Last week at my office at the Black Horse Inn my concentration was interrupted by blaring sirens of police and ambuances rushing to a scene on Bethlehem Pike in Flourtown.  I looked out the window and saw what appeared to be a car that had run head on into a pole on the north sidewalk area.  I did not see how this happened but I can tell you from personal experience that people driving down that stretch are sometimes searching for businesses that do not have obvious signs directly facing the road.  Accordingly, one must crane one's neck to look left and right while possibly trying to keep up with traffic at 35 miles per hour (or more).  Some folks will slow down or even slam on the brakes when they think they are going to pass a driveway or entrance to a business.  Many do not think to put on a turn signal BEFORE slowing down so as not to frustrate drivers behind them.  This would give drivers behind them a chance to pass and, ideally, not experience road-rage because someone is suddenly slowing down in front with no sign of a plan to turn.  This kind of driving leads to rear-end collisions and worse.

There is also the problem of pedestrians trying to run across Bethlehem Pike to get to Wawa or Acme rather than going to a crosswalk where there is a traffic light.  Having had my office in this location in Flourtown for almost ten years, I have seen pedestrians crossing halfway and standing on the middle line to await traffic passing in the other direction to finish the crossing.  Often, I see pedestrians trying to cross in a hurry while looking at their cell phones.  This is foolish behaviour and leads to many accidents along this stretch of road.

I, for one, would advocate for a reduced speed limit on Bethlehem Pike in Flourtown to 25 mph.  At least drivers would have a chance of avoiding a collision if this were to occur.  At present, the 35 mph speed limit often leads to drivers going 40-50 mph giving them and pedestrians and other drivers almost no shot at avoiding an accident.