December 8, 2025

By Alex Quistberg, Associate Research Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health, Urban Health Collaborative

This UHC Policy Core blog series highlights important topics in urban policy that have implications for health and health equity. 

In less than a week, two pedestrians were killed on an 8-block stretch of Market Street in University City in Philadelphia. These deaths, both due to drivers speeding and ignoring red lights, highlight the major road safety issues Philadelphians face when walking. What’s more, both these incidents took place on our doorstep – literally – at the Urban Health Collaborative at the Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health.

In 2024, nearly half of pedestrian deaths (26 of 55) and serious injuries (52 of 116) in Philadelphia involved hit-and-runs, a proportion that increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began, following national trends. Speeding contributes to about 20% of Philadelphia’s severe crashes, particularly for hit-and-run crashes. As these types of crashes have become more common, how can we prevent them from happening and reduce their health consequences?

The City recently released its updated Vision Zero Action Plan 2030 and is actively working to address key contributing factors to speeding, hit-and-runs, and red-light-running. It has begun implementing methods like automated speed cameras, red light cameras, slow zones, and installing speed cushions along the High Injury Network (the corridors in the City where 80% of serious or fatal crashes have happened). The City’s plan also includes key policy actions, including seeking the ability to set speed limits in Philadelphia and a comprehensive expansion of the automated speed enforcement and red-light enforcement programs, both of which will require state approval to proceed.

These interventions and policies are critical for reducing pedestrian (and all traffic) deaths in the city and could help make the Market Street and similar corridors in the City safer. However, more profound interventions are likely needed to prevent similar future tragedies, such as those that occurred in the last week.

Reducing speeding and red-light violations by road design is a key strategy in taking the problem head-on. This could involve reducing the number of or narrowing lanes, adding curb extensions, raising crosswalks or intersections, or even adding trees and other sidewalk furniture.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Used at an intersection of two two-way protected bike lanes, this may be the only corner refuge island in North America. Removable bollards are used instead of curbs to allow for winter maintenance.

For example, a protected intersection combines several of these elements to accommodate and increase safety for all road users by adding curb extensions, protected bike lanes with clear road marking for cyclist spaces, improved pedestrian signalizations and visibility, and other safety features to slow motor vehicle traffic and make pedestrians and bicyclists more visible to drivers. US cities are increasingly redesigning their roads in this vein.

Hoboken, NJ, for instance, has had no traffic deaths in the past 8 years. The city has focused on Complete Streets designs and Vision Zero policies that have implemented many of the aforementioned interventions. Most notably, the city has also all-but-eliminated street parking, which has indirectly influenced residents to rely more on public transit, taking more cars off the road in their city center.

We applaud the efforts of the City of Philadelphia towards Vision Zero, and encourage seeking support for more profound, longer-term changes to our road infrastructure to address underlying design risk factors that allow rampant speeding and other reckless driving behaviors. As a recent Washington Post article noted, driver opposition and lack of money have prevented cities across the US from fully following Vision Zero plans.

Philadelphia doesn’t necessarily have to look far to a frequently cited, European success case like that of Barcelona or Amsterdam. There are examples taking place not too far from where we are, and these changes, along with Vision Zero itself, are achievable if we have the will to prevent and reduce road traffic fatalities.