UPDATE (11/19/2015): Many people in the neighborhood posted their suggestions on how to improve the tricky intersection of 46th Street and Baltimore and Cedar Avenues after our post last month (see the original post and reader comments below). Reader David Wengert emailed us his proposal on how to make the intersection safer, along with illustrations:
“I have long wanted to change the physical landscape and traffic pattern at 46th & Baltimore & Cedar, so when I saw the topic appear on West Philly Local in October, I decided to create a picture to visualize my idea for change. It involves three major changes that I believe would improve both walkability and drivability. First, you eliminate the Cedar Ave spur between Baltimore & 46th. This triangle could be transformed into a little park or parklet, and the Baltimore Ave sidewalk would continue along Baltimore Ave all the way to the corner.
Second, you bring 46th St southbound traffic all the way up to the intersection with Baltimore, instead of stopping traffic behind Cedar Ave. This means removing Cedar Ave from the intersection entirely.
Third, you make Cedar Ave one way eastbound and put a stop sign where it intersects with 46th St. This requires Cedar Ave traffic to merge with 46th St traffic before taking a right or left or going straight at the intersection with Baltimore.
There are some drawbacks to this proposal–primarily the traffic coming off the stop sign at Cedar Ave. While I’m certain someone has a better one but overall, I think it’s a good jumping off point for envisioning a more enjoyable, safer intersection.”
10/28/2015: There are a few tricky intersections along Baltimore Avenue where drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists should use extra caution. There have been efforts to make some of those intersections safer in recent months and years, including the one at Baltimore and Springfield Avenues and at 48th and Baltimore.
One of the most dangerous intersections, which connects three streets, is at 46th and Baltimore. A reader, Katia, submitted the photos below with the following commentary: “Seems like there’s an accident at the intersection of 46th/Baltimore [twice] a month! What can neighbors do to get this intersection looked at for improvements?”
October 28th, 2015 at 12:32 pm
You can do this: http://www.philadelphiastreets.com/traffic-and-lighting/traffic-calming-policy-information/
October 28th, 2015 at 12:56 pm
I cringe at this intersection knowing that at least one more car heading east or west will go through after their light has turned red.
October 28th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
The gas station adds a lot to the chaos! Very unsafe.
October 28th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
I go through this intersection pretty much every day, either walking or driving, and it’s pretty bad either way.
From a pedestrian’s standpoint, I think there are two big problems. First, if you’re walking either north or south on the west side of 46th St, you can’t cross both Baltimore and Cedar in one light cycle unless you run. A slightly longer green light would help. Second, if you’re on the east side of 46th, walking north, trying to cross Cedar can be confusing. Drivers waiting at that intersection heading west have a light, but pedestrians heading north don’t. I think it’s especially confusing because there’s a trolley stop right there. I often see people get off the trolley, walk north, and then look confused about whether it’s safe to cross Cedar. Maybe putting a walk/don’t walk signal on the northeast corner of 46th and Cedar would help with that.
For a driver, pretty much any path through the intersection can be confusing. I often see drivers get stuck in the middle of the intersection as their light changes, and then either wait there or speed through. It seems like people coming east off of Cedar and wanting to continue east on Baltimore sometimes aren’t sure whether they have the right-of-way to make the quick left on Baltimore. Also if you’re heading south on 46th trying to make a left on Baltimore, you can’t always see pedestrians crossing Baltimore on the East side of 46th. That makes it so you’ve already committed to the turn before you are sure whether there are pedestrians there, and I think that’s a source of some confusion.
October 28th, 2015 at 1:15 pm
I literally don’t understand the legal way to go through this intersection. So I avoid it.
October 28th, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Cars going south on 46th inevitably drift into the opposing lane. How does one normally keep drivers in their lane?
October 28th, 2015 at 1:35 pm
Replacing the tall shrubs that block the view of the intersection would be a big help. I appreciate the greening of the traffic island but it was a terrible choice of plants.
