Mayor and county leaders discuss safety improvements for New Jersey’s dangerous stretch of White Horse Pike

South Jersey officials are working to make a busy stretch of the White Horse Pike safer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. They focused on what they call one of the most dangerous stretches, from North Newton Lake Drive to Collings Avenue in Collingswood.

“We’ve seen red lights, we’ve seen people speeding, we’ve heard honking, we’ve seen aggressive drivers,” said Kelly McGinnis, who has lived in the neighborhood for 11 years.

McGinnis said it is simply unsafe to cross the White Horse Pike at Collings Avenue with her children. That’s why she expressed her concerns to Camden County leaders last spring.

“You can’t trust the pedestrian signs, you really have to pause and look around,” she said.

On Friday, Collingswood’s mayor, county leaders and the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation met to discuss possible safety improvements.

According to police, five pedestrians have been hit by cars in the past five years, two of which were killed. Police also said there have been 24 accidents on the borough’s White Horse Pike since 2019.

“They try to cross as soon as the light turns green and cars come, they fly, so it becomes difficult for people to cross,” said Drera Blake, who lives in the apartment complex near the busy intersection.

“The research being done now consists of more comprehensive solutions for the short term, but with an eye toward long-term renovation of the pike,” said Mayor Jim Maley.

Maley said these short-term solutions include giving pedestrians more time to safely cross the White Horse Pike at Collings Avenue, installing some sort of traffic light further down the state highway at North Newton Lake Drive, painting and marking both intersections and possibly reducing speed. limit from 30 mph to 25.

McGinnis said she is glad she spoke out.

“I didn’t think anything came of it until the mayor contacted me this week and said this was happening,” McGinnis said.

Maley said NJDOT is still developing a plan for the long-term solutions. A timeline could be one to two years, but he said nothing has been finalized yet.