Title
Urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to grant more local control for the operation of the right-of-way, the installation of roadway features, to effectively enforce speed limits and the implementation of policies that discourage dangerous driving.
Body
WHEREAS, According to data of reported crashes compiled by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, forty-six percent (46%) of people killed in traffic crashes on Philadelphia streets in 2017 were people walking, and thirty-six percent (36%) of people seriously injured in traffic crashes on Philadelphia streets in 2017 were people walking; and
WHEREAS, Restrictions in the State Motor Vehicle Code limit the ability of local jurisdictions to implement certain roadway designs proven to be effective in protecting vulnerable users, such as pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and individuals with limited mobility. Local jurisdictions are also prohibited from experimenting with roadway designs based on best engineering judgement; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is a complicated, dynamic, and vibrant city with many different modes of travel and mobility options; the power to regulate the safe and equitable use of the right-of-way should be devolved to the most local level of government possible; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is a Vision Zero City and has committed to eliminating all traffic fatalities by 2030 through an equitable approach to engineering, education, and enforcement systems; and
WHEREAS, Despite a demonstrated desire for more mobility choices from residents of dense urban cities and mobility-challenged small towns alike, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has not updated its Motor Vehicle Code to allow for more pedestrian and bicycle-focused policies and discourage behavior that endangers the lives of vulnerable users in many years; and
WHEREAS, A person walking is twice as likely to be killed by a vehicle that is traveling 30 miles per hour as a vehicle traveling 25 miles per hour and three times a...
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