COMMITTEE ON STREETS AND SERVICES, September 29, 2025

If I could clarify one thing here. It seems that we keep saying data as though we're referring to one data set, one collection of data. In reality, we're referring to several. Fatal and serious injury crashes and what are called speeding crashes, which is determined by the reporting police officer on the scene, whether or not speeding was a factor, that's all publicly available. You can get that through PennDOT. We have links to that as well through our website at visionzerophl.com. What we're talking about are specifically the speed studies.

Yes, the speed studies, right, where the experts take that data, right, use that data to compose a study so we can be in a more user-friendly format to actually read, right. So that's the study that you all are using to determine. You all can see that study that is conducted, but we can't. And I think as the people who have to legislate that I think that, that is just where I have a concern for, that we don't have the ability to see the same study that you're making the decision on. We have to make the same type of decision without seeing that study. And I just think that's a bad practice. I understand there's a state law that may say something about information is not discoverable, but I do think that there is a way where we can keep information privileged, particularly for a legislator, than for the public, right. Again, you're asking us to authorize the speed cameras in this area. But again, we don't know what was the determining factors for that traffic study. So I just want to put that on the record again. Are there any questions of these witnesses? Chair recognizes Councilmember Bass.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to just follow up regarding Lincoln Drive because I think part of what has happened as someone who's on Lincoln Drive every single day, I think that what may have happened is that because there has been some traffic calming measures applied in the form of speed cushions, that traffic has slowed down. And so, we sort of become a victim of our own success, so to speak. You know, we've slowed traffic down a bit, but it still could use some attention. It could use a lot of attention actually. And I think sometimes we are held to accountability for things that are out of our control. This is something that we can't control and yet we are still held responsible as the elected official. So there really has to be some way, some measure that we have access to the information so that when we stand before a community group, we can speak intelligently about exactly what's happening in our community. So I just wanted to make that point. I know it's not your call to make, but if someone is listening. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember. Again, I just wanted to get that on the record that there is information that we can't have access to, that the Administration is using a state law to keep this information from us in order to -- and I understand, you know. But again, we're asked to make a decision when we cannot be fully informed on the issue.

And responsible for the results.

And responsible for the results essentially, right. But thank you. Are there any other questions of these witnesses? (No response.)

Seeing none, Mr. Pullin, would you please call the next witnesses to testify on this bill.

The next witnesses testifying are Chris Gail, Executive Director at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia; Jared Johnson of 5th Square and Jessan Groenendyk. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Thank you. Please state your name for the record and proceed with testimony.

Good afternoon. My name is Chris Gail. I'm the Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Thank you, Chairmember Young and members of the Streets and Services Committee for this time. An analysis by the Streets Department based on their identified three corridors prioritized in the city's automated speed enforcement expansion report: All of these corridors are on the Philadelphia High Injury Network, with 80% of all crashes involving a death or serious injury occurring on just 12% of our city streets. Speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard have been in operation for five years and have yielded results that safety advocates and traffic engineers once only dreamed of. Speed cameras have reduced speeding at their locations by 95%. Fatal and serious injury crashes have dropped by 21%. Crashes involving people walking have fallen by nearly 50% and researchers have estimated that speed cameras have saved almost one life per month on Roosevelt Boulevard. The Bicycle Coalition supports Bill No. 250770 and ask that members of the Streets and Services Committee vote in favor of it.

Thank you. Mr. Jared, good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Chair Young and members of the Streets and Services Committee. My name is Jared Johnson. I serve as a Lead Transit Organizer for Fiscal Advocacy, speaking in support of Bill No. 15 250770 regarding speed cameras on Erie Avenue, Allegheny Avenue and Columbus Boulevard. We all agree that speed kills and are just serious injuries of people. These corridors are among our deadliest stretches in Philadelphia and I'm glad to see the City get serious about traffic deaths and injuries. Placing cameras at these high-risk locations is a critical step towards saving lives and changing dangerous behavior towards drivers. These cameras are not a money-grab funds reserved from PennDOT for corridor safety improvements. Studies will show it will benefit not only drivers but pedestrians and bicyclists going through these areas. Studies also created the speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard with saving one life every month. Their true value that's measured in lives saved, not dollars collected. I have friends and colleagues that ride bikes in these areas. A few of them are here today behind me and I always think about their safety every single day. Some say these cameras are a crutch for police enforcement. While we are grateful for the work of our police, we all understand that we cannot afford to have an officer on every dangerous block 24/7. These cameras will provide consistent, unbiased enforcement and will give officers time to focus on other duties. Finally, the state government in Harrisburg limited us to five corridors. There are definitely more than five roads that need this kind of measure in the area and that we shouldn't have to pick and choose which roads get the most attention and which roads should be left alone that we will later regret because of someone getting seriously injured or someone losing their life. Do we want that on our plate? I don't think so. We would like the City Council to join us in advocating for more speed camera corridors, be an ally in road safety and authorize more red-light cameras in these intersections. This will save many lives. It already has on Roosevelt Boulevard during the past five years. Thank you for your time and we look forward to working together towards a solution.

Thank you so much. Are there any questions of this panel by members of the committee? (No response.)

Seeing none, thank you for your testimony. (Applause.)

Mr. Pullin, would you please call the title of the next bill.

Bill No. 24 250718 titled, Amending Chapter 12-900 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled "Parking Regulations and Penalties," to confirm regulations adopted by the Department of Streets that establish and revise time-limited and other rules restricting parking, stopping and standing, including the establishment of time-restricted loading zones, in the Center City area, bounded by Spring Garden Street, the Schuylkill River, Bainbridge Street and the Delaware River; and to reauthorize changes and additions to such parking rules in the Center City area by the Department of Streets on an ongoing basis; all under certain terms and conditions.

Thank 21 you. Mr. Pullin, would you please 22 call the witnesses to testify on 23 this bill.

The first witness to testify is Richard Montanez, Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Streets. (Witness approached witness table.)

For the record, I note that an amendment to Bill No. 250718 has been sent to members of the committee. Mr. Montanez, please state your name and give us your testimony.

Good afternoon, Chairman Young and members of the Streets and Services Committee. My name is Richard Montanez and I am Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Streets. I'm here to offer testimony on behalf of Bill No. 22 250718, introduced by Chairman Young on behalf of Council President Johnson. This bill confirms a regulation adopted by the Streets Department that establishes and revise time-limited and other rule- restricted parking, stopping and standing, including the establishment of time-restricted loading zones in the Center City area bounded by Spring Garden Street, the Schuylkill River, Bainbridge Street and the Delaware River, and to reauthorize changes in addition to such parking rules in the Center City area by the Department of Streets on an ongoing basis. The Department of Streets supports this legislation. This concludes my testimony. I'm pleased to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, Mr. Montanez. For the record, can you tell us, the members of this Committee, where these proposed loading zones will be authorized, again just so folks can have for clarity?

This would authorize the Streets Department to establish or basically reauthorize the Streets Department to establish time- loading zones, time restrictions within the Center City area as bounded by Spring Garden Street, Bainbridge, Delaware River and the Schuylkill River.

Have you seen the proposed amendment to the legislation?

Have I personally read it?

The proposed amendment, yeah. This is to 250718.

Yes.

And the proposed amendment, could you tell us where the loading zones are authorized?

It's to amend Center City as bounded by the streets I mentioned.

Okay. Thank you. Are there any other questions by members of the committee? Chair recognizes Councilmember Squilla.

How were loading zones done previous to this?

So loading zones are done by Streets Department regulation. It was an ordinance that was introduced in 1981 by City Council authorizing the Streets Department to establish the loading zone by regulation. This reestablishes that and furthermore allows us to define loading zones since at the time in 1980 e-commerce was not available. We did not have multi-use spaces such as commercial at the bottom and residential at the top.

And I understand too because of the current lawsuit that was there that this has to be done, but you're saying that the Streets Department under previous purview was always doing loading zones up to this point?

The Streets Department was always authorized to regulate the curb space within Center City.

And the court ordered that differently for this stretch?

I cannot speak on the --

All right. For this stretch then, it would allow the Streets Department to continue doing what they've been doing?

Correct.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there any other questions of this witness by members of this committee on this legislation? (No response.)

Seeing none, thank you for your testimony, Mr. Montanez. (Applause.)

Mr. Pullin, would you please call the next witness to testify.

The next witnesses to testify are Lloyd Brotman, Nicole Galli and Rick Herskovitz, Friends of Pine and Spruce. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Thank you so much. If you have written testimony, I ask that you submit that to Mr. Pullin for the record and can you give your testimony please.

We sent him written testimony yesterday.

Thank you.

Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Lloyd Brotman. I've lived in the (inaudible) neighborhood since 1971 and I'm President of Friends of Pine and Spruce, an organization established to give residents a voice regarding the Pine/Spruce corridor. I speak in opposition to Bill 250718. The City's plan involved three parts: First, canceling Mayor Nutter's 2009 promise to let residents stop briefly in front of their homes; second, eliminating 30% of scarce onstreet parking to create loading zones; and third, installing concrete barriers, which would make our streets less safe, especially for elderly and disabled residents. To be clear, FOPS is not anti-bike lane. Residents and cyclists successfully shared the streets for years until the 16 recent changes. We are in favor of making streets safer by using effective speed control consistent with the goals of Vision Zero. We believe that limited city funding should be used where it will do the most good on the 12% of city streets where 80% of the deaths and serious injuries occur. Diverting finite resources to nonhigh-risk areas such as these relatively safe Center City streets is inequitable and will cause more deaths citywide. The City's plan might be well-intended, but it fails to employ a scientific, data-driven approach using verifiable facts, and you've been asking great questions today to get that scientific data. The Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia recently granted an injunction prohibiting the construction of new loading zones, requiring the removal of those already installed. Judge Thomas Street did not make that decision lightly. Members of Council, you can certainly change the rules because you don't like the outcome. However, passing this bill would not address the lack of factual analysis supporting the benefits of loading zones, nor would it resolve concerns about the likely harm to elderly and disabled that Judge Thomas Street found so compelling. And be careful what you wish for. It would give the Streets Department carte blanche to establish loading zones regardless of resident opinion and would eliminate councilmanic prerogative, leading each of you unable to protect the residents in your own districts. Rather than simply granting OTIS more unchecked power, please pause and take the time to better understand the problem and please vote to defeat this bill. As leaders, work with all stakeholders, find solutions and a workable plan. Thank you.

Thank you so much. State your name and proceed with your testimony.

Yes. My name is Richard Herskovitz. I live at 5th and Spruce Street for 41 years. I'm a registered architect and planning background in the city of Philadelphia, where I've worked for over 50 years. My wife is handicapped. I'm here in opposition to Bill 250718, which would give OTIS unchecked authority over the Streets Department and City Council to establish loading zones in residential neighborhoods. You've brought out, Councilman Young, that we don't have the information, we don't have the data and we can never see it. It's opaque. So we want this bill 19 to include a way to make it less opaque to the community. It's a very important issue, just added it to the (inaudible). This bill 23 expands OTIS powers without requiring data-driven studies or community input. In my neighborhood, OTIS has already demonstrated the consequences of this approach. Oversized loading zones sit largely unused, while cross-streets remain underutilized for loading zones. In some cases, daylighting this new idea which is a good idea, was applied to the wrong end of the block, which is not a great indication OTIS knows what it is doing, making intersections less safe. OTIS has failed to apply standard truck- and bus-turning radius templates, which has impeded access for large vehicles and so they end up running over all the barriers that they have now. These examples show why unchecked authority is problematic. This bill must be amended to require technical analysis, transparent planning and meaningful consultation with the residents. It doesn't now. Neighborhood loading zones should improve safety and meet real needs. That means allowing adequate time for contractor parking, supporting residents who must unload near their homes, especially handicapped, and avoid unnecessary towing, which the towing is unnecessary. For these reasons, I respectfully urge Council to reject the bill as drafted or amended to include study transparency and community involvement. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your testimony. Please state your name and proceed for the record.

