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At 8:30 a.m. on a sweltering Wednesday morning, Peter House stood at the edge of the intersection where 58th Street, Baltimore Avenue and Cobbs Creek Parkway converge with a tangle of buses, trolleys, crosswalks and fast-moving cars.
Just a few weeks earlier, a 50-year-old cyclist was struck and killed at the corner by a turning truck.
“It’s not that hard, if you stand here long enough, to see what the problem is,” House said. “I gotta time it just right. If I walk too early, the cars come. If I wait too long, the light turns again. That’s the biggest challenge for us walking.”
House has lived nearby for years. He says the intersection has always felt risky, and he’s not alone. But the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said safety improvements are on the way — as part of the first phase of a larger Cobbs Creek Parkway and 63rd Street corridor project, the intersection at 58th and Baltimore is slated for a full traffic signal upgrade.
Cobbs Creek Parkway resident Peter House tells block captain Betty Willis about his experiences living a few doors from the busy intersection. He was there in early May when a cyclist was struck and killed by a truck. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
For decades, West Philadelphia residents have called for changes at this five-legged intersection. They’ve described it as chaotic, dangerous and deadly — especially for elderly residents and children walking to nearby schools.
“It’s horrible for senior citizens,” said Palmira Araujo, who lives on South 58th Street. “I’m 93 years old. So you know I can’t go out there and cross the street.”