Penn Students: Be Extra Careful At 38th And Spruce Streets

Yes, it’s the end of the semester, and yes, you’re probably busy nude modeling or something, but here’s a quick warning for you Penn Students: Be real careful crossing the street at 38th and Spruce streets. The Daily Pennysylvanian reports that a female student was inured at the intersection Tuesday—the fifth Penn student to have an accident at that location this semester.

The intersection has proven problematic in the past. A 2009 campus transportation study led by Facilities and Real Estate Services and DPShighlighted nine recommendations for improving safety and traffic flow at the intersection.

According to Principal Planner for the Office of the University Architect Mark Kocent, however, only one of those recommendations was implemented — the addition of pedestrian countdown signals which were already being installed when the study was published.

The report — which was put together by traffic engineering firm Orth Rodgers, Inc. — says that “pedestrian safety is a critical issue” at 38th and Spruce streets.

Hey, it’s a big, busy intersection, as seen by Google Maps:

Asking students to cross at another location seems weird: The intersection at the edge of a major campus ought to be able to accommodate walking students, right? But it’s not. So, Penn students: Be careful out there.