A group of traffic safety advocates – many of whom with first-hand experience of losing a loved one – gathered Sunday along North Broad Street to honor crash victims and demand change.
They took turns sharing their personal stories and reading the names of the 110 people who were killed in vehicular violence over the last 12 months in Philadelphia, Delaware and Bucks counties. (Organizers said they were unable to obtain a list of Montgomery County victims).
Glenn Colville Jr., 43, died after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bicycle April 12 at Aramingo and Lehigh avenues in Port Richmond.
“One moment Glenn was here; the next, our family was in pain and heartbreak. Emptiness. Words could never explain,” his sister, Shannon Colville, said. “He deserved a future, and our family deserved the chance to grow older with him.”
Dozens of similar ceremonies went on throughout the country on Sunday to mark World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, according to organizers.
The memorial was held at a small triangular park bordered by Broad Street, Butler Street and Germantown Avenue in North Philadelphia. Nearby, drivers zoomed up and down Broad, which has been monitored by speed cameras for more than a year.
Safety advocates spoke about the importance of automated enforcement, which is also active on Roosevelt Boulevard, Route 13 and in five school zones. The cameras, they asserted, are not a “money grab.”
“Bottom line: Speed cameras save lives,” City Managing Director Carlton Williams said. “There's been a 90% decrease in speeding on Roosevelt Boulevard since we incorporated them at their locations and nearly a 50% decrease in pedestrian traffic deaths.”
Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, which organized Sunday’s event, asked attendees to push for several safety-oriented measures and oppose one City Hall proposal.
In September, City Councilmember Jeffrey Young Jr. introduced legislation that would reduce the fines assessed through speed cameras. The minimum ticket would be cut in half, from $100 to $50. The bill has not yet been heard in committee.
“I spent almost $15,000 to bury my son, and you're crying over a $100 ticket for you breaking the law,” the Rev. Stephanie Evans said.
Robert Evans III, 37, was killed in a hit-and-run crash nearly seven years ago on the 5900 block of North Broad Street.
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, who attended the ceremony, discussed her bill, introduced in June, that would require new federal safety standards for vehicle height, hood and bumper design, along with minimum visibility benchmarks.
“Over the past 15 years, pedestrian deaths from vehicles have increased rapidly as popular vehicles have become larger and higher and heavier,” she said. "A growing body of evidence has shown a link between vehicle design and an elevated risk for pedestrian injuries and fatalities, particularly among children.”
In Harrisburg, state Rep. Sean Dougherty, whose district is based in Fox Chase, plans to offer legislation in the coming months mandating Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems for drivers who are repeatedly sanctioned for speeding. ISA can prevent vehicles from accelerating beyond posted limits.
“We are not talking about requiring every driver to use this technology," Dougherty remarked. "We are talking about applying it to drivers who have repeatedly demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to follow speed limits."
Traffic fatalities in Philadelphia dropped 26% last year, dipping below 100 for the first time since 2019; however, the number of individuals who were seriously injured increased about 5%, according to the city’s latest Vision Zero report.
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