WHEREAS, Illegal street racing of both cars and offroad vehicles have been a growing public safety concern in Philadelphia for years; and
WHEREAS, In November 2012, Philadelphia City Council passed then-Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown’s Bill No. 120725 to create tougher restrictions and increased penalties for riding or parking ATVs on public sidewalks or public property; and
WHEREAS, Nine years later, City Council updated the city’s traffic code to classify dune buggies, ATVs and dirt bikes as illegal street vehicles with the goal to cut down on street racing, closing a loophole
that prevented the Philadelphia Police Department from confiscating these vehicles and permitting ATVs used in these races to be destroyed to avoid their recirculation or re-selling on the black market; and
WHEREAS, Councilman Mark Squilla passed Bill No. 210870 in 2021 prohibiting loud noise emanating from a motor vehicle, and adding to The Philadelphia Code a section authorizing the use of an automated noise camera system to detect noise violations; and
WHEREAS, In July 2022, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 92 prohibiting off-road vehicles from urban streets, providing penalties for violations thereof, and subjecting illegal street vehicles to asset forfeiture; and
WHEREAS, Despite these efforts, Philadelphia continues to struggle to effectively police illegal street races, which have increasingly become organized on social media by suburbanites looking to use the streets of Philadelphia as their personal racetrack; and
WHEREAS, On September 24, 2024, Philadelphia City Council held a joint committee hearing on illegal street racing, hearing from communities in Center City about how the noise and disruption has lowered the quality of life in their neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Testimony at this committee hearing included proposals for traffic calming and other street engineering changes to disincentivize the use of wide arterial roads in Philadelphia for illegal street racing; and
WHEREAS, Legislative efforts in Harrisburg had been underway throughout 2024 to revise the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code to increase penalties for illegal street racing, and provide for procedures to seize vehicles of repeat offenders; and
WHEREAS, These efforts culminated in the passage of HB 2266 in October 2024 and its signage by Governor Shapiro into law as Act 103; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia City Council acknowledges and appreciates the attentiveness Harrisburg has shown to this critical public safety issue, and looks forward to continued partnership with the Pennsylvania General Assembly to ensure Philadelphia is safe and thriving; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That hereby thanks the Pennsylvania General Assembly for passing Act 103, the “Putting the Brakes on Street Racing” bill