WHEREAS, In 2023, 123 Philadelphians lost their lives in traffic collisions. As of August 31, 2024, 73 fatalities have been reported on Philadelphia roadways; and
WHEREAS, In May of 2024, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker reaffirmed the City’s commitment to achieving its Vision Zero goals via Executive Order 4-24, re-established the Vision Zero Task Force and established the Office of Multimodal Planning to investigate, plan, propose and implement necessary changes to the streetscape to reflect those goals; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia has a much higher death rate from traffic collisions than peer cities, at 7.4 deaths per 100,000 residents. New York City, with over five times as high a population as Philadelphia, has a fatality rate of 2.64 deaths per 100,000 residents; and
WHEREAS, Concrete protected or otherwise physically protected bicycle lanes are known to have preferable public safety outcomes for vulnerable road users when compared to unseparated, unprotected bicycling infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, Close to half of all Philadelphians walk, cycle or take public transit to work, and face daily safety risks navigating streets planned for cars instead of for people; and
WHEREAS, Cyclist and pedestrian safety is a critical issue for all Philadelphians, with a disproportionate impact on working-class communities and communities of color, who are more likely to rely on walking, biking, and public transit as primary modes of transportation; and
WHEREAS, Disparities in equity in traffic fatalities and casualties are worsening. Harvard University in 2022 published a study finding that Black and brown Americans die at higher rates from roadway collisions; the fatality risk for Black Americans is 4.5 times as high than White Americans. In Philadelphia, Black residents make up roughly 40 percent of the City’s population, but account for roughly 50 percent of all traffic deaths, according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation data; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has made much progress on automated speed enforcement through a successful pilot along Roosevelt Boulevard, with speeding along one of the City’s most dangerous roads decreasing by nearly 90 percent, and looks to install automated speed enforcement mechanisms along Broad Street and four other predetermined state highways; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Committee on Legislative Oversight is hereby authorized to hold hearings investigating the City’s progress towards achieving its Vision Zero goals and examining opportunities to increase safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists.
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