Safer streets require funding

LAST MONTH, Councilwoman Cindy Bass put out a statement highlighting the traffic violence faced by the people in her district. Three of the 10 most dangerous intersections for crashes in the city - Broad and Olney, Chelten and Wayne Avenues, Broad and Lehigh - are all in her 8th District and, in light of that, Bass thinks the city should do something about it.

So, she's supporting a much-needed shot in the arm for Philadelphia's aging, crumbling street infrastructure: a $5 fee onto vehicle registration in Philadelphia County, which would in an estimated $3.47 million annually. That money, according to Bass' ordinance, would be invested back into the upkeep of our county's streets with the broader intention of cutting back on the 100 traffic deaths per year that happen all over Philadelphia.

"Every part of our city has been impacted by senseless traffic fatalities," Bass said in her statement accompanying the legislation. "In light of all the traffic deaths and injuries, devoting more resources to slowing cars down will protect all those who use our public thoroughfares - motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit riders."

Earlier this year, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia joined with numerous other organizations around Philadelphia, including the Clean Air Council, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Feet First Philly, Philadelphia Bike Share, PennFuture, Pennsylvania Environmental Council and others, to release the Better Mobility Platform, a policy agenda that provides detailed steps for the next mayor and City Council to make Philly a better, safer place for road users.

The platform details changes to Philadelphia's infrastructure, like enhancing access to public transit, bringing Philadelphia's streets into a state of good repair, better management of on-street parking and a Vision Zero policy that takes the position that no traffic death or crash should be viewed as inevitable. A Vision Zero approach would use planning and policy techniques to bring Philadelphia's traffic deaths and serious injuries down to zero and both mayoral candidates have pledged to implement it.

But no policy change can work without some level of funding. Better funding for our streets, which, as of 2013, stood at 0.7 percent of the entire city budget is critically needed. What Councilwoman Bass has proposed will enable Philadelphia to enact an optional $5 vehicle registration fee that was already approved in Harrisburg in 2013 as part of Act 89, a bill that has increased funding for roads, highways, bridges and public transit.

The American Society of Civil Engineers recently declared that Pennsylvania has one of the worst roads in the country giving us a grade of D-. Studies show that better designed streets - that acknowledge the needs of all users - are safer streets. For instance, when the city turned a lane of motor vehicle traffic into a buffered bike lane on Spruce and Pine streets in 2009, crashes between all users were reduced by 25 percent and, despite worries otherwise, traffic volume remained the same.

This was in part due to the city timing the lights at 20 miles per hour, keeping traffic moving on those streets at all times. Thirteenth Street in Center City, too, is an example of a successful remaking of a traffic corridor with little, if any, change to traffic volume.

The first step toward zero traffic deaths, whether it be people in cars, people riding bikes or pedestrians, is finding the funds to create things like improved light timing, protected bike lanes, road diets and simply repaving streets in a timely manner. The $3.5 million in annual funds is a good - and necessary - first step toward making that happen. And we have Councilwoman Cindy Bass to thank for that.

Randy LoBasso is communications manager and Bob Previdi is policy coordinator for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philatelist members.