City Council took action Thursday on a few high-profile measures dealing with parking, traffic safety and the use of Philadelphia’s streets.
Lawmakers amended legislation related to loading zones in Center City; approved a similar bill for 47th Street; and authorized speed cameras on more than 25 miles worth of roadway.
Spruce and Pine loading zones
As originally introduced, the Center City proposal gave the Department of Streets authority to regulate loading zones – without the need for individual legislation – in an area bounded by Spring Garden and Sansom streets from the Delaware to the Schuylkill rivers.
Then, during a contentious five-hour hearing in late September, the bill was rewritten to cover only Pine and Spruce streets, which have been the subject of an ongoing battle over bicycle infrastructure.
A third version of the law, rolled out Thursday, is a bit closer to the initial ordinance.
East of Broad Street, the Streets Department is authorized to maintain loading zones from Spring Garden to Sansom; the map is a little more complicated west of Broad, incorporating much of the area between Chestnut Street and Bainbridge, with a carve-out for a section of the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.
Cycling advocates reacted positively to the change. They assert that the zones reduce the number of cars double-parking in bike lanes, which cause riders to swerve into traffic.
The bill is a direct response to an August court decision, where a judge ordered the city to eliminate recently installed loading zones on Spruce and Pine streets, as part of a lawsuit brought by a neighborhood organization opposed to the parking restrictions.
The loading zones are part of a two-stage project intended to improve safety on Pine and Spruce following the death of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Dr. Barbara Friedes, who was killed by a drunk driver in July 2024 while riding a bike near 18th and Spruce streets.
City officials have said a second phase will involve the construction of concrete barriers and planters to bolster existing bicycle paths.
“I was walking by at that moment and saw (Friedes’) body lying in the street,” Center City resident Genny Boccardo-Dubey said Thursday during Council’s public comment portion of the meeting. “That moment will always stay with me, and I would like to believe that she did not die in vain.”
Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who crafted the legislation alongside member Mark Squilla, told Metro that he does not anticipate any further amendments. A final vote could be held as soon as Thursday, Oct. 23.
Zones on 47th Street
Legislators passed an ordinance Thursday giving the Streets Department leeway to set up loading zones on 47th between Chestnut Street and Kingsessing Avenue in West and Southwest Philadelphia.
The alterations are meant to complement a reconfiguration that turned 47th into a one-way street in mid-August. The other vehicular lane was converted into a parking-protected bike path.
Opponents of the loading zone bills have argued that Streets alters parking regulations without knowing the specific context of the neighborhood, such as the presence of nearby schools and senior centers.
“When a child dies as a result of these changes, what will you say then?” said resident Theresa Feo, who testified against the 47th Street measure.
Speed camera expansion
Lawmakers also voted unanimously in favor of legislation allowing automated speed enforcement on three more state routes.
Cameras were authorized for Erie and Torresdale avenues (State Route 1004) from Hunting Park to Linden avenues; Oregon Avenue, Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Delaware Avenue and Richmond Street (Route 2001) between Broad and Bridge streets; and Allegheny Avenue (Route 2016) between Ridge and Delaware avenues.
Once installed, the devices track speeds and snap a photograph of a license plate if a driver is determined to have been traveling 11 mph or more over the limit. Fines of between $100 and $150 are sent out in the mail, with the exact amount depending on the extent of the speeding.
Automated enforcement has been in place along Roosevelt Boulevard since 2020, and cameras are now operational on Broad Street. Lawmakers have also approved the devices for Route 13, which runs along sections of Baltimore Avenue, 34th and 33rd streets, Hunting Park Avenue and Frankford Avenue.
A 2023 state law made the Roosevelt Boulevard speed camera program permanent and allowed the city to expand the initiative to five additional state routes. With Thursday’s passage, Council has now designated all of those roadways, meaning any further expansion would likely require action in Harrisburg.
