{"id":144591,"date":"2025-08-27T22:33:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=144591"},"modified":"2025-08-27T22:33:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:33:19","slug":"city-of-allentown-and-lehigh-county-coroner-urge-roadway-safety-ahead-of-labor-day-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=144591","title":{"rendered":"City of Allentown and Lehigh County Coroner Urge Roadway Safety Ahead of Labor Day Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>August 27, 2025 \u2013 The City of Allentown and the Lehigh County Coroner\u2019s Office are calling on drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to stay vigilant as traffic volumes increase during the upcoming Labor Day weekend.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Coroner\u2019s Office, Lehigh County has already recorded eight motorcycle crash fatalities in 2025, with additional roadway deaths reported across vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian incidents. In comparison, 12 total motorcycle crash fatalities were recorded in 2024 and 7 in 2023. During Labor Day weekend 2024 alone, there were 31 collisions, while the City of Allentown recorded 50 collisions in 2023. Officials warn that warmer weather and increased holiday traffic could lead to even greater risk if drivers are not vigilant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery life lost on our roads is one too many,\u201d said Mayor Matt Tuerk. \u201cThrough Vision Zero, we are committed to safer streets, better infrastructure, and public awareness campaigns that reduce risks for everyone who uses our roadways. But this work also depends on each of us choosing to drive safely, slow down, and stay alert.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coroner Daniel Buglio echoed the urgency, noting that the recent surge in fatalities underscores the importance of collaborative prevention efforts. \u201cMy office has investigated too many preventable deaths this year. These crashes leave families devastated. By working together, the City and County can raise awareness and save lives. Our message is simple: we want everyone to make it home safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As part of the City\u2019s Vision Zero strategy to eliminate roadway deaths by 2030, there are currently several major projects underway:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>High Injury Network Demonstration Project:<\/strong>\u00a0Installing temporary intersection daylighting measures \u2014 including flexible delineator posts and pavement markings \u2014 at select high-crash intersections to improve sight lines and enhance safety for drivers and pedestrians.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Speed Cushions:<\/strong>\u00a0The City will be installing over 50 speed cushions at 20 strategic locations. The primary focus is on areas near schools, parks, and hospitals, where lower vehicle speeds are critical for pedestrian safety. These installations will take place in neighborhoods across the South Side, West Side, East Side, and Center City, helping to reduce speeding and enhance safety for residents and vulnerable road users.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jefferson Street Safety Improvements (SS4A &amp; ARLE):<\/strong> Adding temporary pavement markings for parking, bike, and travel lanes; flexible delineators at complex intersections; high-visibility crosswalks near schools, trails, and a church; \u201cNo Turn on Red\u201d signs at traffic signals; and converting a short four-lane stretch (Rye St. to Ward St. bridge) into two lanes with a center left-turn lane to reduce speeding and crashes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThese projects are about saving lives,\u201d said Mayor Tuerk. \u201cWe know enforcement and education matter, but so does the way our streets are designed. We\u2019re taking steps now to reduce speeding, increase visibility, and protect our residents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The City and Coroner\u2019s Office remind all road users to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Always buckle up and obey the speed limit.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Avoid distractions, especially phones.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Look twice for motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Stop fully for pedestrians at crosswalks.<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cLabor Day should be a time for families and community, not loss,\u201d added Buglio. \u201cBy making safe choices, we can prevent tragedies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>August 27, 2025 \u2013 The City of Allentown and the Lehigh County Coroner\u2019s Office are calling on drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to stay vigilant as traffic volumes increase during &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=144591\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">City of Allentown and Lehigh County Coroner Urge Roadway Safety Ahead of Labor Day Weekend<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119399,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5717,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bethlehem","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Allentown-logo.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144591"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=144591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/119399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=144591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=144591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=144591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}