In another attempt to rebalance Philadelphia streets toward pedestrians and cyclists, the city will be closing the left-most lane of traffic on Market Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard between 15th and 20th streets for the next two weeks.
The closure is meant to test an idea — put forward by the Center City District two years ago — that these two arterials could be made more pedestrian and bike friendly without significantly impacting traffic.
Each street will have three lanes open to traffic, and no parking spots will be lost in the experiment.
CCD president and CEO Paul Levy said that his organization has wanted to “improve the public environment” around the “very wide, auto-dominated streets,” which have none of the first-floor businesses and amenities of other Center City arterial streets like Chestnut and Walnut.
An original plan to have both streets run in both directions was shot down by the city because of traffic concerns, according to deputy Streets commissioner Steve Buckley.
But discussions with building owners along the corridor revealed there was a strong interest in adding a dedicated bike lane for Center City professionals who bike to work, Levy said.
The bike lane would go in the closed lanes, which, if this test is successful, would be separated from traffic by a landscaped buffer or a raised hard surface, as well as a row of parked cars.
The temporary closures will be much less aesthetically oriented. Instead of landscaping, expect traffic cones and pedestrian barriers
Buckley said the city expects the lane closures to have minimal impact on traffic — besides some additional congestion at rush hour — and that the city will monitor the situation to see if that prediction pans out.
Levy said success would hinge on whether the city and Philadelphia Parking Authority enforce rules against double-parking — which he said frequently happens on the streets now, but which could gum up traffic in the new configuration.
The closures are just the latest in a series of moves by the city to make new use of street space, which have included a proposed pedestrian plaza program (http://planphilly.com/when-streets-give-way-plazas), as well as the installation of parklets (http://planphilly.com/philly-first-university-city-gets-parklet) in University City.
Assuming the test pans out, Buckley said the city would like to see a more involved public process to determine what the streetscaping project would look like. He estimated the project could cost between $10 million to $20 million — though no money has been set aside to pay for it.
Levy said CCD was committed to paying for the next round of engineering studies but said it could take about two years before Philadelphians could see anything on the ground.
Contact the reporter at acampisi@planphilly.com
Comments
Delighted to see this! I was hit by a car while cycling on Market Street two weeks after I moved to Philly in 2009. I still bike on Market and JFK - there's plenty of room for both cars and bikes, and there aren't good alternative streets nearby - but I regularly have scary "close encounters" even though I'm really, really careful. Bike lanes would make the streets safer for both groups and encourage more cyclists to get off the sidewalk and onto the streets.
How about foot traffic only streets: no bikes, no cars, no parking? Just shopping and eating. It works in Denmark.
What about getting licenses for cyclists before we give them anything more?
What about enforcing traffic laws and the law which says cyclists must not ride on pavements?
Do any of you walk the streets of Center City and see the barbarian behavior exhibited by most cyclists?
This country has already given most of it's transportation resources to motorists. This is just trying to balance things out.
And motorists NEVER EVER break the laws, right? While I see cyclists run lights, coast through stop signs ride on sidewalks (maybe because the roads are dangerous), ect
On a daily basis I see motorists not stop at stop signs, run red lights and drive incredibly distracted by phones, stereos, friends, TVs, ect. Not to mention how insanely fast some people feel entitled to drive on crowded city streets which puts everyone at danger. Just got to love some driving 50 mph to hit the next stop light.
As for dollars and cents roads are paid for local, state and federal taxes not just registrations and gas taxes so quit whining about very low cost bicycle infrastructure when I am also subsidizing your priviledge to drive.
Cyclists aren't a problem. However, if you feel they're causing you issues as a driver or pedestrian, then you should realize that something like this will only serve to alleviate whatever issues it is you're running into.
Don't want cyclists on pavements (assuming you mean sidewalk)?
Make the street safer to ride on.
This project is testing the feasibility of exactly that.
Bicyclists are the problem for pedestrians. In Center City there are clearly marked bicycle lanes on Spruce & Pine, Columbus Blvd. or Delaware Avenue, Spring Garden, Washington, Parkway, 5th & 6th, 12th, 22nd and more to come. In West Philly: Baltimore, Haverford, Spruce, Walnut, Powelton, 33rd & 34th, 43rd& 44th, 48th. The behaviors such as running red lights and stop signs (through crossing pedestrians), riding against traffic (and possibly hitting crossing pedestrians looking the other, correct way for vehicular traffic) and riding on sidwalks continue on those streets, just like everywhere else. Every street in Philadelphia could have a dedicated bike lane and the behaviors will continue so long as police enforcement is nil, which always has been.
All this effort to make Philadelphia Bicycle Friendly. How about similar steps to make Friendly Bicyclists?