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Authorizing the Committee on Streets and Services to hold hearings to examine the City’s implementation of its Vision Zero Action Plan, evaluate progress toward eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries, and to identify opportunities to improve roadway safety throughout Philadelphia, including through daylighting, traffic calming, pedestrian infrastructure, and other such measures.
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WHEREAS, In Philadelphia, traffic crashes continue to claim the lives of Philadelphians and cause serious injuries, placing a significant burden on families, neighborhoods, and communities throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, In November 2016 Mayor Jim Kenney signed Executive Order 11-16 which established the Office of Complete Streets and the Vision Zero Task Force. The executive order charged the Vision Zero Task Force with developing an action plan that would put the City of Philadelphia on a path toward zero traffic-related deaths by the year 2030; and
WHEREAS, In March 2024, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker reasserted the City’s commitment to eliminating traffic deaths through Executive Order 4-24, re-establishing the Vision Zero Task Force and establishing the Office of Multimodal Planning to advance street design and transportation policies consistent with the City’s Vision Zero goals; and
WHEREAS, In November 2025, the City released its Vision Zero Action Plan 2030, which identifies the High Injury Network, representing approximately 12 percent of Philadelphia streets that account for 80 percent of traffic deaths and serious injuries, as a central focus for targeted safety improvements and investment; and
WHEREAS, According to the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan 2030, 120 Philadelphians lost their lives in traffic crashes in 2024, following 123 traffic deaths in 2023, 126 in 2022, 123 in 2021, and 155 in 2020, demonstrating that traffic fatalities have remained elevated since the significant increase beginning in 2020; and
WHEREAS, The impact of traffic violence is particularly significant for people traveling outside of vehicles. In 2024, people walking, biking, rolling, or riding motorcycles represented less than 10 percent of all crashes but accounted for nearly two-thirds of traffic fatalities; and
WHEREAS, Traffic safety also presents significant disparities across Philadelphia communities. The City’s Vision Zero Action Plan found that areas with higher concentrations of low-income residents experience traffic fatalities and serious injury crashes at substantially higher rates, while the Philadelphia Department of Public Health has identified disparities in traffic-related deaths among Black and Hispanic Philadelphians; and
WHEREAS, According to the City Controller’s July 2026 analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, Philadelphia recorded 9.04 traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2024, an increase from 8.64 fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2023; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s 2024 traffic fatality rate exceeded the rates of several peer cities, including Chicago at 7.15 fatalities per 100,000 residents, Washington, D.C. at 4.73, Boston at 3.64, and New York City at 2.86; and
WHEREAS, Although Philadelphia’s traffic fatality rate has declined from its level of more than 10 fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2020, the City Controller has noted that the continued disparity between Philadelphia and other major cities underscores the importance of continued roadway safety efforts; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, the City has implemented a range of Vision Zero initiatives, including automated speed enforcement, traffic-calming measures, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, street-lighting improvements, Safe Routes Philly programming, and targeted investments along the High Injury Network; and
WHEREAS, Effective implementation requires a comprehensive approach that includes both major infrastructure investments and targeted safety interventions, such as daylighting at intersections, accessible pedestrian signals, high-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, and other measures that improve visibility, accessibility, and predictability for people walking and traveling throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, As the City continues implementing the Vision Zero Action Plan 2030 and directing resources toward roadway safety, regular oversight is necessary to assess whether investments and interventions are reaching the locations and communities with the greatest need and producing measurable improvements in safety; and
WHEREAS, The City Council has a responsibility to the people of Philadelphia to ensure that Philadelphia's transportation investments are advancing the City's stated goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Committee on Streets and Services is hereby authorized to hold hearings to examine the City’s implementation of its Vision Zero Action Plan, evaluate progress toward eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries, and to identify opportunities to improve roadway safety throughout Philadelphia, including through daylighting, traffic calming, pedestrian infrastructure, and other such measures.
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