Upper Darby council adopts Safe Streets for All plan to target high‑injury corridors

Upper Darby’s council voted June 3 to adopt a 200‑page Safe Streets for All action plan designed to reduce crashes by targeting the township’s high‑injury corridors.

Planning and Zoning Manager Joshua Chast, the plan’s project manager, told the council the analysis found that “58% of the crashes happen on about 10% of Upper Darby roads,” and presented corridor and intersection concept plans that include raised crosswalks, curb extensions, speed cushions and other corridor‑specific treatments. The plan groups improvements into short‑, medium‑ and long‑term timelines and pairs them with likely federal, state and regional funding sources.

The plan, prepared with third‑party consultant Michael Baker International, drew on local crash data, field observations, public events and outreach in multiple languages. Chast described a public engagement program that included pop‑ups at 69th Street, open houses and surveys; staff said materials were made available in English, Spanish, French and Bengali.

Council members highlighted the plan’s potential to help the township win grants. Mayor Ed Brown said he would press state lawmakers and the senator to seek funding for early projects. The council approved the resolution to adopt the plan after a motion by Secretary Bilips and a second from Councilor Blackwell.

What happens next: staff said adoption will let the township pursue federal and state grant programs and regional funds and will form the basis of future engineer‑led project designs and funding applications. The plan includes a matrix listing recommended actions by corridor and estimated costs for near‑term implementation.

The council’s vote makes the plan an official policy document and a vehicle for pursuing grants to pay for the safety improvements outlined in the plan. Implementation will depend on future engineering, grant awards and coordination with PennDOT for state roads.