Before COVID-19 forced us all into stay-at-home orders and shut down the economy, we brought together over 200 people from the public and private sectors, planners and community members to share goals, priorities and strategies for the Vision Zero Philadelphia Conference. Taking place on March 7th and presented by LYFT, it was our fifth such conference and took place at Temple University.
We were honored to have over 40 speakers, including Mayor Jim Kenney, Managing Director Brian Abernathy, State Senator Larry Farnese and NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.
As we prepare for the uncertainties to come, we continue to work towards safer streets, highlighting the importance of pedestrian safety and inclusive strategic outreach. But in the meantime, we wanted to give those who were not able to attend the conference some of the information that was shared at Temple University that day.
Below, find some highlights, including slideshows, from the conference.
Traffic Deaths in Philadelphia since 2012: Envisioning a trend towards 0 Deaths
Philadelphia has been working hard since 2015 to reach Vision Zero. But, a lot of work remains to get the trend line to shift from flat (red) to downward (blue). As we all now know, “bending the curve” is required to reach zero. Business as usual is not going to do it.
Increasing Safety through street treatment in the Region
Vision zero is not just for city residents! Suburban communities are taking simple and low cost steps to calm streets, as these aerial shots of Upper Darby exemplify.
Mayor Kenney has committed to build a High-Quality Bike Network; 40 miles of protected bike lanes by 2025. This map presented by the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability at the conference, for the first time, shows the 40 mile network envisioned by his administration.
Inclusive, straightforward and ubiquitous strategic communications for traffic safety is critical. New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg delivered a terrific and inspiring presentation on what New York City is doing to reach Vision Zero. These public service campaigns are direct, forthright and at a large enough scale to make an impact.
SEPTA shared the principles it is using to plan for a comprehensive bus network redesign.
The Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability released the findings of its Pedestrian Safety Plan, a comprehensive review of pedestrians crash data that revealed important patterns and consequent interventions that should bring down the most severe pedestrian crashes.
We thank all of the sponsors and presenters who made this year’s conference a success.
Presentations from each panel are linked in the headings.
Panel Presentations
Presentation: Vision Zero in Philadelphia: Progress to Date
Moderator:
Christopher Jandoli, Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager for Planning & Environment, WSP USA
Panelists:
Michael Carroll, Deputy Managing Director, City of Philadelphia’s oTIS
Carlton Williams, Commissioner, City of Philadelphia Department of Streets
Corinne O’Connor, Deputy Executive Director, Philadelphia Parking Authority
Captain Mark Overwise, Commanding Officer, Accident Investigation Division, Philadelphia Police Department
Presentation: Big Ideas to Create a Bicycle, Pedestrian, Transit First City
Moderator:
Carrie Sauer Long, Director, Center for Safe Mobility, University of Pennsylvania
Panelists:
Shwana Rogers, Senior Director of Surface Operations, SEPTA
Joseph Cutrufo, Communications Director, Transportation Alternatives
Zabe Bent, Director of Design, National Association of City Transportation Officials
Thomas DeVito, East Coast Policy Manager, Bikes & Scooters, Lyft
Presentation: Growing Vision Zero in the Region
Moderator: Matthew Edmond, Section Chief: Transportation, Montgomery County Planning Commission
Commentary By: Roy Gothie, Bicycle / Pedestrian Coordinator, PennDot
Panelists:
Cynthia McCormick, City Engineer & Deputy Director of Engineering in
Public Works, City of Lancaster
Tim Phelps, Exec. Director, Transportation Management Association of Chester County
Elena Sauceda – Peeples, Director, East Trenton Collaborative
Bryan Proska, Project Manager, Traffic Planning & Design
Presentation: What Does a Pedestrian Prioritized Street Look Like?
Moderator: Douglas Robbins, Senior Urban Designer, AECOM
Panelists:
Heather Martin, Senior Transportation Planner, WSP
Akshay Malik, Transportation Analyst, oTIS, City of Philadelphia
Alice Friedman, Senior Project Manager, NYCDOT
Pat Murdock, Executive Director of the Faith and Liberty
Discovery Center, American Bible Society
Christopher Dougherty, Planner, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation
Presentation: Growing Vision Zero Philly Style
Moderator: Laura Fredricks, Co-Founder, Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia
Panelists:
Lois Williams, Neighborhood Advocate, HACE
Suzanne Hagner, Community Advocate, Wissahickon
Dan McGlone, Senior GIS Analyst at Azavea & South of South Neighborhood Association Representative
Corey Bell, Constituent Services Representative, Office of the City Council President Darrell Clarke
Presentation: What’s Next for the High Quality Bike Network?
Moderator: Jeremy Chrzan, Multimodal Design Practice Lead, Toole Design Group
Panelists:
Jeannette Brugger, Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator, oTIS
Mark Harrell, Community Organizer, Southwest CDC
Sarah Anton, President, Passyunk Square Civic Association
Jamie Gauthier, Philadelphia City Councilmember, 3rd District
Presentation: Connecting Vision Zero and Youth
Moderator: Tara Woody, Safe Routes Philly & Vision Zero for Youth pilot Coordinator, oTIS
Panelists:
Marisa Jones, Policy & Partnership Director, Safe Routes Partnership
Kori Johnson, D.C. Community Engagement Manager, SRP
Diane Lambert, Senior Planner, Toole Design Group
Ashley Reevey, Representative from Camden Youth Advisory Council
Presentation: Nexus of Transit and Vision Zero
Moderator: Lydia Grose, Philadelphia Office Executive, Michael Baker Intl.
Panelists: Mimi Sheller, Director, Center for Mobilities Research & Policy, Drexel Univ.
Jennifer Dougherty, Manager of Long Range Planning, SEPTA
Lex Powers, Long Range Planner, SEPTA
Angela Dixon, Director of Planning, oTIS, City of Philadelphia
All sponsors of the 2020 Conference can be found here.