🚇 Boulevard Subway Council Hearings
Philadelphia City Council will hold hearings about a proposed Roosevelt Boulevard Subway, a move spurred by the I-95 collapse in Northeast Philly over the weekend.
This is an enormous step towards making this line a reality thanks to your advocacy!
Sign the Roosevelt Blvd Subway petition today.
We will share with our petition signers as we get more info about these hearings and other opportunities to voice your support.
You can help us make a walkable, transit-friendly city for everyone. Become a 5th Square member today for $5 a month. New Member signups get a free Blvd Subway T-Shirt!
🍻 Meetup Tomorrow at 6 PM
Join 5th Square organizers and volunteers for an informal, in-person meet-up over at the newly-opened Walnut Garden! This is an outdoor, family-friendly event where we will provide updates on our recent campaigns.
TOMORROW, June 15th, 6 PM at 1708 Walnut St
These meet-ups are casual social gatherings, and are intended as a fun way for new and existing supporters to connect with other people involved with 5th Square and urbanist issues in Philadelphia, either professionally or in a volunteer/activist capacity, and learn more about what our all-volunteer organization is up to.
If you've been meaning to check out one of our events or meetings but haven't made it out yet, this will be a good first one to come to. And please bring a friend or two!
🌬️ Our Car-Choked City is Killing Us
Designing our city to cater to motorists has shown to have devastating consequences. Recent events have highlighted this more than ever.
Sunday's tanker truck crash and fire has resulted in the tragic death of its driver and the collapse of part of I-95 in Northeast Philly. Our transportation infrastructure has never felt more fragile. This is a moment for projects like the Roosevelt Blvd Subway, for frequent regional rail service, for faster buses with dedicated lanes, and for roadways that invite cyclists and pedestrians. We need a more resilient network with better alternatives to driving.
City of Philadelphia Photo
Also, last week's horrendous air quality as a result of Canadian wildfires are only exacerbated by climate change and car-centric planning. Cars are some of the biggest contributors to everyday urban air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Decades of car-first planning has, and will, only make our lives worse.
Heather Khalifa / The Philadelphia Inquirer
The solutions to these problems aren't showy or even expensive -- just requiring political willpower. We want our city to look like a city -- where Philly residents can walk or bike to accomplish most of their daily errands, and can access high-quality jobs through robust public transportation.
At 5th Square, this is our goal for this region. We want Philly to be a model for the rest of the country as we push into the 21st century and envision a city less dependent on cars.
🚥 Automated Enforcement News
In an Inquirer editorial, the Philadelphia Parking Authority's executive director, Rich Lazer, talks about his agency's recent role in making our city streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.
- Administering the automated enforcement of speeding and red light violations, which has proven to reduce crashes and save lives.
- Ticketing and towing more than 150 'Ghost Cars' - vehicles with covered or missing license plates.
- Towing hundreds of abandoned vehicles and illegally-parked tractor trailers.
- Establishing a dedicated mobile bike lane enforcement unit.
We applaud the PPA's recent accomplishments and urge our state legislature to support the continuation and expansion of automated speed enforcement.
We also can't wait for SEPTA to start camera enforcement of bus-lanes and bus stops -- and want our legislators to authorize this enforcement.
In a recent test of enforcement technology, SEPTA buses recorded over 20,000(!) violations. This only confirms what we see every day with cars blocking buses across the city, slowing commutes and making it more dangerous to board and alight the bus.
👕 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!
EVENTS
Wednesday Night Ride - 2nd anniversary ride
Wednesday, June 14, 7:00 PM
Start: FDR Park Boathouse
Come join us for a ride two years in the making! The first Wednesday Night Ride was two years ago on June 9, 2021. We’ll kick off our 2nd birthday celebration at the FDR Park Boathouse before making our way through the Navy Yard and ending at Dickinson Square Park with Parks on Tap!
Rocky Steps (Philadelphia Museum Of Art)
Summer’s here! Come out for some ice cream while rolling through the city. We’ll be leaving earlier than usual to make sure we have some time for treats at the midpoint.
Inclusive Transportation: Celebrating the Diverse Tapestry of America’s Biking Culture
Tue, Jun 20, 2023 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT [Zoom]
The United States is a diverse nation: however, the people responsible for creating our country’s transportation infrastructure have nearly always been White men. How can we confront this history of inequitable transportation and ensure that everyone in America is able to access transit systems and bike lanes?
A Prayer for Twitadelphia
Wednesday, June 21 · 7 - 9pm EDT
Pen & Pencil Club 1522 Latimer Street Philadelphia, PA 19102
Now that the primary is over, it's time to put the divisiveness of the election behind us and focus on what really matters - laughing at ourselves and making the City of Philadelphia an even better place to call home. That's why we're bringing together the most terminally online of this election cycle for a happy hour to raise some money for a good cause, all while highlighting the terrible political takes and laughable predictions from this cycle.
Feet First Philly - General Meeting
June 21st at 6pm to 8pm. (Zoom)
The topic of the meeting is Asphalt Art in Philadelphia. Register TODAY and join us to learn about the asphalt art process in Philadelphia, and what other organizations are doing with asphalt art projects.
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.
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
Community Design Collaborative and StreetBoxPHL Request for Parklet and Ped Plaza Proposals
The Collaborative and StreetBoxPHL are partnering to support transforming streets into public spaces across Philadelphia. Community Based Organizations (CBO's) considering, or currently developing, Parklets, Pedestrian Plazas, or other interventions in the Right Of Way (ROW) to debut in 2024, and looking for design support are encouraged to fill out the form below by August 4th 2023 to participate in the ROW Steward Services Initiative:
StreetBoxPHL - Right Of Way Roundtable
Are you a BID manager, RCO Board Member, or are you the one on your block who organizes block clean ups, block parties, or other gatherings in the street? Join StreetBoxPHL for the Right Of Way Roundtable (ROW Roundtable) a monthly on-line meeting this Fall 2023. If you take care of public spaces in city streets, or want to learn how to build them, sign up here.
StreetBoxPHL | Graduate Fellowship Opportunity 2023-2024
StreetBoxPHL (SBP) is seeking a highly-qualified (graduate) student Fellow to help launch its ROW Roundtable series, increase its communications and advocacy efforts, and support programmatic efforts to provide technical assistance to stewards of public spaces in the ROW, in collaboration with SBP’s partners. due 7/21
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
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 or more.