Being anti-car is not single issue, it's supports walking, cycling, and transit. It helps those who are unable to drive or cannot afford a car. It leads to a healthier city, a quieter city, and a more attractive city.

You don't have to sell me, but I take your point. I'm looking for candidates that are actually serious about improving options for non-drivers. I firmly believe, though, that the first and easiest step to improving other modes of transit is enforcing the laws we already have about what you can and can't do with your car. I'm looking for candidates who want to do that.

Unfortunately, until the city urbanizes and densifies further outside of Greater Center City this is a losing coalition/message. While I agree this should be a priority for the next Mayor many if not a clear plurality of Philadelphians believe the car is sacrosanct even when walking or public transit is an safe, viable option.

I don't like calling it anti-car. It's the vulnerability hierarchy. Pedestriaes are most vulnerable, then bicycles/scooters/boards, then motorcycles/heavy scooters, then cars. I'd even argue that the cars category should be broken down by weight class. The laws and roads should be enforced and designed to protect the more vulnerable over the less vulnerable. It's that simple.

That's somewhat in progress at the moment, unless the next mayor is actively against keeping the traffic enforcers the PPD finally agreed to allowing (yes, we're that fucked by them).

> Philadelphia may replace some sworn police officers with civilians and create a unit of unarmed traffic enforcement officers, a move city officials say is aimed at freeing up trained police to fight crime amid a historic surge in gun violence.

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/philadelphia/philadelphia-can-replace-police-with-civilians-20221115.html

Oh I know. I just step on this soapbox and go into a hypnosis. It's bad. I should do some more candidate research though. Living here two years has been long enough to be ignorant (blissful) of local politics.

from today at 13th and Chestnut. There’s almost zero political will to tackle the car brained vocal voting bloc unfortunately. Following this thread to hopefully find some hope.

This issue is also heavily weighted in my calculus...honestly the candidates aren't really talking about this. I suspect Jeff Brown wouldn't be awesome on this issue because he views things as an auto-oriented commercial business owner (speculating). MQS might be okay as she introduced the TOD bill. Parker is from NW, no idea on Rhynhart, Domb might be okay.

We really need to replace some of that parking with designated loading zones.

Absolutely. I don’t want anyone to get it twisted, this isn’t on the person making the delivery, but they should absolutely be ticketed so there’s pressure down the chain and people that actually have some kind of clout with city government start making noise.

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Also relevant: cop in crosswalk at 15th and Porter

Does the Philly Bicycle Coalition do endorsements?

The 13th Street bike lane is an absolute joke. They tried to pretend that a painted bike lane would be sufficient and now there's barely any paint left. It's now a full time loading zone for the restaurants there.

Or height class, when you’re trying to pull out of a side street to a one way in a regular sized car when there’s a big-ass truck parked blocking the view.

I'd argue bikes are way more vulnerable than pedestrians as they are (supposed to be) sharing the roadway with cars at almost all times, whereas pedestrians do so only at street crossings.

But it's not a contest obviously. All of us (and bikers/drivers are also all pedestrians at times) need to be protected from drivers.

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Does the BCGP do… anything?

Advocate for rail trails in the suburbs

Maybe so, but "I believe our bike lanes should should be safe and usable, our crosswalks and sidewalks accessible to those with mobility issues or strollers, and our intersections should have sufficient visibility for drivers to drive safely" sounds a bit more positive and is a viable message for a progressive candidate.

Totally depends on the scenario. I posed it this way because bikes can easily clobber a pedestrian when they aren't yielding. The opposite is less likely, but then again, I've hit my share of not-looking or jaywalking pedestrians while biking.

Inconveniencing walkers is worse than inconveniencing bikers

Inconveniencing bikers is worse than inconveniencing drivers

Inconveniencing drivers is the best

I'll put my own personal spin on this to steal your visibility: If I were single issue it would be public transit: more, cleaner, safer.

I don't understand why we don't crack down on the amount of cars literally in existence in the city via enforcing laws already on the book, then making loading zones at the beginning and ending of EVERY SINGLE BLOCK. Then towing and impounding every motherfucker who blocks a travel lane.

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Yeah, whoever was the driving force behind that is my friend and I'm influenced to vote for them. Does anyone know who that was?

They are ticketed multiple times a day. The companies don't care, it's a cost of doing business for them. Make the tickets $500 and they might start to care.

