Philadelphia Traffic Calming Initiative Pays Off

City officials say serious crashes are down by 34 percent on streets that were the target of Complete Streets projects.

1 minute read

October 12, 2023, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


According to Philadelphia city officials, crashes with fatalities or serious injuries are down 34 percent on streets that received traffic calming projects, reports Thomas Fitzgerald in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“That conclusion was based on comparing crash data on 35 stretches of roadway where the city or PennDot has built traffic-calming features with the number and severity of collisions on similar streets that were not changed,” Fitzgerald explains.

Anecdotally, residents living near the Cobb Creek Parkway, one of the streets that received a safety overhaul in 2021, say traffic is noticeably more tame.

The safety projects are part of Philadelphia’s Complete Streets initiative, which includes road diets, separated bike lanes, and Neighborhood Slow Zones, focused especially around schools. “Since the first two [Neighborhood Slow Zones] were installed in Fairhill and around Willard Elementary School in 2022, the zones have had no fatal or serious injury crashes. All reported crashes in the zones are down 75%.”

The city has a reserve of $220 million in state, federal, and local funding to continue building on Complete Streets projects over the next several years.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023 in The Philadelphia Inquirer

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Geese flock to a frozen pond in Aurora, Colorado. There are houses in the background.

Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing

The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.

6 seconds ago - Capital & Main

A cluster of wind turbines beneath a stormy sky, above a forest where the leaves are beginning to change colors.

5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project

Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.

September 16 - Inside Climate News

People boarding a bus on Maryland's Orange Route.

Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project

The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.

September 16 - Mass Transit

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.