Kenney to enforce Center City bus lanes, Canvass Saturday for Malcolm Kenyatta, Just Streets
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QUICK ACTION
We're running a canvass this Saturday morning for Malcolm Kenyatta, our endorsed candidate in the 181st State House District, and we need volunteers. Do you have 1-2 hours this Saturday morning, September 29th, to help talk to voters in South Kensington about Malcolm Kenyatta's campaign for State Rep? We're meeting upstairs at Johnny Brenda's at 10 am for a send-off with Malcolm where we'll distribute walk lists for canvassing. You'll get a quick training, and then we'll spend a couple hours going out talking to voters and getting people registered to vote. Then we'll meet back at Johnny Brenda's at 1 pm to debrief over lunch and drinks. RSVP to volunteer for the canvass!
EVENTS
Tuesday, September 25, 6:30 pm
Philly YIMBY - September Meeting
Get involved with 5th Square's new Philly YIMBY initiative and help us change the politics of housing and zoning in Philadelphia. At our second meeting, we'll discuss some short-term and long-term committee goals for Philly YIMBY, set general guidelines and goals, and organize a few small teams to work on different organizing and advocacy projects. RSVP for the meeting or sign up to volunteer.
Wednesday, September 26, 6:30 pm
Schuylkill River Trail - Christian to Crescent Connector Public Meeting
A multi-use trail is being planned to connect the existing trail terminus near Christian Street to the Grays Ferry Crescent at 34th Street. The design, which includes an elevated structure, is being prepared by the Philadelphia office of AECOM. Construction is expected to begin mid-2020. The design team is seeking input from the public on the proposed design, alignment and amenities
Friday, September 28, 9:00 am
Just Streets: The Intersection of Crashes, Equity, and Health
This joint Healthy Communities Task Force and Regional Safety Task Force meeting will explore the relationship between traffic safety, equity, and health. Marco Gorini, a Transportation Planner with DVRPC, will present on Crashes and Communities of Concern, a soon-to-be-released report that examines the connections between areas with high crash rates and areas with greater concentrations of low-income and minority populations. With Mike Carroll of OTIS, Jana Hirsch with Drexel's Urban Health Collaborative, Angela Kim of St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, and Erwin Figeroa, senior organizer with Transportation Alternatives.
Saturday, September 29th, 10:00 am
5th Square Canvass for Malcolm Kenyatta
Help us get out the vote for 5th Square endorsed candidate Malcolm Kenyatta, who's running for State Rep in the 181st District! The campaign has noticed there are a lot of voters in this area who need to update their registrations to vote for Malcolm on November 6th, so we're recruiting volunteers to go door to door registering people, and reminding neighbors about the election.
Monday, October 1, 6:00 pm
5th Square Transit Committee - Second Meeting
Come to the second meeting of 5th Square's Transit Committee, and help us build a powerful new transit rider advocacy organization for Philadelphia. Building on our well-attended kick-of meeting with about 40 interested activists, we're continuing the conversation about the Transit Committee's priorities, and will begin breaking into teams to establish some goals and strategies to start winning changes in each of our focus areas:
MERCH
Get our limited run artist series t-shirt, featuring an original illustration by Kate Otte. Proceeds from sales will go to fund our 2019 political activities for City Council races. You can get a shirt at half price ($10 instead of $20) if you become a member, and sign up for a $5 recurring monthly donation. 
NEWS
The Kenney administration is teaming up with SEPTA and the PPA to increase routine enforcement of several common types of moving violations that contribute to Center City traffic congestion. Most notably, they're going to be enforcing the existing bus lanes on Chestnut and Market, which should help speed up buses by getting them out of general traffic.
To aid this effort, Council President Darrell Clarke will introduce a ballot referendum to create a new class of unarmed officer to manage traffic and write tickets for moving violations, as well as "quality-of-life crimes and code violations, and [assist] with special events," reports Jason Laughlin. Philly Free Streets, our Open Streets program, and other outdoor gatherings could stand to get a lot cheaper to run under this plan, which is one reason why the FOP is already signaling opposition. The referendum would likely go before voters in the May 2019 primary.
Permitting more housing close to urban job centers—not widening roads and highways—is the more effective way to provide job access to more people, according to a new UCLA study. "But the proximity effect — the more important factor from a worker’s perspective — has been almost entirely ignored by the highway planning profession," writes Angie Schmitt at Streetsblog, "which has spent billions trying to relieve congestion on urban highways, and largely ignoring the role that land use plays in people’s travel behavior."
I-95 is officially complete, but Turnpike officials still want to blow $450 million more to link together 95, I-295, and the Turnpike using spurious economic arguments about it reducing commute times.
Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell still won't take a position on whether pedestrians should have a safe way to cross Woodland Avenue to get to The Woodlands or the new 40th Street Trolley Portal gardens.
Tired: Single-block protected bike lanes. Wired: Overnight protected bike lane networks
“Left turns are one of the most dangerous things that drivers do all the time"
OPPORTUNITIES
Community Legal Services is hiring for several positions
5th Square is Philadelphia's urbanist political action committee. We're an all-volunteer grassroots organization advocating for safe and affordable transportation, abundant housing, and more and better public spaces. You’re receiving this email if you signed up via our website, attended one of our events, or supported one of our advocacy campaigns. Support our advocacy with a recurring monthly contribution of $5.