Thank you. Nicole Galli. Members of Council, I live on the 2100 block of Pine Street where I've been a homeowner for nearly years, and I'm a 4 proud Philadelphia business owner 5 for the last 10. I'm here to speak 6 out against Bill 250718. 7 Contrary to what was 8 stated by the person who spoke 9 right before us, the City 10 representative, this bill is 11 extraordinary and expands any 12 powers that Streets had previously. 13 The residential permit program is 14 one of the prides of City Council, 15 and this bill delegates complete 16 authority to the Streets Department 17 to remove as much permit parking as 18 Streets would like, prodded of 19 course by OTIS. 20 Those officials are not 21 elected by and thus not accountable 22 to the citizens of Philadelphia. 23 Consequently, this ordinance, if 24 enacted, would shield all such actions from public scrutiny and deprive concerned citizens whose daily lives will be indisputably impacted by these rules from having the right and opportunity to a full and fair hearing on such changes. In 1982, the year after the ordinance that was just mentioned, this Council passed an ordinance providing for the current permit parking system in Center City and University City. The ordinance had an important purpose and was enacted after a full and fair hearing because City Council understood that the citizens of these neighborhoods needed more reliable access to onstreet parking near their homes. And today that need is even greater. This year, without proper authorization or hearings, the Streets Department at the recommendation of OTIS, unilaterally decided to eliminate more than 30% of the permit parking spots on Pine and Spruce Street to make way for loading zones. As the Court of Common Pleas recently held, this decision has a significant adverse consequences for the residents, especially the elderly and disabled residents. To quote the court, they would be forced to walk up to an entire city block to exit a vehicle or unload items that must be carried back to their homes. The court observed that although the basis given by the Streets Department for these changes was to prevent parking and bike lanes, and to reiterate what my colleague said, absolutely support bike safety, there was no evidence supporting this proposition. There has been a total lack of evidence for the changes that the Streets Department and OTIS are trying to make. The very issue, Councilman Young, that you were addressing with the other situation is the same here. There is no 7 transparency. There is a lack of evidence. What is happening is Streets and OTIS are acting on instinct and preference, not upon true, hard evidence, and that is what the court looked at. Certainly with this bill, City Council could have, as it does for so many streets changes, proffered a bill narrowly targeted to the specific issue that triggered that injunction and triggered this legislation, whether or not more than 30% of the parking on Pine and Spruce Streets should be removed and substituted with loading zones, thus allowing for a full and complete hearing on the merits, where you could question the Streets Department and OTIS about the basis for that decision, where you as our elected officials, could ask the hard questions, demand to see the data, data that does not exist. And we could also hear, have a full and fair hearing, not only from the Streets Department and OTIS for justifying their decision with hard, true evidence, but where you could hear from concerned citizens who see another side. We are in a single debate here. You either want bike lanes in any way with walls up there or you want bikers to die. That's ridiculous. You know that. Compromise is necessary. We would like to compromise. We'd like to look at hard data and we'd like to find solutions that work for everyone.

Instead, if the ordinance at issue today passes, Council will have ducked the hard debate and instead given the Streets Department and OTIS carte blanche to take any actions it wishes about removing parking without having to justify its actions or withstand public scrutiny of them. Honestly, the discretion is so broad. If you read this, the proposed legislation, the Streets Department of notice could eliminate all street parking in Center City in its entirety. I'll be candid. I haven't seen the proposed amendments. I'm going with the original bill. If there are things in those amendments to limit their authority, I 100% support that. But at least as it was originally written and disseminated, absolutely not. In any event in closing, the citizens of Philadelphia depend upon you, members of City Council, to represent their interests. And these hearings, City Council hearings, such as this provide the key vehicle by which Philadelphia citizens convey their views to elected officials in delegating such a significant portion of your authority to an administrative department, not an elected body, Council deprives its constituents of the opportunity to be heard on these issues and allows the Streets Department and OTIS unfettered discretion to work in the shadows and decide what they think is best to do with a scarce resource, parking and among other things, in the heart of the city. I urge all members of Council to vote no on this bill. Thank you. )

Thank you so much for your testimony. Are there any questions of these witnesses by members of the Committee? (No response.)

Councilman Young, you asked a question earlier about a percentage of injuries that occurred on particular roads on the High Injury Network. I just wanted to point out to you there is a report issued by PennDOT in 2023 called Vulnerable Roadusers. It lists the 400 most dangerous streets in Philadelphia. And the point I'd like to make is neither Pine nor Spruce is on that list of the most 400 most dangerous streets.

And you said this is a study conducted by the Department of Transportation, PennDOT?

2023 called Vulnerable Roadusers. I believe it's referenced in Vision Zero papers.

Thank you. Thank you for that. This for the record. The amendment for this legislation states that the area would be authorized for Spruce and Pine, just to put that on the record. That's what the amendment says. It does not Extend into the entire Center City area. It was tailored essentially.

If I may then, members of Council, that's a very pointed amendment. When was that proposed?

It was proposed to members of the Committee and we're asked to take a look at it today.

Because I find it troubling that I as a citizen was not aware of the amendment until today when I showed up. There are other constituents if we had understood the very specificity of this amendment who might have been here and wished to have this debate. This is a very important issue. And I also then say, if you are looking to narrow this and specifically authorize this for Spruce and Pine, I respectfully request that you table this today and call OTIS and call Streets in to provide evidence for why this is going to make a significant difference, if any, in the safety of Pine and Spruce Street. You've heard no evidence to that effect whatsoever. And that's not what this bill originally was designed to do. It was the broad, extraordinary bill that I spoke to. But regardless, the point is still the same. You have no evidence in the record, none. And the reason is they don't have it. I don't understand how elected officials in that scenario can in good conscience move ahead and grant Streets and OTIS the right to make these changes without a substantial record. And I ask if you don't vote no, that you at least table until you have asked for that evidence to be presented. I think you owe it to the citizens of Pine and Spruce to do that. (Applause.)

Thank you so much for your testimony. Are there any questions from members of this Committee? (No response.)

Seeing none, thank you, Mr. Pullin. Are there any other witnesses to testify on this bill?

Yes. The next witnesses to testify are Russell Richie, Treasurer for 5th Square; Andrew Posmontier, Philly Bike Action; David Wolfson and Albert Meister, Society Hill residents; and Wesley Noonan-Sessa. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Thank you all. Please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.

I'm Russell Richie, Treasurer of 5th Square. Should I continue with my testimony?

Yes, please.

Okay. Good afternoon, Chair Young and members of the Streets and Services Committee. My name is Russell Richie and I am a board member of 5th Square Advocacy, an organization focused on a more safe, accessible, sustainable and equitable Philadelphia. 5th Square Advocacy is in support of Bill No. 250718. The rise of online ordering, food delivery and ride hailing means we need loading zones more than ever. This bill is absolutely necessary to modernize the use of curb space in our city. As even bike lane opponents have attested, we need a space to load and unload groceries, elderly relatives, children and strollers. For Spruce and Pine Streets, the prior practice of the bike lane doubling as a loading zone has impeded efforts to protect it. This lack of protection has had devastating consequences. Despite the passage of the Get Out the Bike Lane law one year ago, the bike lanes on Spruce and Pine today still need physical protection. Opponents have claimed that "residents and cyclists successfully shared the streets. Dr. Friedes was using the bike lane and was still killed by a driver who entered that space." Her murderer was not "sharing the streets successfully." Opponents say we should focus on the High Injury Network. Spruce Street is on the High Injury Network. Opponents have claimed that the Residential Parking Permit program promises them a spot. RPP has never guaranteed a space and the city has no duty to preserve parking. Moreover, this argument means that the city can't designate handicapped spots or even install a fire hydrant. Opponents have claimed that the city is acting without community input. Last October, OTIS held a well-attended open house at Jefferson University on the Spruce and Pine project. As an attendee, I know opponents were there and had their say. Results from hundreds of survey responses show overwhelming support for loading zones. And finally, I'm disappointed Chair Young has decided to hold the bill for the City Hall bike lane as I am here to also support that and want to see this valuable safety measure for Center City and the 5th Council District. Thank you for your time and I'd like to turn it over now to some people who live along Spruce and Pine so they can offer their perspective.

Thank you for your testimony. Mr. Pullin, would you please call the next witness.

That would be Andrew Posmontier, David Wolfson, Albert Meister and Wesley Noonan-Sessa. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Good afternoon, members of the Streets and Services Committee, Chair Young. I'm here to testify in favor of Bill 250718. I have lived on the 900 block of Pine since 2019. One of the biggest concerns I get from friends, neighbors, residents on the next block over on Spruce, people visiting from out of town, delivery drivers, the most common complaint I hear has been consistently there's no place to safely and legally stop to unload. There are a few loading zones that have already existed on the other side of the street from me for as far as I remember as long as I've lived here, so at least 2019. Those were put in under the authority of the bill that the gentleman from the Streets Department mentioned in 1981. Those have been there functioning just fine for as long as I've lived here. The only problem is that it's not enough of them. Certain people seem to think parking in the bike lane is a viable alternative even though it has resulted in several deaths. The obvious solution here is expand the loading zone spaces, add more spots for contractors, residents, delivery drivers to load and unload. The city recognized this earlier this year and I was thrilled. When the signs went up, there was an immediate and significant improvement in parking and loading along the block. Many fewer people parking in crosswalks, many fewer people parking blocking the sidewalk, many fewer people pulling in and out of the bike lane swerving around, using it as a passing lane. I felt safer while these loading zone signs were up and they had good turnover. It was working. I live there. I look out my window every day and it seems like all of these spots were not only working for the residents, but working for delivery drivers, contractors coming through the street. At the beginning of each month, I saw moving trucks using the loading zones to move in and out instead of parking at the end of the blocks, pulling in, parking on the sidewalk. I've seen all kinds of bad practices by moving companies. That went away when these loading zones were put in. They were working very well. I heard a lot of neighbors were thrilled to have them put in. But when the signs came down, all of the chaos that these opponents have said would happened with these loading zones came back when the loading zones went away. It's very clear these loading zones were actually working despite claims of people who say they represent residents, but never spoken to me. I've never heard from them. They just show up one day and say they represent me. I really encourage the Committee and City Council as a whole to properly pass this bill, move and advance it into the next phase on the floor and pass this bill, to enable the Streets Department who are the actual subject matter experts here, to create loading zones, whether those are backed by all residents or just most of them.

Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name and proceed with your testimony.

Hi. I'm Wesley Noonan-Sessa. I'm a preservation general contractor who works in the city of Philadelphia. I currently have a project at the corner of Pine Street and 11th Street, right where there was a loading zone until a couple weeks ago when the city removed it because of the lawsuit. I worked on the project before and after the loading zone. It really saved a lot of time in looking for parking and places to drop off materials. A lot of my subcontractors often ask me first, where do I park, where do I load. And I said, well, there's a loading zone right in front of the building and you can drop your tools and equipment there and park your vehicle later. Now, since the loading zone has been removed, I personally spent more than a half hour on countless occasions trying to find, one, circling and waiting for people to move so I can use the loading zone that's frankly too small to fit a work truck in to unload a vehicle and also there's not enough room behind it to remove anything from the back of the truck. The added time parking adds cost, adds time, which is money in contracting and building. It adds cost to logistics and we either have to eat that cost or pass along to our clients, making work on the homes in Philadelphia a little bit more expensive, which we would love to bring our costs down.

Thank you so much for your testimony. Mr. Pullin, would you please read call the name of the next witness.

