Our main office is located in Flourtown (Springfield Township, Montgomery County) which is a stone's throw from the border of Philadelphia, but the traffic on Bethlehem Pike may as well be in Center City. People constantly exceed the speed limit and veer in and out of lanes to avoid cars popping out of all the merchant parking lots. A prime example is the traffic coming out of Wawa, directly across from Acme Market. I have commented before on all the people jay walking to cross from the numerous stores in the Acme complex to go to Wawa and back all day. Some of the pedestrians cross a single lane then stand on the middle line with traffic whizzing past. I like Wawa too, but I wouldn't sacrifice my life to shop there. There are cross walks but people are in too much of a hurry to cross legally. It might add 50-100 extra steps for someone to walk to a proper crosswalk to cross Bethlehem Pike. Combine that with the fact that drivers routinely speed and it is a recipe for disaster.
The intersection of Bysher Avenue and Bethlehem Pike is very hazardous. Even though there is a crosswalk there is so much going on in that area to distract drivers they hardly notice it. For example, there is a traffic light just north of Bysher but it is so close to the Starbucks driveway that people have to slam the brakes to make the turn almost directly on the crosswalk. Directly across the street from Starbucks is the entrance to my parking lot at the Black Horse Inn. That parking lot is shared by Walgreens and the PA Wine and Spirits Store among others. One exit from the lot is directly onto Bysher Avenue but the exit/entrance most drivers use is the one near my building which has no traffic control to get in or out. There are weekly accidents in this area where people try to jump out into traffic to make a left and cross all the lanes to head toward Philadelphia.
I have represented many pedestrians who have been hit by cars on Bethlehem Pike and suffered serious injuries-and those have been in legal crosswalks. There need to be more cross walks and a slower speed limit to minimize the risk of these accidents in Springfield Township, Montgomery County.
If you or a loved one have been injured as a pedestrian or driver on Bethlehem Pike in Springfield Township, call me to discuss what steps you should take to protect your rights and get your medical bills paid. Don't try to go it alone.
