Letter presented to the Coalition President outlining Administration’s responses to group’s specific requests
PHILADELPHIA – As the Parker Administration works to identify the most feasible and sustainable options to improve traffic safety, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and the Managing Director’s Office today shared their commitment to make needed upgrades to improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, and to decrease – and even eliminate – deaths on Philadelphia’s streets and crosswalks.
At a news conference outside City Hall, Managing Director Thiel presented a letter from the City’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) to Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Chirs Gale, responding to the advocacy group’s petition demanding better protection of bike lanes and continued Vision Zero funding. (A copy of the letter follows below.)
“Our responses to the Bicycle Coalition will help to continue to guide our conversations as we work with the Mayor’s Office, City Council, the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), houses of worship, and community members to implement change that allows all modes of transport – pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists – to travel freely and safely,” said Mike Carroll, Deputy Managing Director, OTIS.
Throughout August, the Parker Administration engaged in preliminary discussions with Council President Kenyatta Johnson (District 2) and Councilmember Mark Squilla (District 1), who indicated they are committed to working together to develop a plan that works for all Philadelphians. Conversations were held with all religious institutions and relaxed religious parking relocations were relocated off Pine and Spruce Streets. While temporary measures are in place, the long-term locations of relocated relaxed parking are to be determined in the coming months following additional engagement with stakeholders.
This September, the Parker Administration will work with Council staff to compile a list of the specific stakeholder groups and residents who voiced interest in being part of the conversation to find the best solutions.
“I am committed to keeping these conversations moving and at a heightened pace that shows how serious we believe the issue of traffic safety is,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “I signed an executive order in March that recommitted our goal of reaching zero traffic deaths in our city, and the movement we are making now shows this is not just rhetoric – it’s a commitment to real change.”
Following the news conference, Mayor Parker, Managing Director Thiel, other members of the Parker administration and Bicycle Coalition executive director Chris Gale took a bike ride through the streets of Center City, to give the mayor and her team a first-hand look at traffic safety issues being raised by bicyclists.
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Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia,
Thank you for your continued advocacy to make Philadelphia safe, accessible, and friendly for cyclists. We appreciate the time and effort involved in collecting more than 6,000 signatures in support of increased street safety and bicycle infrastructure. The Parker Administration values your partnership as we work to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries on Philadelphia streets.
The petition was inspired by events on Wednesday, July 17th when three crashes took the lives of two Philadelphians and critically injured a third. We agree with the Bike Coalition that fatal and serious injury crashes are not inevitable “accidents” and zero is the only acceptable number of traffic deaths. We must continue to enhance our approach to road safety until we reach zero traffic deaths.
Please find our responses to the three requests detailed in your petition below:
- FULLY PROTECT the Spruce and Pine Streets and Allegheny Ave bike lanes and other protected bike lanes throughout Philadelphia with permanent concrete barriers.
OTIS has developed proposals for increased safety on the Spruce and Pine Streets bike lanes and we are committed to begin community engagement immediately to gain feedback. We are eager to finalize the short-term and long-term measures we can use to protect the bike lanes.
- END the legacy practice of allowing parking in bike lanes on weekends.
OTIS is working with community partners to relocate parking away from the Spruce and Pine bike lanes and this process will take several more weeks to finalize. We have received cooperation from many houses of worship along this corridor and look forward to a full resolution. There are complications around where to move parking as it can impact future multimodal planning for different corridors.
- REPLACE all of the “No Parking” signage with “No Stopping” signage along protected bike lanes.
We intend to replace the No Parking signage with No Stopping signage along the Spruce and Pine corridor. This replacement process requires community engagement, which will happen simultaneously with the community engagement around the increased safety proposals.
We are researching other areas where there are No Parking signs along protected bike lanes and will review our options for removal.
We appreciate the Bicycle Coalition’s strong advocacy around traffic safety and look forward to continuing to work alongside you and all our partners towards our goal of zero traffic deaths. Mayor Parker is a fierce advocate for the safety of all Philadelphians. We are very proud that our pursuit of resources to implement traffic safety projects will outpace that of any 4-year period in Philadelphia’s history and we plan to build on that legacy in our work with all of you.
Michael Carroll, P.E.
Deputy Managing Director
Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS)
City of Philadelphia