Newsletter: 📝 How is Parker on Our Issues? / 📩 SEPTA Budget Action / 🏎️ West Philly's Deadly Speedway / 🏢 Legalizing Affordable Housing

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 234

📝 How is Cherelle Parker on Transit and Litter?

With Cherelle Parker as the Democratic nominee as Mayor, she is heavily favored to win the seat in November's general election. We are eager to see how she will govern as Mayor, and whether she will work to further our common goals for a more robust and resilient city.


Alejandro A. Alvarez / The Philadelphia Inquirer

The Inquirer has been looking into this with a series of articles:

Also, the Inquirer's Editorial Board outlined the need for more dense housing throughout Philly -- not just in Center City. We could not agree more.


📩 ACTION: Email SEPTA Budget Asks

SEPTA is accepting comments to their operating and capital budgets until THIS WEDNESDAY, and we need your help to push for a more efficient and integrated transit system!

Email SEPTA's public comment inbox with your testimony. Include your name and county.

Operating Budget: Send Pre-Filled Email

  • We want unlimited free transfers within two-hours
  • SEPTA Regional Rail fare within Philadelphia to match bus and subway fare, and to accept transfers between these two modes

Capital Budget: Send Pre-Filled Email

  • Support increased funding for Trolley Modernization, accessibility improvements, and bus service improvements
  • Stop building parking structures with transit capital dollars

The comment period closes THIS WEDNESDAY, May 31st!


🏎️ West Philly Speedway Claims Another Life

It's been nearly three years since our petition for safety on Cobbs Creek Parkway. Since then, PennDOT and the City's Streets Department have put into place several initial interventions to reduce vehicle speeds, and thus, deaths on this perennial speedway -- with more on the way.

FOX29 Photo

However, the initial round of interventions are not enough, and the proposed safety measures are too slow to implement!

On Saturday, a person riding a bicycle was struck and killed by a motorist on N 63rd street (within the proposed safety project area). Just two months ago, a motorist died in a crash on Cobbs Creek near Greenway Ave.

We are re-upping our petition for robust and quick implementation of safety measures, and will keep our petition signers up to date on any future actions.

Looking to do more? Come to Harrisburg with us! (see below)


🏛️ Harrisburg Lobby Day

Join the Bicycle Coalition and Families for Safe Streets in Harrisburg in June!

The Roosevelt Boulevard Automated Speed Enforcement pilot is set to expire in December of 2023 and we need your help to make sure our legislators know how important this technology is for the boulevard and all of Philadelphia.

Tuesday, June 6th -- Meet at 30th St. Station 7:00 AM and arrive back in Philadelphia at 5:05 PM. Please sign up


🏢 Legalizing Affordable Housing

At last Thursday’s City Council meeting, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier introduced legislation that would allow an affordable apartment building in West Philly. Read the news here.

Neighbor and 5th Square Volunteer, Will Tung, responded to this latest news:

I’m really happy our Council member is stepping in to ensure that affordable units remain in this section of Philadelphia... The project isn’t ideal. It has way too much parking, but that’s not the fight we’re picking. I’m really glad Jamie is taking a stand here.

It’s unfortunate how exclusionary zoning at 5000 Warrington (and nearby 48th and Chester) have allowed wealthy homeowners to abuse the legal system to keep out people with less means. 5th Square is hopeful about how this decisive action may set a new tone for Councilmember Gauthier’s approach to bad-faith NIMBYism as she heads into her second term.


👕 Roosevelt Blvd Subway Crop Tops are in Stock!

The best way to stay cool this summer is to rock our "Build the Roosevelt Blvd Subway" CROP TOP -- now in stock!

Looking to buy the T-Shirt? Click Here!

We are also offering a FREE T-SHIRT to folks who join us as a new member!

You can help us make a walkable, transit-friendly city for everyone with your financial contributions. Become a 5th Square member today!

Annual Subscriber, $60 per yearMonthly Subscriber, $5 per monthOne Year of Membership, Starting at $60


EVENTS

Wednesday Night Rides / May 31 / Asian Architects + Designers + Artists
On the last day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're lucky to have Sophia take us on an Asian Architects + Designers + Artists ride across our city.
Start: Society Hill Towers
Time: Meet at 7pm, roll at 7:10pm
End: Bar-ly, 11th and Arch
Level of difficulty: easy
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43025538

Saturday, June 3 · 10am - 12pm EDT
Summer Winter Community Garden, 3225 Race Street
Join our walking tour of 3 community gardens in West Philadelphia and learn about NGT’s work to secure and protect them.

THE ENGINE INSIDE | Philadelphia Premiere (84 min) Hosted by Bicycle Film Festival & Philly Bike Expo
Thursday, June 29, 7:00PM
401 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19102
The new documentary feature film, "The Engine Inside" tells the stories of six everyday people from all over the globe, who reveal the unique power of the bicycle to change lives and build a better world.


WHAT WE'RE READING

🏙️ HOUSING & LAND USE

🌳 PUBLIC SPACE

🚌 TRANSIT

🚴 MOBILITY


SURVEYS

SEPTA Spring 2023 Pulse Survey
The goal of the Pulse Survey is to help us better understand travel patterns and how your recent travel experiences on the system have gone. We plan on conducting this survey quarterly so we can track improvement over time.

T-SAP CCT Customer Satisfaction Survey
Thank you for your interest in sharing your feedback on SEPTA'S CCT Shared Ride Program. Results from this survey will help inform and enhance CARIE's transportation advocacy in Philadelphia on behalf of older adults. Survey responses are anonymous.

The Amtrak Bike Task Force wants to hear about your experience, whether good or bad, biking to or from an Amtrak station or taking your bike on Amtrak. Feel free to speak about a specific trip/route or share general feedback. As an outside advisory group, the task force will use your comments to inform our work advocating for changes within Amtrak.

PennDOT District 6 Survey - Interstate 95 Girard Avenue Interchange Project Sections GR5 and GR6.
The project team is seeking feedback on potential designs of spaces under and adjacent to I-95 as a follow-up to information presented at recent Near Neighbors Meetings held in Northern Liberties and Old City. Meeting materials from these meetings can be found at 95revive.com. The survey will be open to the community until June 30.

GRANTS & OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Americorps VISTA Indego:
The Indego team is looking to hire a Transportation Engagement VISTA to help build capacity for community outreach and programming. The application is due June 5th.

Lehigh Ave Safety Project Liaison Application
City of Philadelphia’s Office of Complete Streets, is recruiting Lehigh Avenue Safety Project Liaisons. Liaisons will help organize their community on traffic safety and transportation accessibility. This project focuses on Lehigh Avenue between Kensington Ave and American St.
$1,800 stipend, apply by May 31st !

MedAssist is an innovative AI-powered web application designed to assist psychiatrists in selecting the most appropriate bipolar medication for first-time patients. This is a volunteer-driven open-source project under Code for Philly. Looking for the following volunteers:
Technical folks

  • Data scientists
  • AI/ML, full-stack, and backend developers
  • UX folks (researchers and designers)

Non-technical folks

  • Researchers (no specific skills required) to gather bipolar-related content from the internet, such as clinical trial reports, to feed the AI
  • Psychiatrists/Medication Prescribers to be Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and help us get this thing right!
  • Anyone interested in mental health who thinks they could help

5th Square is Philadelphia's urbanist political action committee.

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