Stroller versus Car...And the winner is...

It made me so dang mad.  Recently, on a sunny weekend afternoon, a family was walking past my house - mom, dad, child in stroller.  I imagine they were headed to Narberth for a croissant or a turn on the swings. Or maybe they were just heading home from a friend's house.  A car sped past them yelling "Get out of the street!" "Hmmmm," I thought to myself.  "Where the heck do you want them to go?" Yes, I thought heck. What did you think I was going to say?  

No sidewalk means that people, strollers and all, have to walk in the street. 

I don't have anything against cars. I have nothing against most people. I even like lots of people who I know like to drive fast.  But people who drive fast in residential areas and shout at families to get out of their way... I don't like them.  I also don't like that there is no safe way for a family, or anyone else, for that matter, to safely get around this neighborhood or to the next town over without driving. It's so 1980s. I can tolerate neon and distressed jeans but the car is king mentality has to go. 

It seems like we can't do a thing about it.  Our local government has a huge box of excuses. They like to call it Pandora's Box but that particular topic is one for another day.

The key is to not give up.  Can you imagine if we wait for someone to get hurt and THEN do something about the lack of safe pedestrian pathways leading to and from our schools and parks and libraries? I can and it's not a pretty picture. We could wait for everyone to move to Tredyffrin Township where the schools are good and the township values walkable communities. We could sit back and let a few people decide what is good for all the people without letting them know how we feel but that would be ridiculous.  

There's a new township manager starting soon. Lets be sure he knows we care about this issue and it's not going away.  Please sign the petition at ttps://www.change.org/petitions/lower-merion-township-and-lower-merion-school-district-make-pedestrian-safety-a-priority-calm-traffic-on-hagys-ford-rd - hoping to submit it soon! Please stay involved and keep the conversation going. 

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." - Alice Walker. Thanks for the reminder Alice.