Have a question about Philly’s neighborhoods or the systems that shape them? PlanPhilly reporters want to hear from you! Ask us a question or send us a story idea you think we should cover.

At 8:30 a.m. on a sweltering Wednesday morning, Peter House stood at the edge of the intersection where 58th Street, Baltimore Avenue and Cobbs Creek Parkway converge with a tangle of buses, trolleys, crosswalks and fast-moving cars.

Just a few weeks earlier, a 50-year-old cyclist was struck and killed at the corner by a turning truck.

“It’s not that hard, if you stand here long enough, to see what the problem is,” House said. “I gotta time it just right. If I walk too early, the cars come. If I wait too long, the light turns again. That’s the biggest challenge for us walking.”

House has lived nearby for years. He says the intersection has always felt risky, and he’s not alone. But the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said safety improvements are on the way — as part of the first phase of a larger Cobbs Creek Parkway and 63rd Street corridor project, the intersection at 58th and Baltimore is slated for a full traffic signal upgrade.

For decades, West Philadelphia residents have called for changes at this five-legged intersection. They’ve described it as chaotic, dangerous and deadly — especially for elderly residents and children walking to nearby schools.

“It’s horrible for senior citizens,” said Palmira Araujo, who lives on South 58th Street. “I’m 93 years old. So you know I can’t go out there and cross the street.”

What does the intersection look like?

Yasmeen Williams, a mother of two, grew up in the area and said not much has changed. “I wasn’t allowed to cross this busy intersection when I was younger and all these years later it’s still the same thing,” she said. “I would not let my son come up here and cross this intersection by himself.”

The signs of neglect are easy to spot. Crosswalk paint has faded to faint lines. Rusted signal masts hold outdated lights. The bike lanes are barely visible in places. Traffic moves unpredictably through the wide, diagonal layout, with no dedicated left-turn signals to help ease the confusion. When the lights change, it’s a scramble. Drivers lurch into crosswalks while pedestrians hustle across, racing against a countdown that’s too short for slower walkers to feel safe.

Rodney Willis, block captain of the 5900 block of Ellsworth Street, has long advocated for change at this intersection.

“When rush hour comes, it is a nightmare,” Willis said. “People are trying to race through that intersection to avoid the nightmare. Certainly a week doesn’t go by when there’s at least two, maybe three accidents.”

He said residents have raised safety concerns for more than two decades with little response.

“They’ve been saying they’re going to fix the intersection for 20 years. But it looks like they actually are going to do it now,” said Willis.

Planned safety improvements include new signal heads with improved visibility, pedestrian countdown timers, vehicle detection sensors for turning traffic and updated signage. Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2026 and complete by summer 2027, funded entirely through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program.

The upgrades are part of a corridor-wide initiative targeting 21 intersections across West and Southwest Philadelphia, aimed at reducing crashes and improving pedestrian safety.

Will the improvements work?

While work is still pending for 58th and Baltimore, similar interventions elsewhere along Cobbs Creek Parkway are already showing results.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s office, in partnership with Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and state Sen. Anthony Williams, helped implement traffic-calming measures along the parkway — upgrades that, according to her office, have reduced speeding by 90%.

Sam Shepherd, a block captain and committee person for the 3rd Ward, lives a few blocks up the road. He says the changes have helped reduce accidents caused by speeding.

“We fought for the yellow dividers,” Shepherd said. “Because of all the barriers there now, we haven’t had that happen anymore. The most important thing is that we’re getting something we’ve been fighting for all these years.”

Still, the council member’s office said the safety work is far from finished.

“We’ve made remarkable progress,” said Harrison Feinman, her communications director. “But the death of a cyclist at 58th and Baltimore tragically reminds us how much further we have to go.”

Feinman noted that not all communities bear the burden of traffic violence equally. “Working-class, Black and brown communities experience the worst of it,” he said.

Shaun Anderson, a mother of two, said she’s tired of seeing her neighborhood left behind.

“How many more lives have to be lost before someone takes this seriously? We’ve been patient for over 30 years,” she said. “We’re demanding change now — before school starts, before the snow comes, before another family has to grieve. Safety delayed is safety denied. It’s time.”

The loss at 58th and Baltimore last month reinforces the everyday danger people here have come to expect. Despite frustration, many residents say they’re glad to see movement. But they also plan to stay vocal, and want officials to remain responsive as new concerns arise.

“Change is a wonderful thing. And I’m happy to see it,” Williams said. “It’s been a long time coming. Hopefully, it all works out, and that whoever’s doing it will be open to ongoing feedback.”