When the 11th Street project is complete, vehicles will be blocked from parking like this. (Photo via Mario DiMaio)

When the 11th Street 2-way protected bike lane is complete, it will stretch between Reed and Bainbridge Streets in South Philadelphia, include signage telling motorists where parking is allowed (and where it isn’t), flex posts and quick curb (meant to keep parking vehicles out of the bike lanes and turning vehicles out of the “daylight” sections); a focused enforcement period (so people who park their motor vehicles in the area know where and where not to park), installation of an all-way Stop at 11th and Reed Streets, and fixing a sink hole.

Right now, though, those things (in addition to paint striping north of Washington Avenue) are not complete.

So, tonight, at 6:30pm, Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infastructure, and Sustainability will be attending the Passyunk Square Civic Monthly Meeting to discuss the ongoing work along 11th Street. While there, residents are invited to ask questions and will be able to see the block-by-block layout of the streets. We encourage all bicyclists who support this project to turn out to the meeting and make your voices heard.

See the flyer for tonight’s event here.

Why should you come out? Because although the project’s public planning process has been going on since January 2018 (as we detailed in this post), there has been some confusion and complaints by residents who are worried about losing the 18-24 parking spaces that were taken for added pedestrian safety.

Removing parking from the intersections—“daylighting,” as it’s often called—makes drivers making turns and pedestrians crossing the street more visible, and the street safer. While a small majority of residents in this neighborhood own motor vehicles, the vast majority of renters do not. These safety changes are much more than a small loss of parking spots—it will affect a huge number of pedestrian and bicyclists who use the corridor daily … most of whom will never make it on the TV news.

It is our hope that, like the rest of the planning and outreach for this project, the city hears from all sides, including the people without motor vehicles who are going to be positively impacted by this project, once the rest of the infrastructure is installed. This section of South Philadelphia is the 4th-most biked neighborhood in the United States, according to the U.S. Census, and it’s time all those cyclists are given a safe area to ride.

What: 11th Street Safety Project Meeting
When: September 3rd, 6:30pm
Where: South Philadelphia Older Adult Center, 1430 E. Passyunk Avenue