The intersection at 34th and Walnut streets was packed yesterday at noon, as many gathered to support pedestrian safety.
Roughly 150 people came to the intersection to stand behind Penn's Executive Computing Director Ira Winston, who, through letters and e-mails, had asked people to join him as he crossed the street to promote pedestrian safety issues.
Winston was hit by a car at that very intersection on Jan. 22. Immediately following the collision, Winston was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for surgery on the two fractures he suffered in his right leg.
Supported by friends, family and colleagues, Winston made his first walk across the intersection since the accident.
In lines of four or five, Winston's supporters marched across the intersection, watched by several members of the Penn Police Department and the University City District's Safety Ambassadors Program.
According to Winston's wife, Flaura Winston, who is a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia safety researcher and a faculty member at Penn's School of Medicine, the walk was first intended to help her husband heal mentally from the accident.
Secondarily, the walk was "to galvanize pedestrians and promote awareness of pedestrian safety issues," Flaura Winston said.
After the crossing, Ira Winston told his supporters that he "just wanted to thank everybody for coming out today."
His supporters were enthusiastic about the crossing.
Helen Anderson, senior director of School of Engineering and Applied Sciences computing, was among those in the walk.
"I work with Ira, I was here to support him," Anderson said. "I also hear a lot of traffic accidents, and I often call the police -- I know that this is a big problem."
Also in the walk, Ramin Sedehi, the vice dean of finance and administration of the School of Arts and Sciences, found the walk very inspiring.
"I thought it was a really nice way to show our support for Ira and to promote awareness about pedestrian problems," Sedehi said.
And Flaura Winston said her husband was using his misfortune to make a difference.
"Even though [Ira] was certainly harmed, he's driven to make change. He realized that he had the connections and the drive to make it safe for others," she said. "That's really inspiring."
Ira Winston also added that he would be working very closely with the University's administrators to better solve the problem of pedestrian safety.
Despite good intentions, that may be easier said than done. Walnut Street is a state highway, so both the city and state will have to be involved with any changes made to any of the Walnut Street intersections.
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said that there have been many improvements to aid the safety of pedestrians, and changes will continue to be made.
"We've been working with the Philadelphia Streets Department since 1994, and we've made several improvements, probably things that people wouldn't even notice," Rush said.
Currently, a trailer that displays vehicle speeds has been placed at various positions around campus to alert drivers of their speed.
The University will be negotiating with state and city officials to add more changes, including a street light near the Left Bank apartment complex near 31st and Walnut streets.
"They're just negotiations at the moment, but we will be working with the officials... we're pretty optimistic," Rush said.
Educational programs for both drivers and pedestrians, which have been successful in the past, may also be brought to the campus.
English professor Al Filreis, the faculty director of the Kelly Writer's House, said that he felt that the walk had fulfilled its mission.
"People responded with enthusiasm," he said. "They also saw it as a good opportunity to take over the road... it's important to remember that pedestrians own the road, too."
Despite her difficult experience with her husband's accident, Flaura Winston said she fully supported Ira's ideas.
"I work to promote and research safety," Flaura Winston said. "But more than that, I just don't want anyone else to have to go through that.
"Enough is enough; its time to start looking at prevention," she added.