Oh, I didn't know I was being called on. I'd like to stand, but person of my stature really doesn't make much difference if I stand or sit. But my name is Albert Meister and I'm a resident of Society Hill. I've been so for quite a few years, as you can see from my McCall School sweatshirt. I've been a member of the Society Hill Civic Association until quite recently when the Friends of Pine and Spruce led a very successful political campaign to eliminate those who had opposite points of views to theirs. Look, I have no written prepared speech to read from. I can only read from what's here. I'm an everyday bicyclist. I'm 82 years old. I'm an everyday bicyclist. It's my principal means of transporting myself throughout the neighborhood and other parts of the city as well. I use Pine and Spruce every day and I can tell you the hazards that are caused when we, cyclists, need to go out into the traffic lane. And because of the recent removal of the parking zones that had existed on each side of the street, this situation has gotten worse. I can tell you as a bicyclist and also previously as a motorcyclist, motorists really don't see us. They're not prepared to see people on bicycles. And when we need to swerve out into the traffic lane, it's as though we're invisible. And I can tell you that there have been many, many close calls. I'm sorry. I suffer from aphasia. In 1980 I was hit by a truck while on my bicycle. I was thrown to the ground. My head hit the surface. I've not been the same since. I have short-term memory problems and as I said, aphasia. That's part of the reason I'm here and so highly motivated. I don't want to see happen to anyone else what had occurred to me. And I believe the ordinance that's to vote for will certainly go a long way to prevent future accidents such as mine from happening. But look, before I say goodbye I want to defend my neighbors in Society Hill. They've been castigated by the bicycling community and other neighbors within Society Hill. They've been called uncaring. They're not uncaring. They're just unknowledgeable. They don't understand what we're up against when we're on a bicycle on Pine and Spruce Street. If they did, their views would be quite different. There's a lot more I could probably say about this, but I urge you, I urge you to vote for this new ordinance that will make it possible to continue placing the loading zones on either side of the street. So thank you. Thank you folks for listening to me.

Thank you so much for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.

Yes. Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity of speaking in favor of Bill 250718. My name is David Wolfson. I'm an attorney in town. I live on Pine Street. I'm a real friend of Pine Street. Not permitted to join their organization because their organization is a political one that opposes any measures to make bike riding safer. So a real friend here. I'm here as -- Ms. Galli said that there's no 12 evidence in the record, so I'm here to put some evidence in the record and I have some pretty good empirical evidence. We had those loading zones for a few months. There were two on my block. It was absolutely fantastic. You heard a few of the folks who are against the loading zones talk about the elderly and the disabled. I have a 95-year-old mother who I pick up and drop off at my house. And when there were loading zones there, I always knew there was a place within less than a half block from my house where I could drop her off. And now, that place is typically gone and taken up by more parking. There's a fundamental paradox about the position that the so-called Friends of Spruce and Pine are taking. They say that we need more parking onstreet parking and that somehow having more cars on the side of the street will make it safer for the elderly and the disabled. But the whole point of having the drop-off spaces is to have places where you could drop off your groceries or drop off an elderly or disabled person and that now is gone. The other reason to have those spots of course is what Mr. Meister was talking about. I ride my bike most days to my Center City law office. And again, the bike lanes are used as parking spots, parking spots by trucks and cars even when they could easily park on the other side, legal side of the street. There is a culture in the city whereby drivers see the bike lane and they think that that's a place to park. And as Mr. Meister said, when you're going down the bike path and now you have to swerve into the middle of the road, you are not seen. And I've been almost hit probably 15 or 20 times over the last seven years. So again, I urge you -- I just wanted to say that the judge entered her preliminary injunction, I think, the middle of August, August 15. And since then, the streets on the bike lanes and generally the street at my block and elsewhere on Pine and Spruce have gotten much more dangerous. Thank you. And I urge you to vote in favor of this bill. (Applause.)

Thank you for your testimony.

May I --

Are there any questions of these witnesses by members of the committee? (No response.)

Seeing none, thank you for your testimony.

May I just add an amendment with your permission?

I'm sorry. Say it again.

May I add an amendment to what I just said?

Yes.

I'd like to point out that many of the folks living on Pine and Spruce have offstreet parking. It's behind their homes. Many do not even own automobiles.

Thank you, sir. Appreciate that. Mr. Pullin, would you please call the next witness to testify.

The next witness to testify is Chris Gail, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition. (Witness approached witness table.)

Mr. Gail, please state your name for the record and begin your testimony.

Good afternoon. My name is Chris Gail. I'm the Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Thank you, Councilman Young, members of Streets and Services for this time. The Bicycle Coalition supports Bill 5 No. 250718 because it reaffirms that the city has the authority to manage all parking and loading regulations in Center City. Updating loading zones and parking is important for adapting roads to meet the needs of today. Good curb management can help alleviate congestion, reduce crashes and help us all share the road again. The Bicycle Coalition supports Bill No. 250718 and ask that members of the Streets and Services Committee vote in favor of it.

Thank you so much for your testimony. Any questions of this witness by members of the committee? (No response.)

Seeing none, thank you so much. Mr. Pullin, are there any other witness panels for this bill?

No more panels.

Thank you so much. We will now be taking a 10-minute recess -- I see you all. I see you all. We will now be taking a 10-minute recess. We have to give our stenographer a break. And after our recess, we'll go into our public comment section 17 to allow public comment on the bills being heard today. Thank you. (Brief recess.)

Okay. Mr. Pullin, please read the next witnesses to testify.

Bear in mind there's a few that have left the room. So J.C. Berquist, Liz Forest, Brad Merrell, Jessan Groenendyk, Matthew Prochnow. Is there a Jennifer Tobin? (Witnesses approached witness table.)

And just for the record, I do note that as we started to transition into our public comment, a quorum is present. Councilmembers Harrity, Ahmad, Squilla and myself are present to make up a quorum. Thank you. Please state your name and begin with your comment.

Hi. My name is Jessan Groenendyk. I signed up to speak on two bills. I believe I was the only person who signed up for public comment on Bill No. 250770. That's the speed cameras bill. So I'd like to start with that if that's all right.

If you could place your comment on all the bills you're here to testify on please. That will be helpful.

All right.

Thank you.

So with regards to Bill No. 250770, my name is Justin Groenendyk. I live on the 1800 block of Pine Street and I commute via bike and occasionally drive on several of the selected routes for speed cameras. I'm a pretty fast cyclist in areas of those roads. Where the speed limit is 30 miles an hour, I'm often going 30 miles an hour on my bike and yet there's still cars just blowing past me. And obviously, that makes me feel very unsafe. I think we can all agree that Philadelphia drivers don't obey the speed limit. That's been talked about. And I just see my life get risked every day. We know that based on physics the amount of damage from an accident increases with the square of the velocity. So that's exponential growth, which is typically faster than humans can imagine. That's how fast things grow exponentially. So that's a big problem to me. I'm also a licensed commercial pilot. One of the things they teach you when you're learning to be a commercial pilot is something called the normalization of deviance. This is what happens when breaking the rules becomes so common that it's considered normal. It's one of the most common causes of a disastrous plane crash and I think it's also one of the most common causes of somebody getting killed by traffic violence in the city of Philadelphia. These speed cameras are a great way to break that. It's something that's consistent and something that's fair as opposed to a police officer occasionally enforcing the law. The law is enforced the same way every time. I'm sure we all wish that the law could be enforced that way in every part of our society. There are people that are worried that speed cameras are limiting their rights, but nobody has the right to threaten the safety of others in a public space I think we would all agree, and that's what you're doing when you're speeding. I urge this Council to support speed cameras. Your job first of all is to protect our lives and I know you take that seriously. With regards to the expansion of loading zones on Spruce and Pine Street, so I live on Pine Street on the 1800 block. And just to make it clear, the so-called Friends of Spruce and Pine Street are no friends of mine. They want my street to be less safe and less convenient for me. All so that they can use my tax dollars to store their personal property, a car, in a public space. They talk about all these procedural things, about evidence, but really what they're asking for is red tape to protect their privileges. People that are against these regulations think that they're entitled to a parking spot. But could you imagine the outrage that would happen if this committee proposed to provide at taxpayer expense each bike owner in the city 300 square feet of public property on which to store their bicycle. And yet that's exactly what we do for car owners in the city. They ask for evidence for changing the status quo. I ask for evidence on why we should protect the status quo. What I'm asking for feels like the bare minimum to me. On my way here walking out my door, I counted four delivery trucks and contractors that were parked illegally just on the 1800 block of Pine, that's one block, just my street. That puts me at danger every day. My neighbors obviously need the services that are provided by these delivery vehicles and contractors. The economic vitality of the city needs those services. What the economic vitality of the city does not need is subsidizing car owners and their storage of their vehicle. If owning a car and parking it on their street is that important to them, there are plenty of places that they can pay to park a vehicle rather than getting subsidized by the city. The expansion of government power is always something that's concerning, but I appreciate the amendment to this bill to limit it to Spruce and Pine Street.

Finally, I would just like to say that I'm strongly in favor of not only the expansion of these loading zones, but in I'm strongly in favor of bike lanes across the city, including the City Hall bike lane and the protection of the Spruce and Pine bike lanes. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your comment. Please state your name and please give us your comment.

Hello. My name is Brad Merrell talking in regards to Bill 250718, the loading zone one. I primarily get around the city by bike. There's been countless times that I've been cycling in the street and cars parked in the driving lane and I'm to the side. They just try to quickly swerve around the parked car. They don't even look for me and then they only see me at the last split second. A lack of loading zones only exacerbates this issue. Similar problem when cars park in a bike lane. In that case, I'm forced out into the driving lane with all the distracted drivers. Lately I've been avoiding Spruce and Pine whenever possible due to how many close calls and aggressive drivers I've encountered there. Aggressive impatience from drivers is an issue that can really only be solved by removing their need or ability to drive aggressively, because there's no 6 rational thinking behind it. I'm in favor of loading zones on as many blocks as possible. I'm in favor of concrete protection for bike lanes. And I'm also in favor of the use of disabled parking zones for anyone who's unable to walk to the loading zone at the end of the block. And I also just want to add at the end that I'm highly in favor of the City Hall bike lane and it would really be a shame to waste this opportunity to add one. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. Please state your name for the record and begin.

Thank you, Council. My name is Matt Prochnow. I'm here to testify in favor of 250718 as well. I've been working in district schools for the last years. I'm raising my kids 6 in the city and I use all kinds of 7 transportation, but I 8 preliminary -- or primarily use my 9 bike. 10 But the mentality that 11 streets are for cars is everywhere. 12 They tell it to my face every time 13 they can. And to me, the streets 14 are for the people. However, they 15 choose to use them. And I hope you 16 can view my comments through that 17 lens. Recently my son goes to South Brook Elementary. It's on 9th Street. I'm biking on Tasker towards 13th when someone tells me to get on 13th Street. I'm literally on my way there. I don't know what the option is. I should be able to use a street to get to the bike lane. I say that to illustrate the kind of mentality that we're dealing with as cyclists. I've had someone bump me on purpose and yell, I pay road tax. Whatever that means. It's absurd and it's dangerous and this mentality that cars on the street shows up also in loading and delivery. And it would really make us all safer and reduce conflicts between different modes of transportation if we had these zones. There just simply aren't enough places for the people who are using the roads to stash their car briefly, especially with the rise in Uber and DoorDash and the like. So I'm asking you to support this bill. I'm asking you to give the Streets Department the authority they need. And if possible, please also note this testimony is in favor of the bike lane at City Hall.

Thank you so much for your comment.

Thank you.

I just want to note that we are asking if you could provide us information that is novel that hasn't been -- we do have a lot of folks that are interested in testifying on these bills. We want to make sure everyone is heard. But please, we're asking that you can keep your testimony concise and to the point so we can make a rational decision on how we're going to vote with this legislation. So thank you. Please state your name and begin.

Good afternoon. My name is Jennifer Tobin and I'm urging you to vote in favor of Bill 250718. I'm a cyclist. I've been in Philly for about years. I use the bike 6 lanes all the time, the Spruce/Pine 7 bike lane. I mostly go from 8 Fairmount where I live, down to the 9 Head House Square area and the bike 10 lane is great. I love it. It is a 11 wonderful way to get around, but 12 not when I have to swerve into 13 traffic. 14 I've had many close 15 calls. People shouting at me, as 16 the previous speaker mentioned, to 17 get in the bike lane. Well, you 18 can't do that if there's a car 19 blocking your way. And one thing I 20 haven't heard during this hearing is anyone suggesting that there be no loading zones on streets. And that's because we take it as a given that we need loading zones. No one's opposing loading zones. What I'm here to say is the bike lane is a travel lane. It is not a loading zone. So when you don't legislate and don't create specific places for cars, the bike lane becomes a de facto loading zone which is not what it is. It's a travel lane. So I'm asking you to just recognize that we are road users. We commute. We save the city lots of pollution. We create less pollution. We create less noise. We feel like we are entitled to our travel lane. Also feel like it would be great to have a bike lane around City Hall for, you know, because I've had other close calls with people coming really close within inches of hitting me. Thank you for your consideration. (Applause.)

