The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is proposing a 1,000-vehicle parking garage at 30th and Grays Ferry Avenue. This garage would be over 70 feet tall, reserved for employees, and would require a separate shuttle service.
Sign this petition telling CHOP: Don't Treat Grays Ferry as a Parking Lot
In the interests of pedestrian safety and environmental justice, we demand CHOP withdraw their permit application for the 3000 Grays Ferry Parking Garage.
- When Grays Ferry is already an environmentally distressed neighborhood, this new CHOP garage would choke the neighborhood in even more pollution.
- This garage goes against conclusive research by pediatric health experts that call for promoting healthier pedestrian environments and better pedestrian infrastructure, as well as community programming to make neighborhoods greener and safer.
- Donors expect institutions like CHOP to align capital projects with environmental justice and racial equity values. This could be a defining moment for CHOP’s leadership on those fronts.
- The influx of cars will exacerbate traffic safety issues and will conflict with the newly-protected bike lane on Grays Ferry Ave.
CHOP should invest these transportation funds into:
- Joining the SEPTA Key Advantage program alongside Penn Medicine, encouraging greater transit use.
- Working with SEPTA & University City District to improve the LUCY shuttle service
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Partner with existing private garages to provide spaces for employees who must drive.
- A City Planning Commission study found that existing garages in University City are less than 3/4 full at peak times.
- Working with the City to improve bike lanes & add more bike parking.
The recent death of CHOP pediatric oncologist Dr. Barbara Friedes while biking to work, as well as the 2019 death of community leader Kyle Shenandoah near this site at 34th & Grays Ferry reflect the injustice and danger of car-dominated streets in Philadelphia.