PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Neighbors against planned changes to Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia make their concerns heard Monday evening.
A small group closed down one lane in the block between 16th and 17th streets to show what Washington Avenue could look like, according to the city's proposed plan to change some areas of the avenue from four lanes to three.
When asked if there is enough room for bicycle riders and cars to share, Valerya McGriff exclaimed, “Yes, it is!”
That’s a common theme for the small group who took to Washington Avenue with signs and, with the help of police, shut down a lane over the course of one South Philly block.
"If you shorten the lanes, the traffic will filter into our neighborhoods. It will be madness,” McGriff warned.
“By coming out here and blocking the outer lanes, it demonstrates what the street will actually look like," said Melissa Robbins, a civil rights activist.
"To make it three lanes, it's going to be a tragedy,” said Claudia Smith Sherrod, a nearby resident.
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“You're going to have more accidents because people need to be taught mentally how to react. Not two lines on the street."
While some of these nearby neighbors agree change needs to happen along Washington Avenue, they want other ways of fixing what they see as the problem.
"We want to see it be repaved. We want to see some of the signage. It doesn't just have to be like, one size fits all, three lanes, that's it,” said Albert LIttlepage.
"We're going to fight til the end, that we have all our residents have a fair say in this, as well as the businesses,” Smith Sherrod added.
Two weeks ago, transportation officials unveiled what they call their "final" version to improve safety on Washington Avenue between Grays Ferry Avenue and Fourth Street.
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