Thank you for your comment. Mr. Pullin, would you please read the next names.

Can we get Genny Boccardo, Melanie Foreman, Eugene Charrington, Ben Geffen, Mason Carter. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Please state your name and begin with your comment.

Thank you, Councilman Young and City Councilmembers on this committee. My name is Genny Boccardo-Dube and I live in Center City with my family. I'm here to testify in support of Bill 250718. Riding a bike in Center City is a privilege I enjoy daily and I'm deeply grateful for all the bike lanes throughout the city. Many of you are aware of the horrible crash where Barbara Friedes was killed at 18th and Spruce Street last summer. Had there been protected bike lanes, Barbara would be alive today. I was walking by at that moment and saw her lifeless young body in the street. That moment will always stay with me and I would like to believe that she did not die in vain. Safety includes everyone in Center City and should be our number one priority as a community. I live at 16th and Bainbridge Street. Regularly trucks of all kinds and others block Bainbridge Street. They stop in the middle of the street and this can last anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes. Loading zones are crucial for people who need more than 5 to 10 minutes, not only would they reduce traffic but they would also reduce the risk of crashes. Additionally, loading zones become parking spaces at night. Bike lanes were created for bikes, not cars. If a vehicle parks in a bike lane, they are jeopardizing the life of cyclists with loading zones. These dangers could be avoided and people could have better and most importantly, safer places to unload. As a city that has experienced tragedies due to unsafe bike lanes, we should realize that impatience is not worth a human life. We do not need perfection, but what we do need is to protect cyclists while supporting residents. We need safe bike lanes, loading zones and the general understanding that when you are driving in Center City, you can't go fast. As a city, let us all prioritize safety and make Philadelphia a safer environment for all. (Applause.)

Thank you so much for your comment. State your name and begin.

Good afternoon. My name is Melanie Foreman. Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of Bill No. 250718 regarding loading zones on Spruce and Pine streets. I live and work in Philadelphia. I didn't grow up here. I'm from rural Pennsylvania, Butler County. And growing up, you had to drive everywhere. I've chosen to make Philadelphia my home. One of the biggest reasons is that I can walk and bike. I love that about our city. Biking is my primary means of transportation. The Mayor wants a safer, cleaner and greener city. Allowing these loading zones to be permitted on Spruce and Pine streets would make this city safer for everybody, not just cyclists but for pedestrians and drivers as well. And it would also -- if people feel safe walking and biking and leaving their cars at home, maybe it would make this a cleaner and greener city too. I would also like to say I'm disappointed that Bill 250649 regarding City Hall bike lane has been held. This is a particularly dangerous area of the city to cycle and I really hope that comes up again. I went to the placing of Dr. Freides' Angel bike last year and it was the saddest thing I've ever seen. And one of the things that struck me is that, that so easily could have been anyone else. It could have been any one of us, not just drunk drivers. Everybody's driving with cell phones today. I know the law has changed, but I'm sure everybody has seen people texting and driving along every road in Philadelphia. Please, please, please protect us and make us safe. Thank you. (Applause.)

Good afternoon. My name is Benjamin Geffen. I'm a 16-year homeowner, car owner, bicycle owner in Center City, Philadelphia and I'm here today to speak in support of the Center City loading zone ordinance. I came here with an idea of what to say, but I'm going to switch it up based on your request for concision and novelty and just respond to a couple of comments that we've heard earlier today. One is that this bill would somehow deprive the public of opportunities to give input into lawmaking in the city. Nothing could be further from the truth. This hearing is happening today. Previous hearings like this have happened. City officials are responsive to constituent concerns, whether they're in Council or in the executive branch at all times. Public input doesn't mean unlimited opportunities to halt all progress. What the public input you're hearing is, is that the public is tired of process and wants loading zones and protected bike lanes. The other thing I'd like to comment about is a supposed lack of evidence. I'm going to give some evidence. Almost exactly a year ago I was commuting home by bicycle along Spruce Street, as I have done every day for many years, when because of the lack of a loading zone, I almost ended up a grease spot in the middle of the street. And what happened is an Uber driver abruptly pulled into the bike lane to discharge a passenger, the bike lane on the left side of Spruce. This forced me to veer out from the bike lane into the moving traffic lane. And the passenger sitting in the back seat on the right side of the car suddenly flung open the door, knocked the door into me and knocked me off my bike onto the pavement. I was lucky to get away that day with just some scrapes and some bruises. If there had been a truck coming up quickly right behind me right then, I wouldn't be here today to give this testimony. And I think if you hear from enough cyclists, you'll hear a lot of stories like that. These don't usually make it into police statistics. I'm not going to stand around waiting for two hours to tell a police officer about the thing that happened to me. I need to get home and clean out my bloody wounds and take care of my children. I don't have time for that. And to the extent that my experience isn't in the data, that's why. But I'm here to tell you about that today. And the next time somebody comes here and tells you that there's no evidence that it's happened, I hope you remember Dr. Freides and I hope you remember the countless people who've had more minor experiences as I have too. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and begin.

Yes. My name is Mason Carter. I am currently a resident of Germantown. I use the Spruce/Pine bike lanes frequently. I'll bike down on the Schuylkill Trail, and then those are critical arteries for me once I get down to Center City. So lots of people are using it from all over the city. But I also lived in Society Hill for six years before. And I am disabled. I am a below-the-knee amputee. I frequently have issues where my accessibility or my walking isn't so good. And so, having loading zones would be a dream to really -- and I would have loved to have those back when I was living in the neighborhood. I'd like to bring up the fact that, you know, for that to create the system of loading zones is really important to change the culture of driving in the city and it has become less and less safe, especially during the pandemic and onward. But also at the same time, we need more people biking and to build a culture of biking in the city because it is the most affordable form of personal transportation. I own one car that my partner and I share and the repair work, insurance, gas, it's all going up, and biking is really something -- I learned how to bike when I was 28. And so, for me I'm 37 now. And biking has really changed my life in a lot of ways, to better explore the city through this method of personal transportation. But I tell you what, with the Spruce/Pine bike lanes I've had many conflicts and had to deal with it. And I'm very alert to these things. But I've had many surprises of people just pulling in sideswiping me. I'm lucky that I've only gotten nicked a bit and I haven't had to go to the hospital. But these are things that are going to really prevent more and more people from biking and it's a wonderful thing and I hope more people do. And finally, I really hope that the City Hall bike lane gets the attention that it deserves for the bill because it really is the nexus of the Philadelphia universe and it is the center of everything in the heart of the city and we all deserve to be able to bike there safely without the fear of getting hit by many, many cars. So thank you very much for having us today. (Applause.)

Thank you. Thank you so much for your testimony. Mr. Pullin, would you please call the names of the next folks to comment.

Tom Kowalczyk, Jacob Russell, Cody Cowper, Brett Cohen. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Thank you, sir. Please state your name and begin with your comment.

Hi. Thank you for having me. My name is Tom Kowalczyk. I live at Grad Hospital at Catherine and 22nd Street. We have a car, we have a bike and we use SEPTA. We use all the major sources of transportation in the city. We moved to the city four years ago in part because we wanted a walkable, bikeable city and we think we're well on the way to having one of those. I'm here to speak in support of Bill 250718, the loading zone bill. I think loading zones make Spruce and Pine and most of the city a much safer place by providing safe places to load and unload. And I also think that delegating the authority to decide where to put something as simple as a loading zone is something that good governance would put with the experts in the Streets Department and not use up all of Council's valuable time deciding where to put a loading zone. So with that, I'm hoping the committee will recommend the bill forward. (Applause.)

Thank you. Please proceed.

Good afternoon, Council. My name is Jacob Russell. I'm here in favor of Bill 250718, to add loading zones in Center -- or to authorize the Streets Department to add loading zones in Center City. I want to make a couple of points. First, there are dozens of general purpose loading zones all throughout the city. They already exist. They've existed for years. There hasn't been any issue. There apparently is a legal vulnerability to those loading zones as we've seen recently, because of this lawsuit from FOPS. If you do not authorize a general bill that allows loading zones to exist all throughout Center City, those could go away. I want to highlight a couple specific examples. Old Pine Church at 4th and Pine Street; Morris Animal Rescue at 13th and Lombard; and the Academy of Arts on Broad and Race Street. All three institutions have a general purpose loading zone in front of their establishment. Without a general bill that authorizes loading zones in all of Center City, those could be removed at any time by a lawsuit. As the person in front of me said, loading zones are a basic necessity for the Streets Department need to install as they need to accommodate the ever- changing needs on our streets. Now, opponents of this legislation will talk about how OTIS simply can't be trusted with the awesome power of making it a little bit easier people to unload their groceries. They'll complain of the lack of engagement about the project undergoing improvements on Spruce and Pine Street. So let's look at that history of engagement. So first, there was several City Council meetings where the No Stopping in the Bike Lane bill was discussed publicly. After that passed unanimously, OTIS decided it needed to put loading zones to give a place to load and unload on the streets because it was now illegal to park in the bike lane. Last October, OTIS had a public meeting attended by over 350 Philadelphians, including 150 residents of Spruce and Pine Street. They followed up that meeting with a special listening session for the Society Hill Civic Association. After those meetings, OTIS mailed a letter to every address on Spruce and Pine Street inviting to share their thoughts on the loading zone plan and placement. I lived on Spruce at this time. I received the letter. OTIS read and gave a response to every single comment they received as parties of public engagement efforts. It's posted on the website. You can go see it. Every person was heard. Every person was responded to. In February, OTIS then formed a working group with the neighborhood associations, the bicycle advocates and FOPS, the group now suing the city over loading zones. Every member of that group, including FOPS, had the opportunity to fully share their vision for Spruce and Pine Street. That working group would continue meeting today if FOPS' lawsuit hadn't forced it to disband. In the spring of this year, I believe it was April, OTIS also held a mandatory hearing for any kind of curbside regulation changes. This legislation would still require that hearing to take place today, providing a chance for community input. Fundamentally, FOPS needs to be honest. Their problem is not they've been ignored. They've been heard time and time again. Their problem is their position is dangerous and unpopular. We've heard every person today so far comment in favor of this legislation. The vast majority of Philadelphians want the city to be created safer and more orderly streets. As Councilmembers, you have a responsibility to provide our agencies the tools to make that vision happen. I will also give a little bit more data because there's a request for more data --

If you don't mind, if you can just summarize your comment so we can allow other people to testify.

Absolutely. Thank you, Councilmember.

You can conclude, but I just want you to summarize.

Oh, I was going to say Philly Bike Action maintains an app to report parking violations. There's been a 50% increase in blocked bike lanes after the removal of the loading zones. So that shows, unlike what the judge thought, there is a definite benefit to the bike lanes for having loading zones on the streets. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you. Please state your name.