October 28th, 2015 at 2:02 pm
The lights at that intersection make no sense. The 46th street light turns green for a hot second — there’s no time for pedestrians to cross.
October 28th, 2015 at 3:29 pm
vigilante traffic director
October 28th, 2015 at 5:42 pm
It also needs a walk sign. It’s a pedestrian’s nightmare.
October 28th, 2015 at 8:39 pm
47th and baltimore is also really dangerous. You can’t turn west into Baltimore from the south without risking hitting oncoming traffic or pedestrians. The view of oncoming traffic is totally blocked by parked cars and there’s no safe way to move through the intersection with an eye on both. I avoid it at all costs.
October 28th, 2015 at 8:53 pm
The plantings–which I welcome for the way they’ve changed a formerly ugly corner–are not appropriate. They grow too high and, from some angles, block sight lines to other autos as well as to pedestrians.
As for the traffic light pattern, the sequence was changed maybe a year or two ago, after at least 3+ decades. (Formerly, 46th got the green after Baltimore Ave, and then Cedar after 46th. Now, it’s Balt-Cedar-46th.) Neighbors received no reason. Maybe some long-time drivers get confused with the “new” pattern.
Also, the traffic lights don’t line up perfectly. They could have shields so that you see a green or red only when your street actually has that color.
October 29th, 2015 at 12:10 am
I never understood why cars traveling along Cedar Ave pull into the intersection when they have a green light, and then stop smack in the middle of the intersection because they see the 46th St red light. I welcome the recent signal change because at least it moves these confused drivers who stop in the middle to clear the intersection since now 46th St gets the green after Cedar. I agree the planting choices in the triangle obscure sight lines, and they also impede pedestrian movement. It really has forever been the worst intersection along Baltimore Ave (except further west where Mill Creek Parkway joins in at 58th St.
October 29th, 2015 at 7:30 am
Wibald’s suggestion is a good start. Create more space for pedestrians. Making the island and point more inviting to pedestrians would also help. Cap the point with a sidewalk that extends to where a parked vehicle would. Include a barrier for protection.
October 29th, 2015 at 9:14 am
the issue is the timings of the lights. streets dept changed them like 6 months ago and made the intersection into a death trap for east bound baltimore ave traffic turning left onto 46th. people going west on baltimore and merges right to get onto cedar and sees a green light barrels into the person who was just on baltimore and is turning onto 46th.
I was right behind the FedEx truck and saw this happen.
and I also got hit myself turning – I go to 45th now.
October 29th, 2015 at 9:22 am
Perhaps little skull and crossbones added to the stopsigns for every accident, little shrines of teddy bears and flowers or some other “Dangerous Intersection” indicator could alert drivers? Plus a “STOP HERE” sign on Cedar eastbound, and dotted lines that cross the intersection showing lines of travel as I’ve seen elsewhere. It took a concerted effort to get a “No Turn on Red” sign added to the light governing Cedar eastbound traffic just a few years ago. I like how the flexible traffic separators were added to the Springfield+Baltimore intersection to narrow the car path and expand pedestrian area. That, plus tuning the alignment of the traffic lights and clearing the sight lines from plants on the triangle as has been mentioned already. UCDistrict could jump on the planting issue asap.
October 29th, 2015 at 9:26 am
A “STOP HERE” sign on Cedar eastbound, and dotted lines that cross the intersection showing lines of travel as I’ve seen elsewhere. It took a concerted effort to get a “No Turn on Red” sign added to the light governing Cedar eastbound traffic just a few years ago. I like how the flexible traffic separators were added to the Springfield+Baltimore intersection to narrow the car path and expand pedestrian area. That, plus tuning the alignment of the traffic lights and clearing the sight lines from plants on the triangle as has been mentioned already. UCDistrict could jump on the planting issue asap. Otherwise, little skull and crossbones added to the stopsigns for every accident or some other “Dangerous Intersection” indicator? A permanent shrine of teddy bears and flowers?
