PHILADELPHIA- On Thursday, August 15th, a crowd of activists, families of crash victims, and concerned citizens came together to deliver almost 6,000 petition signatures and 4,000 individual comments to Mayor Parker and Council President Johnson. The group called for a series of actions including parking reform, concrete protected bike lanes, and an increase in Vision Zero funding.
“These signatures and comments represent thousands of concerned individuals who want to see Philadelphia’s streets safer for people walking and biking,” Chris Gale, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “Street safety isn’t a niche issue, traffic fatalities are preventable yet almost 130 people were killed on Philadelphia roads last year. These are real people with families and friends who will forever have an empty seat at the table.”
This action comes after an increase in traffic fatalities in July and three tragic crashes on Wednesday July 17th, the first killing Christopher Cabrera who was standing on the sidewalk in Kensington waiting to cross the street, the second killing Dr. Barbara Friedes while biking in the Spruce St. bike lane, and the third critically injuring another person in Germantown. While the name of the critically injured pedestrian is not known, there are many unnamed traffic victims who have been killed and seriously injured this year, they all deserve attention and priority from our community and City leaders
“Our streets are not designed to protect people–tragically demonstrated by the preventable deaths of Barbara Friedes, Christopher Cabrera, and upwards of 120 Philadelphians that lose their lives to traffic violence each year,” said Vice Chair of Philly Bike Action, Jessie Amadio. “We thank Council President Johnson for his comments supporting an increase of the Vision Zero budget. We ask City Leaders to pass the budget increase in the fall and use the money to add concrete protection to Spruce, Pine, and other unprotected bike lanes across the city without additional delay.”
On August 3rd of this year, Council President Johnson attended a memorial bike ride in FDR Park to honor Mario D’Adamo who was killed riding his bike in an unprotected bike lane on FDR park loop on August 4, 2023. During his remarks he called attention to the Vision Zero budget and the need to increase funding to prioritize road safety.
“We want REAL protection for bike lanes across Philadelphia including Spruce, Pine, and Allegheny streets,” said Kara Kneidl with 5th Square. “We want an end to motorists using the bike lane for parking and loading. The bike lane is for bikes! The safety of people biking and walking needs to take priority over the convenience of motorists.”
While we are disappointed in the reception from the Mayor’s Office at the petition delivery event, we look forward to working together towards our shared goals: a greener, cleaner, and safer Philadelphia with no more traffic fatalities.
The groups will continue to advocate for safe streets all throughout the city and plan to engage more with City Council when the session begins again in September.