Philly Road Safety Advocates Call for Action From the City

Road safety advocates in Philadelphia are renewing calls to improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists in the city, reports Meir Rinde for Billy Penn. “Philly has 7.4 traffic deaths annually per 100,000 residents, according to the city’s 2023 Vision Zero report. That’s slightly lower than Los Angeles, but higher than New York (2.64), Boston (3.23), San Francisco (3.55) and Chicago (6.28).” Last year, 57 pedestrians and 10 people on bikes were killed in traffic crashes, the largest number of cyclist deaths since 2019.

While Mayor Cherelle Parker has touted her commitment to Vision Zero, the administration recently proposed major cuts to the program. The city says funding for traffic safety efforts is included in other budget lines, such as automated traffic enforcement cameras.

Advocates are calling on the city to install concrete bollards or other solid barriers to truly protect cyclists in bike lanes and enforce bike lane parking violations. “Critics also pointed to the small number of Slow Zones approved every year despite high demand from neighborhood groups.”