Weekly Newsletter, Issue 179 🚌 🛣 BUS ONLY LANES As SETPA's Bus Revolution gets underway, there is a potential problem on the horizon. Many key routes connect disparate parts of the city and are extremely slow. No matter how the bus routes change, the busses will still have to deal with traffic. One great way to speed things up is to add bus only lanes to the street. We need to show the City that we want bus lanes! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 178 🚲 25th STREET REDESIGN The City has another survey out for redoing 25th Street in South Philly, underneath a viaduct that needs significant repair. There are three different designs being put forward: Design A which has two lanes, parking, and loading zones, Design B with two lanes, protected bikes lanes, and a raised pedestrian crossing, and Design C, which has four lanes and parking and loading on the curb. We feel that Design B has the most benefits for all residents, being available for all kinds of traversal and one of the few city streets with protected bike lanes. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 177 🚲 PARKING PROTECTED BIKE LANES Last Monday, the State Senate Transportation Committee held a hearing about HB140, which amends Title 75 to legalize parking separated bike lanes. Sarah Clark Stuart of the Bicycle Coalition provided testimony in favor of the bill. The City of Philadelphia with Kittleson and Associates has already released a study on parking separated bike lanes as part of a cycling network. There are already some bike lane pilot projects like this around the city that were granted special permissions through PennDOT, like Market St and JFK Blvd. However, passage of HB140 would allow those and other projects to become permanent. If you haven't already, send an email to your elected officials to encourage them to take the vote on this in April. There are only a few days left for legislative sessions... Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 176 ⛽️ GAS TAX REBATES 5th Square members Fae Ehsan and Caitlin Nagle wrote an op-ed in the Inquirer against a possible gas tax rebate, as gasoline prices are on the rise. They felt that it does little to address the structural problems facing low-income Pennsylvanians while exacerbating the climate crisis and lining the pockets of Big Oil. Continue reading

Newsletter, Issue 175½ // April 1, 2022 Thank you for reading our first April Fools Newsletter Issue, if you aren't already a newsletter subscriber, sign up here!  All of these news items are satire, but obviously, with a kernel of truth touching on systemic issues with Philadelphia's broken political process and the way its affects our built environment and its residents. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 175 🔑 SEPTA INSTITUTIONAL PASSES Recently, SEPTA announced Key Advantage, their institutional pass program. Drexel University, Penn Medicine, and Wawa are their first participants for the 6 month trial. The passes will be active May 1st. 5th Square co-chair Jon Geeting and our partners at Transit Forward Philadelphia were instrumental in getting the program up and running. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETuesday, March 22, 2022 5th Square is proud to announce its endorsement for the following candidates for this year's 2022 Pennsylvania primary elections. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 174 📣✅ 2022 ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS Following the polls of our membership, 5th Square is proud to announce its endorsement for the following candidates for this year's 2022 Pennsylvania primary elections. Paul Prescod for the 8th Senate District Marylouise Isaacson for the 175th House District Joe Hohenstein for the 177th House District Jonathan Lovitz for the 182nd House District Elizabeth Fiedler for the 184th House District Andre Carroll for the 201st House District Continue reading

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tanya Seaman yesterday, March 17th, 2022, after a courageous battle with terminal cancer. Tanya was a tireless advocate for Vision Zero in Philadelphia and our world is better off for having her. She was co-founder and past executive director of PhillyCarShare. In her role as co-chair of SOSNA's vision zero committee, she spearheaded multiple roadway safety projects in her community.  Her advocacy and leadership will endure in Philadelphia's built environment with everybody who uses our streets enjoying a safer and more-equitable means of travel. We are posthumously publishing the op-ed she wrote advocating for a safer Washington Avenue. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 173 🚮 LITTER FREE STREETS AT LAST...? The City is holding virtual meetings via Zoom about the upcoming Mechanical Cleaning Pilot Program on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week. The street cleanings will be starting on April 4th in 14 different neighborhoods: North Central, Frankford, Germantown, Kensington, Logan, Nicetown, Paschall, Point Breeze, Port Richmond, South Philly (Lower Moyamensing), Southwest, Strawberry Mansion, West Fairhill, and West Philly. Zoom ID: 836 7765 6475Passcode: 127032Phone dial-in number: 267-831-0333 Tuesday, March 15, at noonTuesday, March 15, at 3 p.m.Wednesday, March 16, at 6 p.m.Thursday, March 17, at 10 a.m.Thursday, March 17 at 6 p.m. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 172 🤝🍻 MEMBERS-ONLY EVENT: 2022 CANDIDATES MEET & GREET Did you sign up for a membership already? Do you want to be a member? Come join us at Buffalo Billiards in Old City and get to know the candidates running in your district, hear their takes on urbanist topics, and sign their petitions to get on the ballot. Thursday, March 10th, 2022 at 6:30 PM Continue reading

5th Square members and volunteers came to SEPTA's FY2022 Capital Budget Amendment hearings today to advocate for Bus Revolution Trolley Modernization Subway Station Accessibility Reimagining Regional Rail Here is the spoken testimony delivered at the virtual public meeting today by 5th Square members and volunteers. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETuesday, March 1, 2022 PHILADELPHIA — Today, Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability (OTIS) announced that they are proceeding with the ‘Mixed Layout’ option for Washington Avenue. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 170 📢 REMINDER: PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE FOR WASHINGTON AVE The city is holding a public Open House for Washington Ave tonight, March 1st @ 6:30 PM, to unveil the final plans. It will be held in person at the Christian Street YMCA (1724 Christian St), following COVID-19 guidelines, and a virtual option on Facebook Live. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 170 📢 PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE FOR WASHINGTON AVE The city announced the location of their public Open House for Washington Ave, where they plan on releasing the final-final-final plans for this roadway on Tuesday, March 1st @ 6:30 PM. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 169 ✍️ KEEP UP THE PRESSURE AT WASHINGTON AVENUE This weekend, we were out on our Washington Ave Families event, making signs and postcards against the street layout changes. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThursday, February 10, 2022PHILADELPHIA — On Monday, 5th Square established its Safer Washington Avenue Fund, specifically dedicated to electing Philadelphia candidates who will pledge to uphold the City's stated Vision Zero goals. In four days, it has drawn more than $10,000 in donations. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 168 ✉️ WASHINGTON AVENUE IN JEOPARDY We are asking everyone to contact OTIS, the Mayor, and Councilmembers Johnson & Squilla to tell them we want the safest possible option for Washington Ave -- the original 3-lane layout. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESunday, February 6, 2022PHILADELPHIA — Yesterday, the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) released its update on the Washington Avenue Repaving and Improvement Project which backtracked from their September 2020 “Final Design Decision.” The City’s new plan eliminates the safest roadway layout, the 3-lane layout, from consideration in its design. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 167 🎩 RUN FOR A COMMITTEE PERSON SEAT IN 2022 Want to take the next step up toward neighborhood political leadership, and help 5th Square support great candidates for office in the 2022 and 2023 elections? Continue reading