Good afternoon, Council. My name is Cody Cowper. On behalf of the Washington Square Civic Association, I need to express my deep disappointment that Bill 7 250649 was withdrawn without notice. Many of us rearranged work and family schedules to testify, and this abrupt action signals a lack of respect for constituents. That makes it even more frustrating because this project is exactly the kind of improvement our community needs. The protected bike lane would provide a critical link to existing infrastructure, calm traffic near City Hall and make walking and biking safer for the many residents of Washington Square West, most of whom who do not own a car. We urge Council to bring this bill back quickly, treat the public's time with respect and allow it to move forward. I'm also here to testify on Bill 250718. I live right off the 1000 block of Spruce and I'm testifying on this bill in my individual capacity and not as a board member of the Washington Square West Civic Association. I'm also a car owner and I have not noticed a material difference in my ability to find a spot since these new loading zones were installed. Perhaps that is because they revert to parking at 6 o'clock, 8 o'clock and 10 o'clock, depending on the zone. What I have noticed are the benefits. For example, less crosswalk parking which means I can now cross more safely with my kids and a stroller without being forced into traffic. I've also seen traffic move more smoothly. At McCall School, for example, where my children attend, parents were using these zones to drop off and pick up, and the removal has made those times of day more chaotic and unsafe. That's why I support giving the Streets Department the authority to install loading zones without requiring Council action for each one. My experience leads me to a simple conclusion. Experts know how to design safer streets, better than politics and certainly better than random citizens. (Applause.)

Thank you so much for your comment. Please begin.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm Brett Cohen. I'm a resident in the 5th councilmanic district. I live in Northern Liberties. I often use my bike with various attachments to transport myself, my 5-year-old daughter as well as my 9-year-old son. He can use a trailer pedal attachment since he's a bigger kid. My remarks are not going to be necessarily like some of the other folks. They've covered very important areas with lots of the facts. I'm going to provide some additional context. I support Bill 12 250718 of course and that goes without saying. But what I would like to talk about is Bill 250649 for the City Hall bike lanes, that I'm disappointed to hear that the bill pertaining to that has been held. I feel like an alien sometimes since I don't primarily use a car. I understand that City Councilmembers are offered a car, and maybe some of the Councilmembers do take advantage of that so they may primarily use a car. And it may be hard to fathom from that perspective, that 44% of Philadelphians according to the 2024 census data, and I'll provide my information to the staff of course, but 44% of Philadelphians and a higher percentage, closer to 50% in Center City, use a method of transportation aside from a car. So if I am an alien, there are a lot of people, a lot of constituents just like me and I am privileged to be able to come here and to take off work. But when I look in the bike lanes, I see some folks who look like the people here, but I see a very diverse cycling community. I see people of color. I see people who are delivery and food delivery and drop-off drivers on bikes and e-bikes who are often or usually from minority backgrounds. So this is not an issue about, you know, a privileged few or something. This actually touches on some of the most voiceless members of society, and those people aren't able to be here today because they don't have benefits. They're gig workers in the gig economy, so they can't take off because then they can't feed themselves or their families. So I'm here and I want to say that the City Hall bike lanes are vital. They are a minimum because they would be traffic separated. They wouldn't even be protected yet but they would be the first step, and we understand that's how the process begins. The Semiquincentennial is coming up, and we have this repaving opportunity. I think that to have the best face for Philadelphia when that happens, we should avail ourselves of easy, low-hanging fruit like the City Hall bike lane and take advantage of those opportunities when we have them. So I strongly urge this committee and the Chair to unhold the bill or whatever the technical term is so that it can be voted on. And so, that I see them ripping up the pavement as I got to this hearing, it would be just wonderful to see that coming through. And again, not for me, not for people with the color of my skin, but for people who can only afford a bike who really need the safety that such a lane would provide. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Thank you for your comment. Mr. Pullin, would you please call the next witnesses.

Maya Afilalo, Louis Bartholomew, Amy Jersild, Cela Lynch. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Thank you. Please state your name and begin with your testimony.

Hi. My name is Maya Afilalo. I'm a resident of South Philly at 10th and Wharton, urging the Council to vote in favor of Bill No. 250718 to authorize loading zones in Center City. I've been cycling in the city for 10 years. I'm also a car owner. I regularly bike on Spruce and Pine to get to work at Moore College where I teach writing. To echo what others have said, there is always someone parked in the bike lane. There are always near misses. Friends of Spruce and Pine spoke about compromise. I go out of my way to bike in a bike lane. I go several blocks out of my way to be safer. So compromise is being made. And if it's a question of convenience, cyclists are also taking more inconvenient routes for their safety. I live in South Philly now, but I used to live on the 2100 block of Pine. I was a renter. I know it's hard to own a car there. I know it's hard to park. I've gotten towed more times than I can remember. A loading zone would have been really helpful to unload groceries, to bring up heavy stuff, to get deliveries. It's better for car infrastructure. To that end, I also support the City Hall bike lanes. I used to drive around City Hall every single day. I was a caretaker for my grandmother in hospice on City Avenue. I was biking around City Hall -- sorry, driving around City Hall every day. Bike lanes create predictability. If you've ever driven around City Hall, you know we could use a little more predictability around there. So finally in regards to the loading zones, a vocal minority of residents who claim to support bike safety when it's convenient for them to do so are in opposition to this bill. Last year we lost a Philadelphian, Dr. Barbara Friedes, due to a lack of protected bike lane. The main reason I'm here, in addition to myself, is my best friend's older brother was killed by a distracted driver on his bike 10 years ago. That family is still grieving. To me, the idea that convenience is more important than safety is absolutely abhorrent and I'm asking the Council to vote in favor of creating these loading zones which will make everyone safer, which will mitigate traffic and create a more sustainable city. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you so much. Please state your name again.

Hi. My name is Amy Driscoll. I'm a resident of Rittenhouse Square and I'm speaking in support of Bill 17 250718. I believe strongly that the city should have the authority to install and maintain bike lanes and that the city should provide a way for people to attend to their own needs, temporarily unloading what they need to unload without imperiling their neighbors, particularly their neighbors on bikes. My husband and I used such a loading zone for a number of months when our son was temporarily unable to walk because of his cancer diagnosis. That loading zone was very important to us during an extremely difficult time and it also allowed us to take care of him and get him out of the car and into our house without illegally stopping and imperiling other people that needed to go around us. I want to say one more thing. Dr. Barbara Friedes would have started her medical career in the same department that saved my son's life. And because she was riding in an unprotected bike lane, she is deprived of her life and kids like my son are deprived of her lifesaving expertise. That is why I am particularly frustrated every time my now 16-year-old son gets on his bike and heads down Spruce bike lane. I'm particularly frustrated that there are constituents and stakeholders in the city who seem to want to impede the placement of loading zones and imperil an opportunity to avoid unnecessary injury, loss and death. I thank you for your time. (Applause.)

Thank you so much. Please state your name for the record.

Good afternoon, Chair Young and members of City Council. My name is Louis Bartholomew and I'm a resident between Pine and Spruce. I'm here to voice my support for Bill 24 250718, which would codify the city's authority to install loading zones in the Center City area and on Pine and Spruce. I also have the privilege of working with the PA Safe Roads Pack, which advocates for safe streets across the Commonwealth and here in Philadelphia. I've sat with the families who have lost loved ones due to traffic violence, from children lost senselessly in drag races on the Boulevard to adults who have died just riding their bikes. We often forget how dangerous driving is. Just this past weekend when I was driving in rural Michigan, I was almost in a crash. A pickup truck almost hit me head-on. I was able to swerve and luckily we weren't hurt, but it did hit another person in front of us. If I had been three seconds later, I probably wouldn't be here. It goes to show how dangerous our streets are. Not just in Michigan, but also in Philadelphia where crashes are very commonplace. I use the bike lanes every single day, Pine and Spruce, to get to and from work in Queen Village. I saw the flipped car on Spruce a few months ago that was just in the bike lane. I sent it to some folks and that it just goes to show how dangerous these bike lanes are. Barbara Friedes is -- was my exact age when she died. It could have been me. Every day it can be me and it could be any of us sitting back here. Emily Fredericks was also killed in the bike lane on Spruce in 2017. She was years old. She was a pastry 23 chef. There's no reason for these 24 people to die. All we have here unfortunately is a vocal wealthy minority, predominantly from one neighborhood, who feel that they get to park in bike lanes. And there's just really no reason for it when we have loading zones that have worked very, very well for two months. Again, they put their convenience over everyone else's safety. It's really unfortunate that we can't come together and work for commonsense solutions where we have loading zones, we have a protected bike lane, we have a travel lane. It's really the basic minimum. So I thank you in advance for your support of this bill. I also just want to add that I am in support of the City Hall bike lane bill, which is Bill 23 250718. I know that -- or excuse me, 250649, which would be the City Hall bike lane bill. I'm disappointed to hear that it was tabled for now, but I trust that it will be passed next time and any issues will be resolved. So thank you very much. (Applause.)

Thank you. Mr. Pullin, will you please call the names of the next witnesses or next commenters.

Can we get Charles Goodwin, Peter Croce, Aliza Yousey, Alex Teti, Sage Lincoln, Debbie Zak Cohen, Michael Novak. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Thank you. Please begin.

Good afternoon, Chairman Young and members of the Committee. Thanks for having us here today. My name is Peter Croce and I'm here to speak on Bill 250718. I live on Spruce right in front of a loading zone and I'm a proud business owner here in Philadelphia. I actually moved to Philadelphia three years ago because I want to live in a bikeable city. So living in front of a loading zone. I actually live in Unit 1F. Like right in front of the loading zone my windows look out. I was able to see firsthand how frequently these loading zones were used and how many cars and trucks were able to briefly make delivery and drop people off and people unload groceries. While keeping the bike and the car traffic lanes clear, these loading zones were working very well until they were removed. So any claims to the contrary just do not line up with what we've seen on the ground. They work especially well for elderly and disabled individuals to have ample space to get in and out of the vehicle without risk of traffic passing near their vehicle, as is a risk when bike lanes are used as loading zones. So I also bike on Spruce and Pine every day. And every day I see that when we don't have loading zones there are cars and trucks parked in the bike lane. It makes me feel unsafe, but I'm a fairly young and confident biker. The real tragedy is that less experienced bikers, kids, the elderly and others are forced to navigate around vehicles in the bike lane, jeopardizing not only their safety but those who are unloading and trying to use bike lanes as loading zones. I'll keep this brief. I have more I could say, but a lot of folks have really said important things here already. I also just want to add that I'm disappointed that the bike lane around City Hall bill was tabled today. That is an especially dangerous area to bike around City Hall. That should be reintroduced and I would love to see that happen. So I encourage the passage of this bill for the safety of all residents, those who bike, those who drive, those who want to unload. Loading zones make us all safer. Thank you. (Applause.)

Please begin. Thank you.

Hello. My name is Alex Teti. I'm here to support my strong support for Bill 21 250718. I'm a member of a Folk Dancing Society here in Philadelphia. We're an intergenerational group by design, connecting people of different ages, races and income levels, and we're part of a larger folk dance community which connects our city to dance communities across the East Coast. Many of our younger members don't own cars. They travel from across the city and rely on safe, reliable ways to reach us. Without an interconnected bike system, especially around heavily trafficked areas like Spruce and Pine and throughout Center City generally, attendance is both difficult and dangerous for them. We need more such infrastructure throughout Center City. I worry about my friends being injured. The lack of safe bike access is a real burden that falls hardest on younger and lower- income people who want to participate in cultural life. For us, bike infrastructure isn't an abstract issue. It directly impacts our community. I urge the Council to support Bill 250718 so our members and Philadelphians of all backgrounds can safely travel in the heart of our city. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)

Thank you for your comment. Please proceed.

My name is Charles Goodwin. I'm a 25-year resident of Pine Street and have been working or living in Philadelphia for 35 years. I've also been bicycling here for most of that time and I've been among the 2% of Philadelphians who are Center City residents who are bike commuters. The rest of that 40 some-odd percent are actually foot commuters. And I'm here to speak out against Bill 250178, which would give the Streets Department the ability to ramrod measures such as its loading zone proposal and other purported bike lane improvements without consideration of public support. When OTIS purported to conduct its community meeting last October, it was only publicized to bicycle groups. It was not publicized to residents. OTIS and the Streets Department cannot be granted the power to act without councilmanic supervision. I'm an engaged citizen. I've been President of my RCO, and I'll tell you that transparency was not what OTIS was interested in when I was president of my RCO. This is 10 years ago, but same people.

I recall.

