How to prevent traffic deaths in Philadelphia

On Nov. 19, more than 100 family members, concerned citizens, and elected officials gathered in Hunting Park to remember the victims of traffic violence. As of Wednesday, at least 116 people have died this year from traffic violence in Philadelphia. This includes 52 pedestrians, 45 motorists, 11 motorcyclists, two e-scooter riders, and 10 bicyclists. Distressingly, according to PennDot, in the last 20 years, Philadelphia has never had as many as 10 bicyclists killed in one year.

This issue is not just numerical. Between two of us — Byrd and Fredricks — we have lost a 24-year-old daughter, Emily Fredricks, a 28-year-old niece, Samara Banks, and three grandnephews, 7-month-old Saa’mir Williams, 23-month-old Saa’sean Williams, and 4-year-old Saa’deem Griffin, in preventable motor vehicle crashes.

This crisis feels intractable, but it’s not. We welcome Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker’s help to encourage the state legislature to bring lifesaving tools to Philadelphia. Here are three viable pieces of legislation that our lawmakers should enact as soon as possible to reduce traffic violence in Philadelphia.

First, pass State Rep. Ed Neilson’s bill, House Bill 1284, before the current program expires on Dec. 18. The bill will make the automated speed enforcement on Roosevelt Boulevard permanent and expand the program to other dangerous roads in Philadelphia.

Neilson is a Democrat whose district includes portions of the Boulevard where traffic can be especially perilous. The pilot program on the Boulevard has slowed down motor vehicles by 93% and saved 36 lives since it went online in 2020. The state, the Philadelphia Parking Authority, and the city all agree that the program has been successful.

The city’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability has analyzed PennDot crash data from 2018 to 2022 and found numerous other roads that have had between 12 and 40 speeding-related fatal and serious injury crashes.

Excessive speeding accounts for 20% of Philadelphia’s traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The expansion of automated enforcement on roads beyond Roosevelt Boulevard is the only viable tool available to reduce speeding and avoid loss of life.

Second, State Sen. Anthony Williams (D., Philadelphia) has legislation pending, Senate Bill 730, that would require the state police to notify auto body shops when hit-and-run drivers flee the scene in order to help increase the odds of identifying the motor vehicle.

This bill is named for 8-year-old Jayanna Powell, who was struck and killed by a driver in 2016 when she was walking home from school. The driver, Paul Woodlyn III, fled the scene. Woodlyn’s girlfriend later dropped off the car at an auto body shop in Chester County, where she said the car had hit a deer. The owner of the auto body shop saw news reports of the crash and reported the vehicle and the suspect.

Most drivers who flee the scene of a crash are never apprehended or held accountable. A statewide alert system would help law enforcement find such drivers and incentivize drivers to remain at the scene of a crash, as the law requires.

State Rep. Mary Jo Daley (D., Montgomery) has a bill, House Bill 1283 — named for Emily Fredricks and Susan Hicks, who lost their lives while riding a bicycle — that is awaiting Senate action. The bill would allow bike lanes on roads that are separated from motor vehicle traffic by parking spaces.

When the city of Philadelphia, in a pilot authorized by PennDot, tested parking-protected bike lanes on Philadelphia roads such as West Market Street and JFK Boulevard, they proved to be very effective at reducing speeding, reducing crashes, and attracting more bicyclists, without negatively affecting driver travel times.

Philadelphia needs these bills to be enacted to curb reckless behavior and calm chronically dangerous roads. Most urgently, the automated speed enforcement program on Roosevelt Boulevard will expire on Dec. 18 if new legislation isn’t passed when the Pennsylvania General Assembly returns to work for three days on Dec. 11.

These tools, combined with the long-term effort of redesigning roads, will enable Philadelphia to reach its goal of zero traffic-related deaths, also known as Vision Zero.

We know this work will not bring loved ones back to their families, but it will help prevent similar preventable tragedies in the future. We urge Philadelphia and Pennsylvania elected officials to take prompt action and save lives.

Sarah Clark Stuart is the executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Latanya Byrd and Laura Fredricks are cofounders of Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia.