Philly's Mayor Cherelle Parker is doubling down on the fight against traffic fatalities, refreshing an old pledge to hit zero deaths and stamp out the rising tide of traffic-related fatalities, an issue that is hitting the city's Black and Hispanic children hardest. Flanked by a promise of federal funds, Parker signed a new executive order last week at the Vision Zero PHL Conference, aimed at overhauling Philadelphia's road safety, as reported by phila.gov.
The Mayor's move kits out the Office of Multimodal Planning, once known as the Office of Complete Streets, with marching orders to deliver significant improvements, Parker has thrown down the gauntlet, declaring "Every Philadelphian deserves to be able to get home safely," no matter their mode of transport. 2023 was a grim year for the city which clocked 120 street deaths, and if speeding and aggressive driving continue unchecked, the human cost will soar which is as inhuman as it is unnecessary.
Philadelphia's High Injury Network (HIN)—the 12% of streets where 80% of the most severe crashes occur—is under the microscope for an overhaul, tasked with receiving safety improvements across every mile by 2030. In tandem with this, the city's school district will rally to spread awareness of traffic safety among students; a necessary step when every week five kids are smacked by a vehicle on their way home, according to city data.
There's federal cash aplenty riding in to back Philly's safer streets crusade, with millions flowing from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The city's snagged $46.4 million from the Safe Streets for All program, $78 million for the Roosevelt Boulevard overhaul and more pots of money aimed at making streets less a gauntlet and more a safe passage. Parker assured, "My administration is 100% committed to reversing the trend we’ve seen in fatal crashes and bringing our city down to zero," as safety measures implemented so far have been knocking down crash stats across the board.