Yeah, but I will say please don't show our plans to anybody until they're perfect. You wait a month. They keep stalling, they keep stalling. Finally, I posted them publicly and guess what, the public didn't like it. I'm also treasurer of my ward. I know most of the long-term residents on blocks surrounding my house. And frankly, since we were talking about speed cams earlier I am going to say something everybody would agree with here. We could really use speed cams on Pine and Spruce and we should really have a 20-mile-an-hour speed limit. It's insane that you can go miles an hour legally down those 22 streets. They're too narrow and 23 it's too dangerous. 24 The loading zone proposal is overwhelmingly opposed by the residents of Pine and Spruce. 600, 700 people routinely sign petitions against these proposals. The proposals starting with the no-stopping signs, converting parking spaces to jumbo loading zones and ultimately seeking to impose low-rise concrete barriers, which would not have done a damn thing to save Dr. Friedes' life because that car going 60 miles an hour would have easily surmounted them and killed her. And the proposal for concrete barriers is like 6 inches, 8 inches maybe from OTIS. But this is a case of the few imposing their will over the many. Opponents of the proposals are hundreds of residents who have lived here for decades, paying taxes and raising families and participating in the community. These are the people who are responsible for making Center City this livable place it was now as opposed to what it was like in the '90s for those of us who've been around long enough to remember. The principal supporters of this proposal, it's a group called Philly Bike Action. As of February 2025, PBA had some 200 members citywide according to a Reddit post by its founder in the are climate offensive subreddit. That's not a big number, especially since PBA membership is simply having a verified account with their Discord server or forum. PBA's Discord server reveals some 69 members who claim to live in Center City and another 55 in South Philly. PBA's Discord server is a really interesting read and Councilmembers might want to take a look at what they've said about you.

Thank you.

For the most part, there's really a couple dozen always active, always online people here and they're a majority because they live in an online echo chamber where they shout down anybody who disagrees with them. 10 of PBA's board members moved 12 to Philadelphia in the last three years or so. Only two have lived here longer. Pine and Spruce are among the most safe streets in Philadelphia. There's no factual support for any of these proposals that would indicate they will improve bike safety. They won't. It won't change anything. And I think it's perhaps the PBA folks' lack of familiarity with urban living that has something to do with their passionate support for these various proposals. They feel that Pine and Spruce streets are dangerous, notwithstanding overwhelming contrary evidence. And frankly, as an almost daily bike rider I don't recognize the hellscape I'm hearing about from the other people who have given public comment. It's like riding in Mayberry. In sum, the committee's choice is between a large, established community that vehemently opposes these proposals and a handful of folks like 5th Square, 330 members citywide, a handful of folks who just moved here who want to change things who suit their way of life over the strong opposition of the community. (Applause.)

Thank you, Mr. Goodwin.

Please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.

My name is Aliza Yousey. I am speaking in support of Bill 250718 to reauthorize the Streets Department to make changes to parking rules in Center City, the amended version, just along Spruce and Pine. Firstly, I would just like to encourage Council if you're curious about the -- I don't know our exact numbers -- number of members, but I would encourage you to reach out to Philly Bike Action Board member for those numbers and not a member of FOPS. I'm a resident of Center City for three years now. I live on Lombard. I commute to work to CHOP on a bike. My partner and I also own a car which he uses to commute, and we both use to get groceries and run errands throughout the week. Loading zones make sense for drivers such as myself. They make sense for pedestrians such as myself. They make sense for bikers. I'm a member of all three communities and I use loading zones a lot to do exactly what they're named for, to load and unload things from my car. I don't have the luxury of a bike lane to illegally park and temporarily on my block so I use the loading zone and it's really, really helpful. So the loading zones that make sense for all types of road users. Delegating the responsibility for determining where those loading zones are, that makes sense for it to be the Streets Department's responsibility and not for every loading zone along Spruce and Pine to come to City Council. That doesn't make any sense. I also want to lastly add my own story of an unreported traffic incident. A couple months after I first started biking, I was on Spruce and Pine. There was a car parked in the bike lane. I was looking over my shoulder to go around it to check if there was a car behind me. And I was inexperienced. My wheel turned more than I thought it would and I went over the handlebars, slid several feet in the middle of the road on the pavement. I didn't wait around for the police for a couple hours to report my incident. I have a coworker who was hit by a car on a skateboard. He didn't wait around for the police. I have a friend who was hit by a car as a pedestrian. She did not report her incident at all. So trust that there are many unreported incidents that are not in empirical evidence available, and that's it. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Thank you so much. Please state your name for the record and begin with your comment.

Good afternoon. My name is Sage Lincoln and I am a resident and homeowner on Spruce Street in Washington Square West, which is on the High Injury Network. I'm going to go off script here and start off by thanking OTIS. They've been raked through the mud a lot. When they first brought their loading zone plan, a lot of residents in my building were very skeptical. I live in a large condo building. There are many, many retired residents in the building. People brought their concerns to OTIS. A concern was crossing the block at Juniper Street where cars are racing trying to get the green light at Broad. Another concern was the timing of the loading zones, that they wouldn't go late enough when many residents came and dropped off groceries after work. OTIS engaged with the residents and made adjustments accordingly. They added a stop sign, they changed the loading zone times. They engaged residents and they listened to residents. OTIS also sent out a letter to every single resident along Spruce and Pine. All of the data shows both at the open house they held and based on the results of the letter they sent out with a survey to fill out that the majority of residents on Spruce and Pine support loading zones. Many, many residents don't have a car. In my neighborhood, the majority of owners don't have cars. But every single person needs a loading zone. And I'm going to do a quick day in the life of a loading zone before Friends of Pine and Spruce had it removed. So every morning, the loading zones would be used by the restaurant and bodega downstairs, using large delivery trucks. Contractors pulled into them to drop off their tools. There's a dry cleaners downstairs. All throughout the day, customers were able to pull into the loading zone to pick up and drop off their clothes. And then there's residents, many of whom are retired, were able to constantly use them to drop off groceries, to catch taxis. Delivery trucks and mail trucks all day long are able to pull into them safely. Before they had nowhere they could go. Next door people setting up events at the William Way LGBTQ Community Center could unload everything for their events right outside. And people attending those events could readily get dropped off and picked off. And me personally, when I needed to take a litter of kittens to the vet with two large carriers, I was able to be picked up in the loading zone. When my friends with a newborn baby visited, they were able to drop off baby and mom in the loading zone while dad found parking many, many blocks away and do so safely. When I came home from a family vacation, I'm able to unload the car there. And overnight, all of these spots become resident parking when it is most needed when people are home from work. Without the loading zones now, there is nowhere for these critical activities to take place. So instead, either traffic is blocked, which as you've heard time and time again, is unsafe and also increases congestion. It causes a lot of traffic when cars block traffic or residents have to park many blocks away to unload and carry stuff. And so, that's why the majority of residents when asked by OTIS said, yes, I support loading zones, this is something that the community overwhelmingly wants. So as a resident, I would like to urge Council to authorize the Streets Department to install these crucial loading zones because every single person on Spruce and Pine needs them whereas the vast majority do not own cars. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Thank you so much. Please state your name and begin your testimony.

Hello. I think I'm the last one. My name is Debbie Zak Cohen. I am reading on behalf of Society Hill Civic Association that firmly opposes Bill No. 250718, the legislature. This legislation exists for one purpose, to reverse Judge Street's ruling that invalidated loading zones on Pine and Spruce streets. If passed, the bill 21 changes the law not for safety or planning, but to move more swiftly and avoid accountability. Under this bill, OTIS and the Streets Department would have sweeping authority to change parking, stopping, standing and loading rules anywhere in Center City. This would be done without any legislative approval or community consultation. That means one agency decides the future of our neighborhoods in isolation, dismantling a longstanding system of checks and balances. Critically, the bill 13 does not require fact-based studies, neighborhood input and feedback or Council reviews. OTIS already has admitted that it did not do a traffic impact analysis for the loading zones, and it can reasonably be inferred that none were done -- none were conducted for the dangerous Get Out of the Bike Lane law either. For example, the loading zones which are controversial, meaning some people like them, some people don't, there are issues with it. It would be nice if it could get worked out. But what I see on my block is the loading zones are 6 foot 11 inches wide. Most large vehicles that need to utilize it are 8 feet 6 inches with 12-inch mirror span. That bumps the people in the loading zones into the traffic lane. That shifts the traffic lane into the bike lane buffer. That's a real issue and maybe a traffic impact study would have shown that. Maybe it can get worked out. I don't know. These studies would have uncovered cascading consequences of OTIS' current bike lane plan, narrower, if not impossible, passage of emergency vehicles, displaced parking, spillover, congestion and heightened risk for cyclists. Each step taken without evidence compounds dangers rather than preventing them. I felt and heard every fear, everyone who spoke with fear today. We have a problem on the streets and the problem is speed and traffic enforcement. We are in favor of bike lanes, lowering the speed limit, implementing speed cameras, implementing traffic calming and encouraging safe behaviors to improve safely. But to be clear, we oppose granting unchecked authority to a single agency forcing through a cycle super highway at the expense of street safety, community cohesion and the democratic process.

Thank you so much. Can you wrap up your testimony please.

We urge you to reject Bill 250718 and/or table it. (Applause.)

Thank you for your comment. Mr. Pullin, would you please read the names of the next public commenters.

Let's get Deb Horng, Annie O'Brien, Hannah Kahler, Adrian Velonis, Chris Gail. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Again, some folks have already testified. If you've already testified, please limit your testimony. We would appreciate that for time's sake, but please state your name and begin your comment.

Thank you. My name is Deb Horng. I'm a resident of District 5 and I'd like to thank Chairperson Young and the members of the Streets Committee for the opportunity to talk today. A lot of what I was originally going to say has been said by others so I'll limit my comments to keep this brief. I want to speak on behalf of Philly Bike Action and that we support the loading zones Bill 250718 in its unamended form. We think that there should be loading zones authorized throughout the original boundaries from Spring Garden to Bainbridge Street, and not just on Spruce and Pine. All of Center City needs these loading zones. I'd also like to mention that cyclists are residents too. There's this framing of residents versus cyclists and that's simply not true. I myself am a homeowner and a taxpaying member of the city. And I would also like to mention that the City Hall bike lane bill 250649 had 1426 signatures, and most of the signatures came in within the first week or so of PBA releasing that petition. So it's not just the members of PBA who are in support of safety measures like the City Hall bike lane bill and loading zones, there's widespread support for this. I'd also like to mention that the City Hall bike lane is the -- as you can see outside, the street is currently being milled and PennDOT is in the process of installing that lane at no cost to the city. If this legislation is not introduced, the city would be responsible for taking out that bike lane at significant cost. So I would like to echo what other people have said in support of those two bills and thank you for your time. (Applause.)

Thank you. Please proceed.

Hello. My name is Adrian Velonis. I'm a resident of Philadelphia in Old City. I'm here to testify in favor of Bill No. 250718, authorizing the Streets Department to install loading zones in the Center City area. This legislation is very valuable because it allows the Streets Department to install parking according to demand, instead of wasting time in City Council hearings deciding when every single loading zone goes in. The Streets Department, which is staffed by experts who have multiple degrees, years of training, often decades of experience in urban planning, it allows them to make changes that are necessary for our city to thrive, necessary for businesses to operate, to receive deliveries, necessary for residents to drop off relatives and all other purposes of loading, including carrying heavy kitty litter. I'm also here to testify in favor of Bill 250649, authorizing a bicycle lane around City Hall Penn Square. As a resident of Old City, this lane would be a future connection to the existing bike lanes that are in construction on Market Street in my neighborhood. I use those lanes, the portions that are constructed already, all the time to travel to and from Center City. The City Hall bike lane would be a keystone in the bike network. It would connect directly right now to the 15th Street bike lane, JFK bike lane, Market Street on the west side bike lane and would enable a seamless transportation and make our network safe for a lot more people. So I strongly urge you to untable the bill and ensure that PennDOT is able to proceed with the pavement markings as planned. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you for your comment. Please state your name and proceed with your testimony.

