Make Washington Avenue Safe for Children and Seniors

After multiple years of in-depth community engagement, the safest option for reconfiguring Washington Avenue is being watered down.

After announcing the three lane option as their final design choice in September 2020, the City of Philadelphia declared yesterday that it no longer considered it a viable option.  It took the safest lane configuration option off the table and instead will be deciding what kind of configuration (four lanes or a mixture of four and three lanes) it will implement in the coming weeks when it repaves Washington Avenue in Spring 2022.

This decision is stunning in light of the fact the community members from the neighborhoods around Washington Avenue overwhelmingly supported the design with the highest level of safety.

While all three options include a protected bike lane in both directions, what is at stake now is the crossing distances for pedestrians walking across the roadway. 

This weekend's decision leaves the possibility that children and seniors will have longer distances to cross at key intersections than they would have to with the three lane option. 

This is especially true around 17th Street where children cross to get to Stanton Elementary.  

The District City Councilmembers representing the corridor and Mayor Kenney can and should put the three lane option back on the table and support the safest possible option for children and seniors. 

Please contact Mayor Kenney, Councilman Johnson and Councilman Squilla to let them know that you support the three lane option and that children and seniors deserve nothing less than the safest roadway design possible.  

We have drafted an email template, but please use your own words to make the case to Councilmen Johnson, Squilla and Mayor Kenney.

Thank you for taking action today.

-The Advocacy Team at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

p.s.  Mark Your Calendar: The City will be hosting a public open house on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 at 6pm to unveil the finalized plans before construction.  Location TBD.