48th Street Greenway Initiative
Below is a copy of a letter that we received from the 48th Street Greenway Initiative. The Garden Court Community Association Board endorsed their proposals to make 48th Street safer and greener just over a year ago. Please read and act!
Neighbors:
We need your help right away! You may have seen the flyers hung on doors, trees, and railings last week, indicating that "improvements" would be happening this year on 48th Street; on Friday, a contractor posting no-parking signs informed us that milling is scheduled to begin TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 9th.
Over 500 neighbors signed a petition last year, asking that paving only be done as part of the implementation of a street design that improves traffic safety, greening, and community connections. In spite of that, we have been told that while milling is set to start tomorrow, paving has not even been scheduled, and a final striping pan does not even exist. If milling proceeds as planned, we can all expect to have weeks or months of a bumpy, dusty street. And while paving may be welcome on the one hand, we are deeply concerned that when eventually complete, a smoother roadway surface will only result in faster traffic, more crashes, more injuries, and maybe even deaths. With the support of the Cedar Park, Walnut Hill, and Garden Court Community Associations, our 48th Street Greenway coalition has asked our Councilperson, Jamie Gauthier, to request that the Streets Department and its contractor DELAY THE START OF WORK until a plan can be agreed upon to do the work in manner that improves traffic safety, greening, and community connections.
We were going to ask for a meeting with public officials to learn about the plans, but because of the last minute public notice by the Streets Department, we are stuck in a position of trying to pause a project just as it is about to begin, which is a difficult choice for public officials to make. The best way to help them do so is for as many constituents as possible to tell them it has to happen. If you would like to lend your voice to our effort, please call your city councilperson TODAY; if you have the additional time, you can email the councilperson, managing directors office, and Streets Department together. If you're in the area, you could also stop by the councilperson's constituent services office at 606 So. 52nd Street. Below we have provided contact information and an example of what you might say, which you may certainly personalize; if emailing you may CC this email address. Please share with your friends and neighbors and ask them to do the same.
Jamie Gauthier. 3rd District Councilperson. phone (preferred): (215) 686-0459 or (215) 686-0460 email: 3rdDistrict@phila.gov
Michael Carroll, Deputy Managing Director for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability. email: Michael.A.Carroll@phila.gov
Richard Montanez. Department of Streets, Deputy Commissioner of Transportation. email: richard.montanez@phila.gov
Stephen Lorenz. Department of Streets, Chief Highway Engineer. stephen.lorenz@phila.gov
My name is _________and I live at __________. Please delay the milling and paving of 48th Street that is scheduled to begin this week until an improved street design is agreed upon. Over 500 neighbors signed the 48th Street Greenway Petition last year to ask for a plan to improve traffic safety, greening, and community connections. I am very concerned that if completed as currently planned, a smoother roadway surface will only result in faster traffic, more crashes, more injuries, and maybe even deaths. Without immediate action taken to change course, this expenditure of scarce public resources just to maintain the status quo is shaping up to be an enormous missed opportunity to prevent tragedies and improve quality of life in the middle of our neighborhoods. Please delay the paving of 48th Street so that a plan can be made.
If you or a like-minded neighbor would like to get on our list, just email us!
If there is an initiative you'd like to take on to make 48th Street more beautiful, safe, and green, let's talk! Drop us a line at this email.