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Committee advances 40th‑Seventh Street changes, but neighbors warn of traffic diversion
Summary
The Streets and Services Committee advanced bill 250712 — changes including loading‑zone authority tied to the 40th‑Seventh Street reconfiguration — after testimony from West Philadelphia residents who were sharply divided over safety, traffic diversion and community engagement.
The Philadelphia City Council Streets and Services Committee voted to report bill 250712, a measure tied to curb and loading regulations for the recently reconfigured 40th‑Seventh Street corridor in West Philadelphia.
Supporters said the one‑way conversion and associated parking/loading changes have calmed traffic and improved pedestrian and bicycle safety; opponents said the reconfiguration diverted traffic into surrounding low‑income blocks, reduced ADA access for seniors and was implemented without adequate consultation with local institutions.
Will Tung, a resident of Kingsessing who spoke in favor of the bill, cited PennDOT‑sourced figures presented in project materials and told the committee the corridor “averaged a major crash every month” and that between 2019 and 2023 the corridor saw “45 crashes … 9 pedestrians struck, 3 of them seriously injured,” figures he attributed to Otis documentation. Tung said the reconfiguration and loading zones are part of a broader safety plan for the corridor.
Opponents, including Lynn Hogben, a Windsor Avenue resident, and other neighborhood witnesses said the bill would give the Streets Department broad authority to remove or restrict parking on residential blocks without input on hours, extent of removal or the neighborhood impacts. Hogben said such agency discretion could prevent residents from using on‑street parking overnight and remove oversight from elected representatives.
Several speakers said the changes have created access problems for the Star Harbor Senior Center and for Saint Francis de Sales Parish and School. Theresa Feo, a representative of the school community, said pick‑up and drop‑off conflicts have increased since the conversion and urged a reexamination of design details to address the school’s safety concerns.
Other residents and supporters described immediate improvements in walkability and a calmer street environment. Jason Doss, who lives near the corridor, said he now “seeks out” the redesigned 40th‑Seventh Street to walk and that daylighted corners and a single travel lane reduced past safety hazards.
The committee adopted a package of amendments and then voted to report the bill and related measures to full council.
Why it matters: The corridor strategy is intended to reduce serious crashes on streets identified in city safety plans; neighbors’ claims of traffic diversion and impaired access for seniors highlight tensions between citywide safety strategies and localized impacts. The item will proceed to a full council vote where district offices and the council will weigh the competing testimony.
