PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Residents along Spring Garden Street near 19th Street are calling for safety improvements following a serious crash early Saturday morning.
“They race up and down here like it’s a highway,” said Mary Butts, who lives nearby.
“The speeding is horrible,” added Olga Aponte. “We have a lot of seniors living around this area.”
Neighbors said they were awakened around 3 a.m. by the sound of the crash. According to police, the driver of a stolen Audi sped
through the intersection at 19th and Spring Garden streets and struck another vehicle. The driver fled the scene and has not been caught. One person suffered a head injury, and several cars were damaged.
But neighbors said there have been problems at this intersection in the past, and shared videos of previous crashes.
“It’s always been that way. The cars just rush on by. Everyone thinks it’s a highway,” said Jason Rosencranz, who lives near the intersection and shared footage of past incidents.
Rosencranz and other neighbors are advocating for speed bumps to slow traffic. However, according to the city’s website, the area is ineligible for a traffic calming study.
“What does ineligible mean?” Rosencranz asked. “I don’t think we should take no for an answer.”
It’s unclear why the stretch of road cannot be studied for traffic calming measures. The 1500 block of Spring Garden Street is currently listed as under review.
Calls to the council member representing the area have not been returned.
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