October 29th, 2015 at 10:50 am
Near Neighbor:
I like how you’re getting into the Halloween spirit!
October 29th, 2015 at 11:18 am
Ug. I avoid crossing at 46th as much as possible. I always feel like I am running for my life. Glad to hear I’m not the only one.
October 29th, 2015 at 12:03 pm
For me it’s completely confusing in terms of lights, timing, road markings, etc. Lived here for years and I have still not got it figured out.
October 29th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
One thought would be to turn Cedar into a one way street (going west only) for that one block. I was walking at 49th/Baltimore recently and realized that Catherine Street is one-way (going west) in that little section, making it a lot easier to maneuver than 46th. Pedestrian walk signs would also help.
October 29th, 2015 at 1:14 pm
Cedar Ave is a big part of the problem. Both the 47th and 48th street intersections have had many accidents. Pedestrians are particularly at risk from cars running the stop signs. The street is wide and cars race down it as an alternative to Baltimore. It is should be one way for at least several blocks and bump outs are needed to slow the cars down. We also could use some of those crosswalk signs that other blocks have. Anyone know how you get them?
October 29th, 2015 at 2:57 pm
I am interested in the crosswalk signs too, but for a different intersection (44th and Locust). I’d love to know where to go to request them. I think they’d be helpful at 46th and Cedar (along with a lot of the other good ideas above).
October 29th, 2015 at 6:01 pm
It will likely take a death before there is enough pressure on the powers-that-be to remedy the situation.
October 29th, 2015 at 7:53 pm
This is a case study in traffic management. We have lived at this corner for more than 10 years and the signals have always been confusing. We have watched 1 out of 3 drivers consistently run the red light on Baltimore Ave., but (shockingly) without a single accident. They changed the order of the signals in March so that the Cedar Street light now follows the Baltimore light and there has been a weekly serious accident. We’ve notified the Streets Dept., but….
November 19th, 2015 at 11:08 am
I live on the alley that comes in there at the westbound cut for Baltimore to 46th. Any plan for eliminating that cut needs to take the use of that alley by residents into consideration. Right now one thing that cut provides is some relief from Baltimore traffic for safely turning in and out of the alley. I am having trouble visualizing what some of the proposals above would do to the safety of alley access.
Also, what about a light system that would incorporate, walk signals for pedestrians and turn arrows to help clarify when turning was safe?
November 19th, 2015 at 1:08 pm
As a resident of Cedar Ave, I really hope they don’t make it one way. I don’t see how it will improve anything, and think it is a really strange proposal, especially on such a wide avenue. Would this mean two lanes of eastbound traffic?
November 19th, 2015 at 1:20 pm
what about mimicing the 48th and Baltimore/Florence intersection? it’s a similar road pattern with baltimore ave, a numbered street, and one diagonal offshot from baltimore. cedar would have to become one-way west though. no real changes to existing infrastructure would be required either which is probably the best option since costs could be kept down. any expensive suggestion will fall flat on its face.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:32 pm
They changed the light signal earlier this year and made it so much more dangerous. It used to be Baltimore, then 46th, then Cedar. Now it’s Baltimore, then Cedar, then 46th Street. I still haven’t figured out the reasoning, but I have noticed this major drawback – you can be heading east on Baltimore, begin your left turn to travel north on 46th street on a green that just switches to yellow, and before you can cross Cedar they have a green light. Terrible, just terrible.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:49 pm
The plants were all cut down about a week ago, this has helped a huge amount- but really the city should get rid of that little sliver along Baltimore and make traffic go up to the light to turn.
November 19th, 2015 at 2:33 pm
I think a simple inexpensive sign like “wait for green” to alert unfamiliar drivers to the fact that it is not a standard intersection would go a long way!
November 20th, 2015 at 4:41 pm
I like the idea of making Cedar one way.