About the Survey
Cedar Park Neighbors and Cobbs Creek Neighbors conducted a survey to identify the biggest safety issues along Cedar Ave ahead of repaving scheduled for 2028. (Note: Repaving was originally scheduled for 2027 at the time of the survey). The questionnaire was created by an RCO member with years of experience conducting surveys. The survey was open from March 29 to April 30, 2026.
Distribution
In addition to distributing the survey via Cedar Park Neighbors’s newsletter, volunteers distributed over 700 door knockers and flyers along Cedar Ave from 46th Street to Cobbs Creek Parkway! Nearly every residence and intersection along the corridor received at least one flyer.
Who responded
264 people completed the survey. 85% of respondents said they live or work within two blocks of Cedar Ave.
Despite our distribution efforts, we recognize that the distribution of survey respondents along Cedar Ave disproportionately represents people living or working towards the eastern end of Cedar Ave.
75% of respondents live or work east of 52nd St while 19% live or work west of 52nd St
These results should be considered more representative of experiences and attitudes among people who live / work in Cedar Park (46th St to 52nd St). We discuss this limitation of the study in the final section of this blog post.
At a high level, we found that residents are eager for traffic calming, right-sized rights of way, and major changes to the intersection at Baltimore Ave and 46th St.
Safety Issues
Cedar Ave has been on the High Injury Network in Philadelphia since 2017. The High Injury Network refers to the 12% of roadways in Philadelphia which account for 80% of the fatalities and serious injuries as a result of traffic violence.
1. Respondents overwhelmingly agreed on the top issues: (a) Drivers running red lights / stop signs, (b) aggressive driving, (c) speeding.
Number of respondents who selected each issue as a top issue. Respondents were limited to 3 selections and could write in a response.
2. The top three issues were the same across respondents who drive a car and those who do not.
Comparison of top issues between respondents who drive and those who do not.
3. The intersection of Cedar Ave-46th St-Baltimore Ave continues to endanger people and provoke fear.
4. 92% of respondents walk and 53% bike or scooter on Cedar Ave, yet many feel unsafe doing so according to their comments.
How respondents traveled on Cedar Ave in the past month.
Improvements Respondents Want to See
Respondents had an opportunity to write in suggestions for changes to Cedar Ave. This was an open-ended question and we DID NOT offer any specific ideas at any point in the survey (e.g., speed bumps, bumpouts, bike lanes).
Traffic Calming: Speed bumps, making travel lanes narrower, converting all or part of Cedar Ave into a one-way.
Safer Intersections: Bumpouts / daylighting, removing the short segment of Cedar Ave between Baltimore Ave and 46th St.
Improved Pedestrian / Bike Infrastructure: Protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks
Top 10 most frequently suggested improvements
The number of individual respondents who suggested each improvement is shown in parentheses.
Speed bumps (61)
Bumpouts / daylighting (28)
Protected bike lane (25)
Making Cedar one-way (16)
Narrower lanes (12)
Bike lane - did not specify protection (10)
Traffic calming - did not specify treatment (10)
Remove the short segment of Cedar Ave between Baltimore Ave and 46th St (9)
Traffic enforcement of drivers (9)
Raised crosswalks / intersections (8)
Resident and Respondent Comments
“I was almost hit by someone driving a large SUV while walking with my baby and elderly mother. People whip around the intersection and run the red light with impunity.” 53rd and Cedar
“Multiple times a car has blown through the red light on Cedar Ave [at 52nd and 53rd] when I was pushing my baby in the stroller across the street. Very scary [...] Drivers regularly speed 40+ mph on [5300 Cedar] as they race to beat the light.” 53rd and Cedar
“It is not safe for our children or ourselves [...] The house on the corner of 50th and Cedar had a car drive off the road into the front steps two times!!” 50th and Cedar
"I suggest turning Cedar Avenue into a one-way street with a two-way parking protected bike lane. Like the results we've seen with the ones on 47th and 48th this would reduce traffic in the area and create safer conditions for walkers and bikers." 52nd and Cedar
“The intersection [at Baltimore and 46th] is extremely confusing and dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians [...] It single-handedly creates the huge influx of traffic to Cedar Ave in comparison to identical adjacent residential streets.” 51st and Cedar
Comments published with respondent consent.
How We’re Using these Insights
Members of the Cedar Park Neighbors Transit Committee have shared these findings with Councilmember Gauthier’s office and Cobbs Creek Neighbors.
Our ask to Councilmember Gauthier and the City: Incorporate proven safety measures into the repaving plans for Cedar Ave and engage residents on designs that address their safety concerns.
In conversation with her office, we noted that despite our outreach efforts the vast majority of survey responses came from people who live or work towards the eastern end of Cedar Ave. We ask that the City work to ensure equal consideration is given to people who live or work towards the western end of Cedar Ave, and we have discussed the possibility of continued outreach efforts with Cobbs Creek Neighbors.
