Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Street Design Parking Loading topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears testimony supporting parking, loading changes for 40th Street safety project
Summary
Council’s Streets and Services Committee heard testimony supporting a bill that would authorize the Department of Streets to set parking, stopping and time‑limited loading zones on 40th Street between Chestnut and Kingessing as part of a redesign meant to reduce crashes on the corridor.
Council member Jamie Gauthier urged the committee to approve bill 250712, which would authorize the Department of Streets to establish or revise parking, stopping and time‑limited loading zones on both sides of 40th Street between Chestnut Street and Kingessing Street. Gauthier said the changes follow nearly two years of outreach and are part of a traffic‑safety redesign for 40th and 40th paired streets in West and Southwest Philadelphia.
“The conclusion is clear,” Gauthier said, noting the corridor is on the city’s high‑injury network and citing crashes that included “a truck slamming into Lee’s deli and a pedestrian succumbing to her injuries after being struck by a car at 40th.” She said the bill enables specific revisions neighbors requested, including new loading zones to support grocery delivery, seniors and other short‑term stops.
Deputy Commissioner Richard Martinez of the Department of Streets told the committee the bill “authorizes the streets department to promulgate regulations to prohibit or restrict the stopping of vehicles and to establish and revise time limited loading zones on both sides of 40th Street… consistent with the protection of public safety and appropriate use of the right of way.” Martinez said the regulations follow stakeholder engagement conducted between 2023 and 2025 and that the Department supports the legislation.
Chris Gail, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, said the coalition supports the bill because it will “enable the safety of all road users by prohibiting parking in the new separated bike lane and 1 way southbound lane configuration on 40th Street.” Gail noted 40th Street’s placement on the high‑injury network and urged committee members to introduce the bill to the full council.
Committee members asked about crash statistics specific to the block; Gail and department staff said the administration can provide block‑level crash and speed data after the hearing. Martinez and others described coordination between Otis (the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems) and the Department of Streets: Otis leads planning and community engagement while Streets handles implementation.
The chair said public testimony on the bill would be taken during the hearing’s public comment section. No vote was recorded in the transcript.
