WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has adopted Vision Zero goals intended to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries, and City Council has supported those goals through legislation and appropriations for traffic safety improvements; and
WHEREAS, In March 2023, Council enacted Bill No. 230103, now codified in Section 11-708 of The Philadelphia Code, requiring the Department of Streets to install traffic calming measures, including speed cushions, speed tables, and soft rumble strips, in the vicinity of School District, charter, and private schools in the City; and
WHEREAS, The Office of the City Controller, through its Pre-Audit Division Engineering Unit, issued a February 2026 report entitled Traffic Safety: Speed Cushion Review examining the design, installation, and field conditions of speed cushions installed throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, That report found that while contract blueprints generally conformed to state and federal guidance, the overwhelming majority of speed cushions inspected in the field did not conform to the blueprint dimensions or recommended grades; and
WHEREAS, The Controller’s Office estimated that the average cost for installing speed cushions and related traffic calming infrastructure was approximately $51,000 per school, totaling approximately $2.2 million for the projects reviewed; and
WHEREAS, City Council has a duty to ensure that public safety infrastructure is installed properly, that taxpayer funds are spent in accordance with law and contract, and that the City’s efforts to protect schoolchildren, pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and emergency responders are effective and safe; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Committee on Streets and Services is hereby authorized to hold hearings to investigate the installation, inspection, contract administration, safety impacts, and remediation of speed cushions and other traffic calming measures installed in the vicinity of schools in the City of Philadelphia.
End