Petition Seeks To Get Sidewalks Installed On West Chester Pike

BROOMALL, PA — A Broomall man is hoping to get sidewalks installed on West Chester Pike to help residents safely access the Giant, LA Fitness, and Royal Farms.

Jack Calhoun recently launched a Change.org petition that aims to spur Marple Township officials into action to boost safety of walkers in the area.

"One thing that gets lost in Broomall, despite it being a suburb, is it's not very walkable," Calhoun told Patch.

Calhoun, who has lived in Broomall for nearly 20 years, said he has seen plenty of kids and seniors walking along West Chester Pike to the Giant throughout his time in the area.

His mission is to get the attention of municipal authorities in hopes of them installing sidewalks along the busy corridor.

"I feel like they are kind of neglecting a subset of the population," Calhoun said, referring to kids and seniors who often walk to the shopping center.

So far, Calhoun's petition has more than 200 signature.

While he said that number may feel small, he's confident it will grow and show a public that shares similar pedestrian safety concerns as his.

In his petition, Calhoun cited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration safety statistics to help drive his message home.

According to that data, pedestrian deaths increased from 12 percent of traffic fatalities in 2009 to 17 percent in 2019, with 6,205 deaths that year. Senior citizens account for 20 percent of pedestrian fatalities, despite them accounting for a smaller portion of the population, the data shows.

Calhoun has been working to spread the word about his petition online and in person.

He's put up flyers in the area with a QR code that links to the petition, and even got Giant on board to feature flyers in its break room. Facebook has also been a key factor in his outreach to community members.

He's also used word of mouth to spread his petition.

On the petition, one signatory said she feared for her life while walking in the area.

"I walked from [West Chester Pike] from [New Ardmore Avenue] onto Veterans Blvd and feared for my life," the signer said "I have also been in a car and the vehicle came close to hitting someone because it's impossible to see a person walking when you turn right onto that road. The lack of sidewalks is dangerous for pedestrians and drivers!"

Another signatory said the lack of sidewalks in the area makes no sense.

"Constantly seeing people walk from giant up to West Chester pike to get the bus at new Ardmore Ave.," they wrote. "But when a seller sells their home after living in it for so many years, the township (petty people in power) all sudden have issues with their sidewalks for 'safety.' But somehow didn’t call for actual safety when building this complex for actual pedestrians."

See Calhoun's petition online here.