CLEAN AIR COUNCIL TESTIFIES BEFORE PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL IN SUPPORT OF THE SPRUCE AND PINE STREET REPAVING AND SAFETY PROJECT

PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 4, 2018)- Clean Air Council joined other advocates testifying at City Council in support of the proposed changes to Spruce and Pine Streets in Center City. The project would include protecting intersections and moving the bike lane to the left side of the road where there is a smaller blind spot for drivers. These changes would increase safety and make non-motorized travel along these streets more comfortable and enjoyable. Read the Council’s testimony below to understand why it supports the proposal now, and what it would like to see in the future. 

Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony on behalf of Clean Air Council today. My name is Nick Zuwiala-Rogers and I am the Transportation Program Director at Clean Air Council. My work includes promoting sustainable modes of transportation like public transit, walking, and cycling.

Clean Air Council is one of the Philadelphia region’s oldest environmental organizations, serves thousands of members in the city, and has a mission to protect everyone’s right to breathe clean air. The Council supports the proposed project on Spruce and Pine and the associated bills to change parking along these roads, and believes it will help improve air quality in Philadelphia.

According to the U.S. Energy and Information Administration (EIA), the transportation sector has produced more carbon pollution than any other sector since 1979. The EIA has cited the country’s over reliance on single-occupancy vehicle travel and a failure to prioritize non-driving modes of transportation as having a profound impact on this result. Philadelphia needs to do better at prioritizing other modes of transportation like walking, public transportation, and bicycling, and this project offers an opportunity to do that.

Due to the congestion that this City Council has noted recently, center city has some of the worst localized air quality in the city. Therefore, increasing the number of people getting around without using a car should be a priority for this Council. Increasing the safety and comfort of cyclists and pedestrians is the only way to make that happen.

Protected bike lanes are a proven solution for making all road users safer, and getting more people comfortable biking, thereby increasing mode share away from congestion-creating automobiles downtown. A Federal Highway Administration study found 96% of cyclists feel safer riding in a protected bike lane, and safety for cyclists and vehicles improved in nearly every aspect where flex posts or parking protected bike lanes were installed. A physical separation reduces traffic speeds, calms intersections by reducing the turning radius and forcing slower speeds, and creates a shorter crossing distance for pedestrians. I understand that is not what is proposed today, but I should be clear that physical protected bike lanes are ultimately what the Clean Air Council supports.

While this project does not go as far as creating the protected bike lanes that should eventually be installed on these roads, the protections at intersections and the move from right to left side of the street offer key incremental changes that will make road users safer on Pine and Spruce Streets. Importantly, the protected intersections that are a part of this project would help to prevent crashes like the two last year that ended fatally for one person, and with nearly the same result for another. The move to the left side of the road will decrease the space that a cyclist is in a vehicle’s blind spot, especially trucks which are so deadly.

These two roads are the main arterials across center city for cyclists, and are two of the most used bike lanes in the city. The current design is frankly way behind the times and way behind where a city like Philadelphia needs to be with its infrastructure. These safety improvements are not just needed, they are long overdue, and Clean Air Council strongly urges you to support the proposed bills in front of you today.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this afternoon, I’d be happy to take any questions now or discuss any of these matters more with you outside of this meeting.