Neighbors in Chestnut Hill are demanding that the city of Philadelphia invests in the safety of its pedestrians who live, walk and shop every day along Germantown Avenue. “You have to look both ways after the lights turn red if you don’t want to get steam rolled in the intersection,” Chestnut Hill resident Jim Fries said at a community meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15. It’s just one of the major concerns for many who live in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill community. “We need signs that say ‘pedestrians, yield’ even if they don’t look at them, we need something there,” resident Kris Adkins said. Dozens of concerned citizens made it to the neighborhood’s first-ever pedestrians safety meeting on Wednesday night that was held at J.S. Jenks Elementary School. They say that they want the city to take action and create safety measures before a serious, or potentially deadly, accident happens on the busy Germantown Avenue. Many shared their own stories and their concerns. During the meeting, neighborhood leaders focused on the safety measures they say need to be taken on Germantown Avenue. From Meridian Avenue up to Chestnut Hill Avenue, there are over 250 businesses, according to leaders. Residents expressed frustration that in almost every intersection, the paint in the crosswalks is worn or faded. They say that the asphalt is broken, there are no pedestrian warning lights and little to no police enforcement for the drivers who speed. “This entire area could use speed cameras,” Philadelphia City Councilperson Cindy Bass said. “People take speed cameras very seriously. We need as many as possible as we can get. We are fully in support of placing them in Chestnut Hill.”