Chaos is brewing in a major US city after drivers were told to start driving in the opposite direction down a major one-way street. Drivers in Philadelphia were recently left scrambling after the direction of travel was dramatically flipped throughout a portion of Adams Avenue in the city's Kensington neighborhood, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The avenue previously carried traffic east toward Frankford Avenue, but as of April 15, it now runs westbound from Frankford Avenue to Ruan Street. Then, from Ruan to Church Street, the street has also been turned into a two-way. But despite massive flashing warnings and signs, not all Philadelphians are aware of the tweak. That has effectively turned the avenue into a confusing, potentially dangerous roadway that locals fear will inevitably lead to devastation.
Danielle Kearney, the office manager at Domestic Uniform Rental, said the change in direction had 'made a mess of the neighborhood.' 'One of these days, we're just waiting for the boom,' Kearney added. Adams Avenue, in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, previously went east towards Frankford Avenue but will now flow westbound from Frankford to Ruan Street. Kearney said the tweak was 'disrupting a whole business operation,' as her uniform and facility services supplier occupies an entire block of Adams Avenue.
Her company appeared to have been among the hardest hit by the change in direction. Its trucks move in and out of a loading dock throughout the day to make deliveries, with an 18-wheeler leaving around 5pm for daily routes as far as Baltimore, Maryland. Before, drivers would exit the avenue onto the wider Frankford Avenue, though that is no longer possible. Now, they must make a tighter and more challenging turn onto the much busier Kensington Avenue. Kearney said her employees have to block off the traffic so that the driver can eventually make a turn. Even then, she said that the driver sometimes had no choice but to go against incoming traffic if a car was parked at the corner.
However, the Philadelphia Department of Streets said the redirection was made at the request of local business owners. Those businesses were supposedly having trouble accessing their facilities after a previous street change had turned a separate stretch of Adams Avenue into a one-way. Kensington is a low income neighborhood that has recently seen a surge in open-air drug markets and other illicit activities, according to the Philadelphia City Council. The Philadelphia City Council said it held meetings with local businesses and residents before making the change to Adams Avenue.
A local resident, Joseph Todd, said he was surprised an accident had not happened on the new Adams Avenue yet. Todd, who uses the road when he picks up his wife from Domestic Uniform, added that he had seen school buses going down the wrong direction. However, this did not take him aback, as he pointed out how his wife was also used to the prior direction. 'She's been going the right way for God knows how long,' Todd told the Inquirer.
On social media, the reaction to the change in the avenue was largely mooted, with some questioning why it was even happening. 'People don't even follow the direction of one way signs that have never changed,' one Reddit user wrote. Another added: 'Chaos is a ladder.' On Facebook, one online commenter wrote, 'lol Kensington doesn't have rules of the road.' Though this is a relatively uncommon move, Philadelphia changed the direction of eight streets last year. The city conducts a traffic study to make sure the shift is 'warranted and feasible,' per the Philadelphia Department of Streets. Before changing Adams Avenue, the City Council held meetings with businesses and residents. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Philadelphia Department of Streets for further comment.
