Pedestrian hit on Henry at Midvale in East Falls

[Malloy]

I have no details...but I saw Henry from Midvale to Coulter blocked by 4 police cars. I also saw a Florist van stopped in the middle of Henry, a women's boot and a handbag on the ground near the van .

[Hozeramma]

I did not see it myself but my wife told me about the accident. She assumed a pedestrian was hit. After being detoured around the accident she noted van's windshield was pushed in, in such a way that only body could cause. Sure hope that whoever was struck will be OK.

On a side note, While not always doable, we try avoiding Henry whenever possible because of the frequency of accidents on that roadway. We both have experienced close calls with people inching across the center line, running lights, driving at highway speeds, and dodging in and out of traffic. How many more accidents need to happen before safety on Henry is finally taken seriously and addressed?

[Malloy]

On a side note, While not always doable, we try avoiding Henry whenever possible because of the frequency of accidents on that roadway. We both have experienced close calls with people inching across the center line, running lights, driving at highway speeds, and dodging in and out of traffic. How many more accidents need to happen before safety on Henry is finally taken seriously and addressed?

Its amazing. I feel for the people who stand at Midvale and Queen waiting for the bus......cars whip by going 60+ all the time. WTF. They should invite the state troopers to Henry Ave.....they will stop the speeding in 3 days.

[OldMama]

When I first moved to the area in '79, Henry was a speed trap- always a cop hiding in some nook, often saw cars pulled over. Now it's a speedway and I rarely see a cop.

[jmbenj]

In the 7 years I've been driving on Henry Ave twice a day every day, M-F, I've probably seen more accidents than I've seen cars pulled over by police. Every day, cars blow by like I'm standing still ... and I'm not crawling. I'm amazed that there aren't more accidents as I have an "oh $hit" moment almost every day.

[Malloy]

In the 7 years I've been driving on Henry Ave twice a day every day, M-F, I've probably seen more accidents than I've seen cars pulled over by police. Every day, cars blow by like I'm standing still ... and I'm not crawling. I'm amazed that there aren't more accidents as I have an "oh $hit" moment almost every day.

Whenever I'm in the left lane crossing the Wissahickon I cringe a bit...also turning onto Hermit or Barnes can be quite scary, and everyone seems to cross the yellow lines since they are going too fast to handle the turn. Forget the curves between School House and Coulter....they are always a disaster.

On Lincoln, I understand its hard for the police to hide and snag speeders. There are plenty of places to hide on Henry.

[Schmoo]

I drive Henry a few times a day and the new thing I noticed is people flashing their lights at me when I am in the left lane, like they are on a highway and want me to move over so they can pass! Crazy! And, I must say, I have never been going below the speed limit when this happens. I also have had people zoom past me while I am going through the school zone at Saul HS while a cop sits right there and watches. I would be so worried if I had a child that went to that school and had to cross Henry every day.

[Malloy]

Ah yes, the good ol flash. Ive seen that a few times myself. Morons.

[Speedbump]

I have no details...but I saw Henry from Midvale to Coulter blocked by 4 police cars. I also saw a Florist van stopped in the middle of Henry, a women's boot and a handbag on the ground near the van .

If anyone has any further information on this accident, please post it here.

Both Penndot & Traffic Engineering at the Phila. Streets Dept. have maintained that accidents mainly occur when drivers are "impaired". They are reluctant to admit that a lack of traffic calming only serves to encourage reckless speeding. Despite four years of working on the problem, the EFCC Traffic Committee has been unable to extract real and practical traffic calming from them.

Solutions are available and they are low tech and low cost, but incredibly effective. They exist and are used successfully in cities and communities nationwide and around the world. Philadelphia's only problem is, well, it is Philadelphia. What takes cities like Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, San Francisco and London a year or two to implement, it takes decades to happen here. It's time to change the prevailing paradigm!

[PhillyByBirth]

Crossing Midvale at Henry: My dog and I were almost run over this morning a few minutes after 8AM by a pickup truck traveling West (away from the city) on Henry making the left turn onto Midvale. The truck tried to jump the light making the left turn before opposing traffic on Henry got going. Unfortunately, I was in the crosswalk (with the signal giving the Go Ahead to cross). I had to move fast and still the truck came within inches. It sped down Midvale...I didn't get a tag #. Here's the especially crazy part -- It was a Philadelphia Water Department white pickup with Municipal Tags...my tax dollars trying to run me over. I called 911 but there was not much they could do with no tag information. I also called 311 and got the administrative office for the water department and they called the manager for the Indian Queen site. There is no way of knowing the Water Dept truck came from that site, but odds are... That clearly is a dangerous intersection and drivers are emboldened to act carelessly when they see an official city vehicle "doing it." There is a clear need for better (some?) policing that stretch of road...both in terms of speeding and how turns onto Schoolhouse and Midvale are getting made.

[Speedbump]

This is one of several that have occurred in the stretch of Henry between Queen Lane and Coulter St. in the past three months alone. One of these incidents involved the hitting of a pedestrian with a subsequent shut down of the road and another involved a vehicle leaving the road at a high rate of speed and colliding with the traffic signal. The city's chief traffic engineer maintains that only "impaired" meaning drunk or high drivers are causing the problem.

[JasonMcElroy]

The city's chief traffic engineer maintains that only "impaired" meaning drunk or high drivers are causing the problem.

Maybe he's right.

I'm inclined to believe that most Phila drivers are impaired . . . whether in the form of poor driving skill or complete lack of awareness or unchecked aggression.

Jason

[sometimesilie]

Crossing Midvale at Henry: My dog and I were almost run over this morning a few minutes after 8AM by a pickup truck traveling West (away from the city) on Henry making the left turn onto Midvale. The truck tried to jump the light making the left turn before opposing traffic on Henry got going. Unfortunately, I was in the crosswalk (with the signal giving the Go Ahead to cross). I had to move fast and still the truck came within inches. It sped down Midvale...I didn't get a tag #. Here's the especially crazy part -- It was a Philadelphia Water Department white pickup with Municipal Tags...my tax dollars trying to run me over. I called 911 but there was not much they could do with no tag information. I also called 311 and got the administrative office for the water department and they called the manager for the Indian Queen site. There is no way of knowing the Water Dept truck came from that site, but odds are... That clearly is a dangerous intersection and drivers are emboldened to act carelessly when they see an official city vehicle "doing it." There is a clear need for better (some?) policing that stretch of road...both in terms of speeding and how turns onto Schoolhouse and Midvale are getting made.

Hmm...that's funny because I saw a white (Ford?) pickup with blue Municipal tags driving recklessly fast on Wissahickon Ave (twice) a few days ago. It was driven by a middle aged black guy. I wonder if it's the same one? I didn't thin to take the tags down, but you can believe I will if I see him again.