Hello. My name is Hannah Kahler and I'm a resident in West Philadelphia. Thank you, Councilmember Young and the members of the Streets and Services Committee, for this time. And thank you to my Councilmember, Councilmember Gauthier, for sponsoring this bill. I wanted to come today to speak in favor of Bill 250712, because I frequently use the 47th Street bike lane and it's amazing. It's a huge improvement. I have two friends who live nearby the new bike lane, one directly on it and the other half a block away, and I've been able to visit both more frequently and easily since the installation of the bike lane. I've also ridden down it when bringing a meal to parents who just welcomed their second child. It's a vital connector route for neighborhood residents like me who do not own a car, and I think we should do everything in our legislative power to protect it and keep it as functional as possible. Yes, I applaud City Councilmember Gauthier for supporting streets where cyclists of all ages and abilities can feel safe and comfortable riding. Bike lanes are an important part of our transportation infrastructure. I strongly support this bill and urge the members of the Streets and Services Committee to vote in favor of it. I also am in favor of the City Hall bike lane and that would be great. (Applause.)

Thank you so much. Mr. Gail, please begin with your comment.

Thank you, Chair Young, Councilmember Harrity. I am Chris Gail, the Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition. I'm also a resident of the 5th councilmanic district living at 20th and Fairmount. I do want to talk about Bill No. 250649. I am disappointed to see or hear that it has been tabled or held. I do urge you to bring that back for a couple of different reasons. One, I rely on that bike lane every single day to get to work. Being a big guy on a bike, I am afforded weirdly some extra space by drivers often. But when I'm around City Hall, that's not the case. Just this morning as I was coming into City Hall riding around without the markings right now, I got buzzed. And all I was trying to do is just get around Dilworth so that I could get to the bikeshare station and put my bike up right just so that I could be here. So I do ask and urge you to bring that back. It is one of the rare occasions that PennDOT, Streets, Highways, OTIS, everybody is in support of this and in unison. And it's a free bike lane, so it won't cost our city anything unless we pull it. It's being done right now so time is of the essence. As a resident, as a father, my three kids really -- I got to get home to my kids. And when we're sitting here talking about protection and the fact that folks are saying, like, I can't do this, I can't do that, it is literally an ask of life or death for me. I ride Spruce every day. I ride 15th every day. I want to do a good job. I want to make this city a better place for everybody, but I need to be able to get back and forth to work safely. I recognize the privilege that I have being able to work in Center City living in Fairmount. When I worked in Kensington, when I worked in Hunting Park, I couldn't get around safely on my bike but I can now. And I ask you to keep ensuring that that happens so that I can get home and I can be here and we can do all these things to make our city a better place for everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you for your testimony. Mr. Pullin, please call the next names.

Chris Zabel, V. Lynn Hogben, Theresa Feo, Ben Feinland, Cameron O'Grady. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Thank you so much. Please state your name and begin with your comment.

My name is Lynn Hogben. I'm a resident of 4700 block of Windsor Avenue, a street adjoining 47th Street in West Philadelphia. I'm speaking in opposition to Bill Nos. 250712, which would give the Streets Department the power to remove and restrict parking on 47th Street without any community input. As an initial matter, I would note that none of the public comment on this has been allowed until 4:35 in the afternoon, at which point several of the Councilmembers are not present and it would be appropriate that we have an opportunity to actually speak in front of the full committee rather than those who have responsibly given their time and stayed this long. But I will make my statement. Much of 47th Street is residential and as has been discussed, there was community input on some parking changes as part of the conversion of 47th Street to a one-way one-lane street. However, this is not the bill that Councilmember Gauthier described. She describes it as a bill approving the changes as to which the community had input. It doesn't do that at all. This does not approve specific changes. It instead gives the Streets Department and OTIS carte blanche with license to make any changes they wish that have never ever been disclosed to the community. The bill is also not limited to safety needs such as daylighting. Rather it allows restriction of parking for loading zones on residential blocks without consulting the residents at all on whether and under what circumstances conditions such loading zones will be beneficial. For example, residents should have input on the hours of a loading zone so that the spaces can be useful for overnight parking. The residents under this bill have no such opportunity. Moreover, the bill does not limit the amount of parking that could be removed or restricted without community input, therefore affects not only residents on 47th Street but also all residents on adjoining and nearby blocks, as removal of substantial parking on any block causes the residents who needed to park there to park on other streets. Giving OTIS and the Streets Department free rein to remove and restrict parking in a residential neighborhood without community input is a bad idea. It has been shown from events in connection with the 47th Street project that these agencies do not know the needs and characteristics of the city's neighborhoods and will make decisions that are both harmful and of no safety or other benefit to anyone, residents or bicyclists if there is not an opportunity for community input. Last spring, OTIS planned to convert eight parking spaces on Windsor Avenue into handicapped parking spaces without realizing that there were no 7 residents with handicapped plates living nearby who did not already have a handicapped space in front of their home. As a result, there would have been no one to use those spaces. Because this was disclosed to the community, the affected residents had the opportunity to contact Councilmember Gauthier who helpfully set up a meeting between the residents and OTIS. As a result, OTIS realized that its parking removal would harm residents and benefit no one and did not proceed with the changes. Under this bill, that input does not happen. OTIS goes ahead, Streets Department goes ahead and makes changes that can harm residents and may benefit no 3 one at all because the community is not heard. 47th Street and our neighborhood in West Philadelphia are not Chestnut and Market Street. It's in Center City. Imposing parking and stopping restrictions in front of residents' houses without community input, whether in our neighborhood or in any other residential area of the city, is very different from regulating parking in commercial areas that have no houses that depend on onstreet parking.

Addressing parking changes on 47th Street and other residential areas by bills authorizing specific parking changes that have been disclosed to the community would be the better solution, as it will prevent gratuitous harm which will result if OTIS and the Streets Department are permitted to act without community input. I strongly urge you to reject Bill 250712 and approve specific parking restrictions that have been subjected to community input and not give them a free license to make changes without the community being consulted. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much for your testimony. If you have written testimony, you can always submit it for the record as well. Just want to note that everything will be part of record.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Councilmember Young and Councilman Harrity and I guess the other -- oh, Councilmember Ahmad is back. We would like to state for the record that we feel that the clock has run out. We have spent the day here. We haven't been able to present evidence. The Deputy Commissioner of Streets is no 5 longer here who could corroborate our testimony. We brought you some pictures, but we did have some videos that we wanted to show that we weren't able to have shown to the committee today. So we ask with all respect to table this hearing until a proper hearing with the right time frame so we can actually present you with the evidence that debunks much of what the Bike Coalition members and community just said. And when I say we can debunk what Chris Gail said, we can debunk what some of what Jamie Gauthier said --

I'm going to ask if you have that to at least note that for us on this record so we know what you have. So please, this is your opportunity to testify.

Okay. So I'm opposed to granting the Streets Department blanket authority to revise, alter or eliminate parking and loading zones on 47th Street or any Philadelphia street, using their broad discretion without community input. Their recent decisions demonstrate that their discretion is often exercised without regard for context-specific land use, demographics, design principles or best practices in traffic engineering. The reconfiguration of 47th Street installed in tandem with the 48th Street bike lane last year illustrates this failure. Although promoted as part of the Vision Zero Complete Streets Program intended to enhance safety for all users, the redesign has instead created new and serious hazards, particularly for children, seniors and people with disabilities. I will just briefly say the loss of ADA and senior access increased school hazards, the traffic diversion and congestion of 75% of all of 47th Street traffic being diverted into the low-income predominantly Black neighborhood adjacent to it violates the Environmental Justice Advisory rules that were put in place by this very committee that was submitted also by Jamie Gauthier in 2022 and Helen Gym. The emergency response blockages, we've been in touch with both fire departments in our local area. Neither of those were consulted. They did not review these plans. We've been in touch with the Star Harbor Senior Center senior management and Catholic Charities, they were never consulted about their ADA access needs. We have multiple other evidence to present. We know about the Vision Zero claim that we were on a High Injury Network. Michael Carroll, the Deputy Managing Director under Adam Thiel on April 10, 2024 testified in front of 30 people at a community meeting in front of Calvary Church that we were not on the High Injury Network, that we were a safe street and that this was a project brought to his office by Councilmember Gauthier's office. It was not on their schedule to do. Rich Montanez said the same thing. This was brought forward to create a northbound/southbound bicycle corridor to the Schuylkill River Trail using safe streets. So they took and co-opted two safe streets to design their bike lane. And if you notice from the pictures, which it's almost you need to see it in person to believe it, it's so much bigger, it's wider at certain points, 10 feet wide bigger than the car 11 travel lane. 12 Residents along the 13 street were stunned when this was 14 put forward. The school is not on 15 board with this. As you know, we 16 have emails from the church. I have additional ones that they didn't send directly to you, they sent to us. We have residents from all four wards, 10 blocks. We have businesses on the corridor. We have the Star Harbor Senior Center, St. Francis. We're all united that this is an unsafe application of a road diet and the bike lane, and we are not anti-bike lane. We had bike lanes for years on 48th Street. We have a bike lane that's working right now on 48th Street that is perfectly fine and goes to the same destination at Kingsessing. So the need for this was not done with safety in mind. And what we'd like to point out even now, as Councilmember Gauthier mentioned safety as her first priority, Springfield Avenue has been remilled and paved as a racetrack for the last two months. It runs next to that school. So 47th Street and Springfield, you're now focused only on bike safety, installing signs to come and ticket the nuns, ticket the parents like they were doing weeks ago, ticket the teachers and they are leaving Springfield, which Rich Montanez could tell you right now people are racing 50 to 60 miles an hour through a 15-mile an hour speed zone, that's cars, and the electric bikes are going 40 to 50 miles an hour. The flashing light's not working. They didn't put the speed bumps back in. It's just an unstriped raceway. So when they say safety is their most important issue, we're asking you as the Committee on Streets whose safety?

Vision Zero prioritizes children first, the disabled second, the elderly third and then bicyclists are below that. And if you come out and visit with us, which we're inviting you to come to St. Francis, come to Star Harbor, witness what the seniors are going through now to get to their handicap ramp, which you removed their access. This plan removed their entire access for a CCT or a paratransit van to pull up next to their handicap ramp. Wintertime is going to be a nightmare. Even if they put a loading zone on Springfield Avenue, you can make it a tour bus size, they still have to go all the way around the corner and go down the street to get to their handicap ramp access because you removed the southbound lane of traffic. And I'm going to let Greg Benjamin speak about his concerns in the 51st ward where he is as a ward leader and the traffic impact that we're seeing already overwhelming our streets. In closing, I just wanted to say this: While bicycle connectivity is a worthy goal and we support safe bike lanes, this location was neither appropriate nor equitable. An existing bike route already serves the Schuylkill River Trail and Bartrams Garden. Moreover, expanding the bicycle network by co-opting already safe streets without accounting for local risk is negligence on the part of the city and puts vulnerable roadusers in harm's way. Vision Zero's principles say the disproportionate influence of political influence on Vision Zero in a municipality is actually something that destroys the credibility of Vision Zero everywhere. We believe the disproportionate influence of Bicycle Advocacy Groups on OTIS and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission undermines objective decision-making. For this reason, we do not support Bill 250712, Bill 24 250718 or even, come on, City Hall 250649. We were just stuck in traffic for 20 minutes where a fire truck couldn't get down the road because one lane is out around City Hall. It would behoove City Council to establish independent oversight to review new bike lane projects for compliance with ADA regulations, PennDOT regulations, federal highway regulations and Philadelphia's Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Commission rules. None of that was done for this project for 47th and 48th and we have receipts to prove that, except Councilmember Gauthier is not here, Richard Montanez is not here and Michael Carroll is not here. So we would like that opportunity for this to be held so that we can have that open dialogue and fully transparent where we can show you why Vision Zero's data of High Injury Network is false in our neighborhood completely. And we're talking south of Baltimore Avenue all the way to Grays Ferry. Not a single killed or serious injury on the Vision Zero maps for a single bicyclist. It was not fair. It's inequitable and it's wrong. As the Committee on Streets, I expect and I hope respectfully that you will put your attention to this matter and actually look at providing oversight, in this case possibly citizen oversight because it doesn't seem like the Bike Coalition is willing to police themselves. So that's what we're asking for. And thank you very much for your time. )

Thank you so much for your comment. Is your comment that OTIS is manipulating the data to fit like their own I guess narrative?

