Nighttime runners along the Schuylkill River Trail along Kelly Drive in Philadelphia are finding themselves without any lights along the way and it’s making them feel unsafe and vulnerable to getting hurt.
The lights are out along two portions of the city’s popular trail -- between Hunting Park and Reservoir Drive and between Fountain Green Drive and Brewery Hill Drive.
It was unclear Wednesday night how long the lights have been out, but witnesses said they noticed it days ago.
“I typically feel very confident when I’m running, but I actually feel pretty unsafe tonight,” Linda Hanlon of Center City said.
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Hanlon is used to running half and full marathons and typically runs 60 to 70 miles along the Schuylkill Trail every week.
When she went for her run Wednesday night, she found herself in the pitch black.
“This is the first time that I’ve been out after 5, after dark, and it’s really bad,” she said.
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The Philadelphia Streets Department said it was notified Wednesday of the lighting issues along the trail and that it’s investigating to make repairs as soon as possible.
“I’ve been very aware, especially as a woman in the city, where people are around me and it’s just very uncomfortable,” Bailey Carpenter of Center City said.
Carpenter said she tries to run in the daylight but that’s not always possible. On Wednesday she considered cutting her workout short.
“I think it just makes me feel very vulnerable to just the entire world and what might be happening, especially with a lot of unrest and just polarizing behavior,” Carpenter said.
Hanlon also considered cutting her run short, which is frustrating for her since she is training for another marathon.
The Streets Department did not give a cause for the outage or a timeline for when they could be back on.
Until the lights can be fixed many told NBC10’s Brain Sheehan they will be avoiding the area.
“Please do something about it. The SRT is one of the most important parts of Philly; we’re so lucky to have it. It’s so well-used,” Hanlon said. “Please do something about it because it’s literally an accident waiting to happen.”
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