PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia City Council committee has advanced a bill that will reduce the number of lanes on Washington Avenue in an effort to make it safer, but only east of Broad Street.
Even though the bill advanced in the Committee on Streets and Services, it’s a defeat for advocates who wanted to narrow the road all the way to Gray's Ferry Avenue.
The bill introduced by Councilmember Mark Squilla will narrow the road in places between Columbus Avenue and Broad Street, but leave it five lanes in areas west of Broad. That part of the road goes through Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson’s district, and Johnson said his constituents want the wider road.
The vote to advance Squilla’s bill followed a two-hour public hearing Thursday afternoon, in which neighbors including Albert Littlepage defended Johnson’s choice to leave West Washington Avenue as a five-lane road.
“By reducing the lanes on an emergency thoroughfare, which Washington Avenue is, you will reduce police and fire response times,” said Littlepage. “You will also increase traffic with trucks on the adjoining smaller streets.”
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They squared off against neighbors such as Andrew Davies, who urged Johnson to amend Squilla’s bill to include the entire road.
“Councilmember Johnson, you have renamed many streets to teach our children and honor the past. I’m asking you to help repave one street to protect our children and help insure their future,” said Davies.
In May, on the day of the last Council meeting at which legislation could be introduced in time to pass before summer break, Johnson declined to introduce a bill that would have allowed the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure (OTIS) to reduce the number of lanes on Washington Avenue in the area where the road passes through Johnson’s district, from Broad Street to Grays Ferry Avenue.
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Squilla's bill advanced in committee with no amendments and now goes to the full Council. It’s the latest step in a 10-year effort by Philadelphia officials to make Washington Avenue safer.
Paving begins this summer. Safety features such as speed cushions will be added along the full length of the avenue, but only the portion in Squilla’s district will see a shrinkage in the number of lanes.
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