policy challenges, the planning commission is looking at ways to make the community safer and more inviting to foot traffic.
Note: The planning commission does not have the power to create or change local laws. Instead, the commissioners are essentially advisors to borough council, which ultimately decides which policies to enact.
Regarding crosswalks that could be improved, Livingston specifically mentioned:
- Bower Hill Road at Railroad Street
- Bank Street at Dewey Ave
- Washington Avenue at Bower Hill Road
Pedestrian traffic is extremely important to Bridgeville, said planning commissioner Mike Tolmer, and creating high-visibility crosswalks (or simply relocating some crosswalks) might be expensive.
“It’s a matter,” Tolmer said, “of identifying where people walk—surveying people who walk, asking which route they take, and where they would like to see some improvements.”
Improving pedestrian safety ties in closely with another of the planning commission’s goals—identifying ways to make Bridgeville a more walkable community by expanding the trail system, creating new footpaths, and repairing sidewalks and steps where needed.
Connecting Bank Street to Washington Avenue, for example, would make it easier for residents to walk to Bridgeville’s business district in one direction and the public library going the other way.
You can watch the entire trails discussion below: