Philadelphia’s Most Lethal Intersections

PlanPhilly and Azavea have put together an interactive map identifying the most dangerous spots for pedestrians citywide.

Walking the streets of Philadelphia can be extremely dangerous, and we’re not talking about muggings. On average, over 1,700 pedestrians are hit by cars in this city each year. In 2013 alone, 37 pedestrians were killed in these accidents.

In some cities, pedestrian safety has become a top tier political issue. That hasn’t happened in Philadelphia yet, but the mayoral race could change that. The Bicycle Coalition and other organizations are leaning on the candidates to get adopt a Vision Zero agenda—which is, essentially, a commitment to policy and streetscape changes designed to reduce loss of pedestrian and cyclist life to zero—and there are signs they are getting some traction. (If you’re interested in these issues, come out to the Better Mobility mayoral forum on March 19, which Philadelphia magazine is co-sponsoring.)

Now Azavea and PlanPhilly‘s Jon Geeting have put together an interactive map plotting each pedestrian-car collision within city limits between 2008-2013. There’s a hell of a lot of dots on the map. It’s chilling to look at.

Geeting’s post, meanwhile, zooms in on the 10 most-dangerous intersections. It’s important public service journalism that’s worth a look.