Traffic safety, Washington Ave., and a new way of thinking about urban planning | Editorial

Despite warnings of increased traffic congestion, street safety measures installed on Washington Avenue over the last year have had a positive effect, according to a new study that should prompt city officials to think in new and creative ways about urban planning.

The stretch of roadway in South Philadelphia from Fourth Street to Broad Street saw a reduction in speeding, while ridership and travel times for the No. 64 bus route, which runs along the avenue, improved. The so-called road diet — which reduced vehicle lanes and added safety infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists — did not cause a significant increase in congestion on Washington Avenue or neighboring streets.

The results of the yearlong evaluation make for a powerful argument as officials consider similar safety projects and transportation proposals around Philadelphia.

» READ MORE: The city’s Washington Avenue head-fake reveals the sham of ‘community engagement’ | Editorial

The repaving and redesign of the corridor became a controversial civic issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a robust community engagement process that indicated broad support for what officials called the “safest option” for road users, Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson moved to put the project on hold, citing the need for more engagement given limitations on in-person meetings.

Ultimately, Johnson pulled the rug out from underneath the plan entirely, at least for the portion of Washington Avenue west of Broad Street that runs through his district. This left safety measures to be installed only on the part of the avenue inside Councilmember Mark Squilla’s district.

Johnson said his opposition to the plan was the result of his concerns about the potentially negative impact on businesses and development from increased traffic congestion. Instead, the new report shows that the flow of traffic has improved.

The stretch of Washington Avenue east of Broad Street, where two travel lanes were removed, saw a 20% decrease in traffic volume. The west of Broad portion of the avenue, where Johnson nixed the lane removal, saw traffic decline by 11%. Double parking and median parking also decreased, while the availability of legal spaces increased.

The report recommends extending the successful parking regulations to the entire avenue, but there’s not much hope that it will see a uniform design soon. After all, there’s hard data, and then there’s hardheaded politics.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has not emphasized the city’s Vision Zero traffic safety goals in the same way as her predecessor. Meanwhile, Johnson, the man who scuttled the plan in his district, is now City Council president.

» READ MORE: Kenyatta Johnson should stop blocking Washington Avenue safety plan | Editorial

However, Council should heed the lessons of the Washington Avenue redesign when it comes to other contentious questions around transportation and urban planning.

Supporters of SEPTA’s bus route redesign project, known as Bus Revolution, are concerned that the transit agency’s efforts may become bogged down in the same kind of politics that slowed the changes on Washington Avenue. Despite more than 200 meetings and years of feedback through rider surveys and interviews, Council members asked SEPTA’s board to hold off on the plan, which was due to begin this spring.

Moving on from the process and practices that gave us a disjointed Washington Avenue is the best way to show that the official approach to transit safety is changing in Philadelphia.