West Side Community to Debut Wilmington's First "Daylighting" Street Safety Installation at Lancaster Ave and Connell Street
Pop-up demonstration runs June 5th–8th, featuring ribbon cutting, community celebration, and resident feedback gathering
Wilmington, DE: The West Side Streets Committee for Change, a group of West Side residents and stakeholders advocating for safer, healthier, and more beautiful streets, will host a community street safety event in Wilmington this weekend. In partnership with Be Ready CDC, Green for the Greater Good, and West Side Grows Together, the committee will bring the Safe Streets: Daylighting Pop-Up to the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Connell Street from Friday, June 5th through Monday, June 8th to demonstrate daylighting, a traffic safety intervention that involves clearing the 20 feet of curb space closest to an intersection to improve visibility for drivers and pedestrians, particularly at turning movements and crossings.
The Safe Streets: Daylighting Pop-Up will apply this proven traffic safety strategy at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Connell Street using temporary paint and flexible delineator posts with the goal of garnering support and funding for more permanent safety improvements.
On the morning of June 5th, volunteers and neighbors will install temporary paint and bollard posts to physically mark the buffer zone at all four corners of the intersection. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will follow once the road reopens with the safety measures in place. The installation will be removed on Monday, June 8th. This event is intended to interactively demonstrate the concept, collect resident feedback, and show the progress in the area of mobility justice in the West Side.
Event Schedule
Friday, June 5th
9:00 to 11:00am: Volunteer installation of daylighting corners
11:00am: Ribbon-cutting ceremony
6:00pm: Community celebration: free water ice, conversation about street safety improvements
Monday, June 8th
3:00 to 5:00pm: Installation removal and conversations with neighbors
The demonstration is part of a larger strategy to improve safety on West Side streets, developed in collaboration with the City of Wilmington, DelDOT, WILMAPCO, and area residents. The intervention responds directly to feedback gathered through the 2nd & Lancaster Walkable Community Workshop and aligns with the type of quick-build solutions the City's Safe Streets for All Advisory Group is currently exploring.
Residents at Connell Street and Lancaster Avenue are also calling for traffic signal timing changes and long-term streetscape modifications to slow vehicle speeds and improve safety for all road users.
The West Side Streets Committee will survey residents during and after the pop-up to collect observations and gauge community support for a permanent daylighting solution and other safety options.
Volunteers are needed on Friday morning for installation and Monday afternoon for removal. Visit www.greenforthegreatergood.org/west-side-streets to sign up or for more information about the event.
