PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Council gave final approval Thursday to a bill that would limit mobile services in Kensington, and similar restrictions could be coming to an adjacent district.
Opponents of Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada’s bill have been hammering away on it since it was introduced last Fall, but as it was poised for passage, supporters turned up in force for the first time.
Among the supporters was Delilah, a fourth grader at Gloria Casarez Elementary School.
“When I walk to and from school, I see trash all over our streets. I also see glass, needles and other things that make our neighborhood unsafe and dirty,” she said.
The bill, which passed 14 to 3, cites the debris left behind by mobile services to restrict providers to a few locations and require they hold permits. It would take effect 60 days after Mayor Cherelle Parker signs it, which she is expected to do.
Lozada thanked her colleagues upon the bill’s passage.
“This is just the first step to improving quality of life and so I’m extremely grateful and understand it was a difficult decision,” she said.
The tactic is already spreading. Councilman Mike Driscoll also introduced a bill banning mobile service providers in his district, adjacent to Lozada’s, unless they win the support of Registered Community Organizations.
“This could create some migration of the mobile services units, so I don’t want them to just bleed into the sixth district without local community support,” said Driscoll.
That bill is expected to get a hearing June 4.