Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier
City Hall, Room 586
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290
April 10, 2024
Dear Councilmember Gauthier,
I am writing to you in support of the proposed complete streets project on 47th and 48th Streets in the Cedar Park neighborhood.
Throughout Philadelphia, complete streets programs have been shown to reduce vehicular crashes and deaths - a crucial intervention at a time when pedestrian deaths are on the rise, particularly among children and Black and Hispanic residents [1]. As proposed, the project offers a number of benefits for the neighborhoods in its scope, including narrower crossing distances on 48th Street, traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speeds, and a more connected cycling network for West and Southwest Philadelphia. Looking beyond the immediate neighborhood, the proposed bike lane changes align well with other projects like Chestnut and Walnut Streets [2], Woodland Avenue [3], and the extensions of the Schuylkill River Trail into Southwest Philadelphia [4]. Taken in context, this project helps the city move closer to accomplishing its safety and sustainability goals while broadly adhering to the vision laid out in the Philadelphia2035 plan [5].
That said, there are some concerns around this project, the most pressing being that the 47th and 48th Street project area is not included in the current mechanical street sweeping program [6]. Given current conditions on other separated bike lanes in the area, adding 47th and 48th Streets to the street sweeping program would be generally beneficial. Additionally, the proposed plans have not made any clear provisions for accessible parking, loading activity, or permitted parking. While these can be incrementally added to the design, the city could take a more proactive approach to addressing community concerns for projects like this one by including these as options during community engagement.
Overall, Cedar Park Neighbors welcomes this improvement to its streets and hopes to see it folded into a broader plan for the future that addresses safety, maintenance, and accessibility needs in a comprehensive fashion.
Sincere regards,
John N Schaeffer
Transit Committee Chair, Cedar Park Neighbors
CC: CPN Board