Part of Washington Avenue will remain five lanes. Is that a good idea? | Pro/Con

Philly residents have been arguing about Washington Avenue for years. Specifically, about how to make it safer.

Washington Avenue is one of the deadliest roads in the city, particularly for people on foot or bikes. But every proposal put forward has been met with objections from some portion of the neighborhood.

In August, the city will repave the road, and only one portion — specifically, the section east of Broad street — will receive new safety features, such as fewer lanes, a protected bike lane, and speed humps. The western side of Washington Avenue will remain as five lanes.

We asked local people to weigh in: Should part of Washington Avenue remain as-is?

By Nicole Brunet

After almost 10 years of studies, evaluations, planning meetings, promises, and commitments to make Washington Avenue safer, Mayor Jim Kenney’s Vision Zero commitment — designed to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2030 — has been dealt a huge setback.

Washington Avenue has been a flash point in the Vision Zero discussions because it is so dangerous. A recent analysis by the city shows that a person walking or biking on Washington Avenue is much more likely to be hit than on other Philadelphia streets; hundreds of people and cars are struck there every year.

For years, residents and policymakers have tried to hash out ways to make this corridor safer. But what started out as a safety project has devolved into a simple repaving project for a significant section of the corridor.

» READ MORE: Repaving is beginning on Washington Avenue. Less than half will get new safety features.

Sometime this summer, the entirety of Washington Avenue will be repaved, but contrary to all the commitments made over the past years, only seven out of 22 blocks will be made safer. In fact, 11 blocks will be repaved without any new treatment and thus will remain as a five-lane roadway. That as-is portion will likely become even more dangerous for bicyclists, pedestrians, and all road users outside of motor vehicles than it is now, because of the smoothness of the pavement and the absence of any traffic-calming devices like speed humps.

In recent years, four pedestrians have been killed on Washington Avenue, including 83-year-old Sarah Wood and 29-year-old Sheena White, who was struck by a bus while crossing the street with her 8-year-old son. Eleven-year-old Samantha Nguyen-Ortanez was killed by a drunk driver at noon on a Sunday.

The end result of years of discussions on how to make Washington Avenue safer is that Fourth to 11th Streets will be repaved with the city’s “mixed-lane plan,” adding a bike lane that’s protected from parking and speed humps; 16th Street to Grays Ferry Avenue will be repaved as-is: a five-lane road with no safety measures. (The intersection around Broad Street was always planned to remain at five lanes.) The section that will get no treatment includes 17th Street, where children have to cross Washington to get to Edwin M. Stanton Elementary on Christian Street.

Opponents of the road diet and safety measures had sincere issues with the inequitable process, community input, and years of disinvestment of their neighborhoods. Their overall lack of trust in the city, data, and conclusions is understandable, as it is rooted in the racism of many past urban renewal projects, among other factors.

These are valid concerns. However, we believe that road safety and disinvestment are connected. As it stands, Washington Avenue will become significantly safer for the people living east of Broad than those living west of it — how is that equitable? The city had the opportunity to invest in a safer roadway for everyone, no matter their zip code, and it failed.

“Washington Avenue will become significantly safer for the people living east of Broad than those living west of it.”

This isn’t the first time that a Vision Zero or traffic safety project has been felled by politics. And it won’t be the last.

Nevertheless, we must not give up on prioritizing the redesign of Philadelphia’s streets so that they are safe for all. While all of us are keenly disappointed that Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson failed to lead his community west of Broad, and Mayor Kenney didn’t fight harder for safer streets on all of Washington Avenue, we still have hope. Maybe future leaders will use their political capital to save lives, and finally reach the goal of Vision Zero.

Nicole Brunet is the policy director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

By Madeline Shikomba and Claudia Sherrod

Looking at the local media coverage or social media in recent months, a person would think that everyone who lives in and around Washington Avenue and nearby neighborhoods agrees with recommendations issued in March by the city’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) that all of Washington Avenue should be reduced from its current five-lane design to a so-called “mixed road diet” of three, four, or five lanes.

It has been portrayed that there is only one side of the story. And as we all know, there are always two sides to every story.

While Washington Avenue might be one road from Delaware Avenue to Grays Ferry Avenue, it is represented by two different City Council members. What might be best for Mark Squilla’s district east of Broad is not necessarily the best for Kenyatta Johnson’s district west of Broad, and vice versa. A one-size-fits-all approach from OTIS does not work in this case.

The members of the Save Washington Avenue Coalition (SWAC) — which is made up of residents, business owners, and others in the community — support Councilmember Johnson’s decision not to introduce legislation supported by OTIS for changes on the western part of Washington Avenue.

As a result, OTIS recently announced that the original five-lane design of Washington Avenue will remain in Johnson’s district, west of Broad. It is important to note that Councilmember Johnson has supported additional safety items such as better lighting along Washington Avenue since the start of the process, but believes the safety precautions can be added and still keep part of Washington Avenue a five-lane road.

» READ MORE: After all that, Washington Avenue could end up with two separate safety configurations

Our side of the debate might not be as loud as others, but our group has a large number of South Philadelphia and Washington Avenue residents who support our position.

Over the next few years, close to 2,000 new housing units, mostly apartments, will be built along the western side of Washington Avenue. This includes a nearly 1,500-unit apartment project that is under construction at the corner of Broad Street and Washington Avenue.

SWAC members are committed to the safety enhancements without the reduction of lanes on Washington Avenue. We believe that it is important to have the flexibility on Washington Avenue to handle the increased demands for auto traffic, bike traffic, and public transportation, both in the short and long term. That is why keeping the western side of Washington Avenue five lanes, mainly from Broad Street to Grays Ferry Avenue, is critical.

If the number of lanes is reduced on Councilmember Johnson’s side of Washington Avenue, it will mean traffic will go onto nearby streets, resulting in congestion and possible danger to everyone.

We have serious concerns that significant truck traffic in nearby neighborhoods could damage small streets and the foundation of people’s houses, many of which are nearly 100 years old.

A road diet for Washington Avenue could lead to obesity on side streets for decades to come.

“A road diet for Washington Avenue could lead to obesity on side streets for decades to come.”

Still, we recognize that we have to take steps to make Washington Avenue safer. To that end, Councilmember Johnson has informed our organizations that he is seeking $23 million over the next five years in the city of Philadelphia’s capital budget for safety enhancements to Washington Avenue, west of Broad. If approved by City Council, the money would be used for things like improved pedestrian crossings, curb cut improvements, and enhanced signage.

We are happy OTIS will start the repaving, repairs, restriping, and safe improvements along Washington Avenue in August. We believe these changes will make the road safer without compromising the surrounding areas. Let’s move forward with making Washington Avenue better for all Philadelphians once and for all.

Madeline Shikomba is the president of the Save Washington Avenue Coalition. Claudia Sherrod is president of the Point Breeze Community Network Plus.