Vision Zero is a national organization. It's a concept and it's also small local groups. There is a set of standards. The national organization says best practices. But they're not a government agency. They're a nonprofit agency that can take the data -- and if you look on the Vision Zero pages of the Philly -- Vision Zero PHL, you will see a little sidebar where it explains their methodology. If I have an accident on -- let me give you example in West Philly. If I have an accident on 47th and Market Street, which is more than a half a mile away from 47th and Kingsessing, they're going to go ahead and put -- and they've done this. They're going to say, this is a Vision Zero data which includes probably almost blocks. It's not on the Vision Zero network. If you look on the Vision Zero network and compare it with PennDOT's vulnerable roaduser list of the 80 -- the 12% of roads that are on the Vision Zero network, you will see Kingsessing, tons of accidents, it's been a speedway for years; Chester, tons of accidents. Springfield Avenue is the most trafficked road in our neighborhood. It wasn't even included in their studies. And you will see the Vision Zero data, killed in serious injuries, the PPD data, all of that. We have two data gurus that have looked into all this. They're manipulating the Vision Zero PHL statistics. We are not a High Injury Network road. The decision to put us on a High Injury Network, road was made and we have right-to- know emails that were filed. We have emails where they added 47th Street to the 48th Street process that already had been debunked by Michael Carroll that we weren't on the Vision Zero network. They told the community for two and a half years they're so dangerous, it's the most dangerous streets in the city. If you look on social media, you'll see every bike lobby advocate saying that we're the most dangerous streets in the city. We're not. You can ask the police department. They'll laugh at you. The fire department is upset. They can't even get to people now in West and Southwest Philly. But on top of all that, the primary concern is that this is an agency that has extended its overreach, its municipal overreach that's not being policed. The Bike Coalition is embedded in OTIS as well as Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. The complaints that we're filing go to the state and the federal level which oversee them. They're not being monitored by Philadelphia and we're asking for your help to do that. They should be subject to oversight. Every time they show up and they have all their 40 people stand up and tell you with emotional appeals, the doctor that -- we understand that. We're not saying we don't want safety. We're saying there's a lot of funding being used on roads that are not unsafe when it should be being put towards the truly unsafe roads. Baltimore Avenue is a nightmare. 58th and Baltimore, you just lost a man that was pulled under the wheel of a truck. Girard Avenue, Belmont. Instead they're going and taking and cherrypicking certain roads and then manipulating the data to put it on their High Injury Network map. We can show you the maps. There isn't a single bike accident anywhere in that High Injury Network. The pedestrian crashes that Jamie Gauthier mentioned were on Chester, which has always been a speedway. They come racing over the hill. And Baltimore Avenue was where the guy crashed into Mr. Lee's Deli. Those are all busy roads that are on the High Injury Network, as is Woodland and Kingsessing. 47th Street was not in our neighborhood nor was 48th Street. So we would like some type of oversight to look into this because it's exhausting. And most of us have jobs. We don't have a whole advocacy group behind us to fight and have people show up here every day and tell stories. We don't have that. We're fighting on behalf of a neighborhood of low-income predominantly Black residents in Kingsessing in Southwest.

You dumped all your traffic in this neighborhood. It's absolutely unacceptable and they're sitting there. Grays Ferry has always been a like a congested nightmare. The bridge traffic now backs up all the way to (inaudible) Woodland Avenue. It's two hours to get across the Grays Ferry Bridge. It's wrong. So what we're asking for is a meeting where we can actually sit. We'd love to invite you, the Committee on Streets, to come to Star Harbor, come to St. Francis. Listen to Sister Mary who runs the school. Listen to the pastor and listen to the Star Harbor seniors and they'll give you an earful. Those seniors will tell you. We've had CCT drivers accosted by the bike people threatening with a laser app on their phone that they're going to send them in for ticketing while they're dropping off a disabled person. The delivery -- the nutrition group delivers their hot meals every day at Star Harbor at that entrance that he can't get to anymore. He has to stick his truck there because there's no place for him to go. Eric Millick, we have his name, we have his number. We have all that information. If you want to speak to people that are actually onsite that can tell you what's going on. And for every resident that's on 47th Street and on 48th Street that's been fighting for this, they live on the street. For everyone else that you're hearing comments from, none of them live there but they're telling how nice it is and how quiet it is and it's so much safer now. Of course, you don't live on the street. You don't live on the streets you just dumped all the traffic on. That's not okay to do that. So that's why we feel that this process has become so -- it's unworkable anymore. It needs citizen oversight and it needs to be looked at in a more formal way. And you're the Committee on Streets so we hope you guys will do -- otherwise what's a Committee on Streets for if everything just gets rubber-stamped. It's not right. So that's where we are coming from and we have tried and have been ignored for two and a half years by our own Councilmember. Rich Montanez and I have a really good talking relationship, and he would confirm what I'm saying about whose project this was, who started it. The Garden Court community started it. He would also confirm that we were the ones who brought his attention to the fact that the loading zones that were being planned by OTIS were on the wrong side. You'd be drop dropping grandma off into oncoming traffic. There's so much there it's hard for me to corral it, but I get a little crazy and passionate. But it's been a long day and we do want a chance for this to be investigated before you go ahead and push it up to Council. Because we won't even get a chance in Council because they'll flood the Council room again with the bike lobby people and we won't even -- Sister Mary and father Ryan came downtown to testify. They took the day off from school to come down here and testify. This is not okay. That was in May. And that very same day a letter was read by Jamie Gauthier when they passed it. So you ignored the school, you ignored Star Harbor, the businesses. It's wrong. And it's something that needs to be fixed, not just for our neighborhood but for Center City with Pine and Spruce. If you notice, they had a memorial the other day for the fellow named Fenton that was in Fairmount Park. I should let you go. I should let you talk because I'm just frustrated right now. Sorry, I apologize.

I -

Can you conclude your testimony. We have to take a quick brief recess for the stenographer -- sorry. Go ahead.

I'm going to be real brief. First, I want to thank you, Councilman. I'm Greg Benjamin. I'm taking off the Ward leader hat. I'm a resident of Southwest Philadelphia here for 60-plus years. Very concerned about what's going on right now. I want to thank you, Councilman Young, Councilman Harrity, Councilperson Bass, Sequilla(sic) as well as Ahmad. I think what we need to really look at is who's really being affected by what these decisions that are being made now. And I see, yes, there is a large number of folks out here, but I'd like -- I know one that lives in the neighborhood, but I'd like to know how many of them actually live in the neighborhood that's affected by these decisions that are being made. It hurts me. I was asked recently what was I doing at a protest at 47th and Springfield. Recently I was there because the residents that live there know me. And they asked me would I participate. Theresa asked me would I participate. There is a groundswell of interest now because people are feeling like they're being forced to accept something that they don't even know about, less more have an opportunity to make a decision one way or the other. And then finally I just say this: I am not opposed to bike riders. I don't want to -- you know, I think it's so unfair when people may not totally agree with everything that's being somewhat forced on us to say that we hate this or don't like that. I'm just as concerned about the safety of a bike rider as I am a person driving in a car or my child walking down the street. Someone asked this ques -- they made this statement. They said bikes -- the streets were not made for cars. I would kind of challenge that a little bit. Because when I go on corners, I see stop signs and they're not for people and they're not for bikes. I see traffic lights. They're not for people and they're not for bikes. Because these streets have been in existence, people have been using cars for a very long time. So to just come and say all of a sudden that this is not necessary or we're being overwhelmed, you know, we're just being hard or hatred I think it's untrue. I think it's going to bring more interest from neighbors who are affected by this and then it could turn into something that people dislike this or that because they're not having the opportunity to have some input. And that's all I want to say. I thank you for your tolerance in giving us this time. (Applause.)

I have one more thing to say. I have one more thing to say.

Yes, ma'am.

There's one common denominator in every bike lane project that comes up for review, the 3rd Street bike lane, the Pine and Spruce, Castor Avenue, 47th and 48th Street. Every single time the same story, they cherrypick who they invite to the meetings. They fake the amount of support with anonymous surveys. We had 170 people on a petition that lived on that actual corridor where they were putting the bike lane on 47th and 48th. We were ignored. The bike lane people showed up in mass at the public community meetings. They intimidated the people that were there, the little handicapped lady sitting there. We filed a letter of formal complaint with Adam Thiel's office who bumped it down to Michael Carroll, who investigated it and said, oh, well, was it a city employee. He was representing our city employee, Ms. Bruger, when she told everybody in the room to be quiet. There were no places for anybody to sit. The residents who complained about the proposed traffic being diverted were excluded from the rest of the public meetings over a year and a half. And we can show that because on their very own flyers they only invited certain people on their flyers from certain blocks. They completely left off the 49th and Woodland Avenue, oh, we're going to do a study to see what needs to be done over there. Their original plan was taking that all the way to Grays ferry. And instead it was discovered after they realized the neighborhood wasn't built that way. You had a playground there, you had baseball teams, you couldn't take out the parking and three streets would have lost EMT access completely. They didn't know the neighborhood when they decided to push this through. We can prove all that. And what we're asking for is some help from City Council to push back and force them to actually -- like you said it earlier, transparency, that's one of the top key things on Vision Zero is transparency of data. That's not happening here in Philly. (Applause.)

Thank you so much. I think that what you're mentioning --

And I really do hope y'all come to the community because I think that would be a good opportunity for you to get some other side's of opinion.

(Inaudible).

I think what you're mentioning is information that needs to be presented to that District Councilmember again and have that District Councilmember weigh in on that. Because unfortunately, many of us up here as District Councilmembers do not represent those particular areas so I don't have a keen understanding of what's going on on the ground down there.

That's why we're inviting you. But honestly, from what we understand the Committee on Streets was put together to review streets project with some sense of what's right, what's wrong, will this work. It shouldn't just be rubber-stamped by councilmanic prerogative because there's a lot of people that cross all the districts that travel these roads. 47th Street was the main road coming in off of Grays Ferry along with the other road. It's now completely -- 75% of that traffic has been dumped into another neighborhood. That is not okay. The seniors, they need your protection. That's the Committee on Streets role from what I understood. So I hope you come out and see us. Thank you. Bye.

Thank you. Mr. Pullin, would you please call the names of the next commenters as well just so they can queue them up for the final folks that are left to testify in public comment.

Cameron O'Grady, Ben Feinland, Chris Zabel.

Please read all the names so folks can come up for public comment.

Anne Dorn, Cecilia Thompson, John Brookton, Isabel Melvin, Ray King, Russell Richie, Will Tung, Nick DiTaranto, Jason Das, Josh Clough, Ray King, Victor Abadia, James Dougherty and Lou Huang. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Thank you. And again, if you've already testified, could you please limit your comments to things that are novel. Thank you so much. Please begin.

My name is Ben Feinland. I'd like to speak on behalf of Bill 205712 regarding the 47th Street bike lane. Admittedly, I don't live on 47th Street. I live on 46th which is pretty close, and it has been the largest quality-of-life improvement since I've moved to the city four years ago now. It has made it so much easier to get down to Kingsessing to see my friends, to access Baltimore Avenue which is still dangerous, but it's getting better. And so, I cannot stress enough how important and helpful this has been to me as a citizen of West Philadelphia. Similar -- so, yeah, I guess so for Bill 205712, that would allow an increased ability to create loading zones which would make it even safer. And so, similarly for Bill 205718 the loading zones have made life biking into Center City much easier and much less stressful and frankly just much nicer. And so, I hope you consider passing that as well. And lastly, I would just like to voice my support for Bill 23 205649, the City Hall bike lanes. Those would be so helpful to cyclists within the city. So please consider bringing that next time the committee meets. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)