No, they are a 501c3 nonprofit and would lose their tax exempt status if they did that. There are PACs in the city which basically align with BCGP values and they do make endorsements and campaign contributions. 5th Square is probably the most active in local politics

I hear you, but transit is complicated. I ride it because I like it, but recognize that other people won't until it's more convenient than driving (people are self-interested, you know). As long as people can just do what they want with their cars, it will always be more convenient to drive and transit ridership will be depressed. If people get out of their cars, they ride SEPTA. When people ride SEPTA, it improves. So, while I support direct efforts to clean and police SEPTA, I feel enforcing the laws on cars will actually have a bigger positive impact on SEPTA.

Lol, don't even get me started on how many pedestrians will walk off a sidewalk straight into my path in the bike lane, while looking either in the opposite direction or straight down into their phone. While I'm obviously not going to victim-blame for all the pedestrians injured and killed by drivers, there are some people that seem to have a death wish or at least no survival instinct.

> The city budget currently includes $1.25 million to hire 28 public safety enforcement officers. The agreement doesn’t include a timetable, but City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who has championed the effort for three years, said he was optimistic the city would begin to hire for the jobs in early 2023.

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I don't think this is a car vs. anti-car issue. It is wrapped up in the role of the PPD in Philly. Has any candidate explicitly commented on what the PPD is supposed to be doing in the city and how they (mayoral candidate) will improve the quality of life and/or deal with crime?

I heard last year that PPD was not supposed to stop or deal with low level traffic violations. I thought the directive is that the PPD ignore all but the most serious of crimes. Am I wrong?

No this isn’t true at all. They did give them a directive to not pull people over for certain violations (which i think is misguided, but that’s a whole other issue), but they still can very much do mundane things like ticket illegal parking and stuff. They choose not to.

Not a single thing has been "don't enforce moving violations."

That is the soft strike. The PPD does not give a shit.

Well, that complicates things. It's apparently the one Darrell Clarke thing that I like. Damn, I wish elections weren't choices.

Itzkowitz is really good on these issues. He’s pro city. Worked to end parking minimums in old city.

Edit: he’s running for city council at large.

This is my first time even hearing that name. Let me do a bit of research; that sounds at least somewhat promising.

Same.

Which one is pro-public transit expansion?

thanks for clarifying.

Have any of the candidates even addressed the lack of cooperation or the duties of the PPD? (Other than Rynhart's financial report)

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>Make the tickets $500

Towing gets people's attention

Wait as in Job Itzkowitz? He's running too? I used to do some volunteer stuff with him a million years ago. Everyone is running, seems like.

Which one has ever even ridden the EL?

This too although I imagine it's not easy to tow a semi filled with beer kegs or whatever.

For what it's worth, this would also benefit regular drivers so it's really a win/win situation.

I think NYC has designated streets only for semi/delivery parking but I have no idea how Philly would handle those logistics.

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Literally the least important thing that needs to be done in Philadelphia right now.

Running for city council at large.

Ah ok I thought you meant mayor!

What can they do?

PPD does not answer to the city. Being able to hand pick their doctors is a state policy. The city can't fire them. That goes to mandatory arbitration, and those arbiters do things like reinstate officers who send bestiality porn to their coworkers.

The only target that the city can touch is funding, and that's obviously not on the table.

There are genuinely none. No one is willing to stand up to the "but my parking" lobby.

It's a city, you can handle several issues at once.

And check out notjustbikes if you think walkability/bikeability isn't important. It absolutely is in a city.

Yeah, so many reoccurring issues have been fixed in the past ten years, right?

Get real. The governmental bodies in this city are incapable of doing more than one thing at a time if anything.

Biking is probably dead last on my list of things that should change in Philly.

Edit: I read Jane Jacobs and am well aware of how increased traffic leads to better outcomes. I just don’t believe it’s going to fix a damn thing right now.

It's important to me. Since I'm real unlikely to be shot, being hit by a car while having to navigate around other cars that are parked inappropriately is literally the biggest danger I face on a day to day basis. Vote how you want based on whatever criterion you find important.

The mayor appoints the police commissioner.

>used to do some volunteer stuff with him a million years ago

He and I were coworkers at a dot-com startup in a previous millennium. He's a great guy who was universally well-regarded there. I'm glad to hear he's running for an at-large seat. That's a tough election to win, but he has my support.

I'm with you. This is down on the list of priorities in Philly as a whole right now. Crime, poverty, education, opioid epidemic, homeless and trash at least are above it.

Don’t forget. They lie. Focus on the candidate you think it’s capable and competent to make this a reality. Not the ones who talk shit that it matters

Jimbos biggest addressed issue was always “vision zero” remember that? 3 cyclists killed in 1 fucking month in his 8th(?) year as mayor.

Don’t fall for what comes out of their mouths and think about which candidate can and will actually do something.

And the city bargains with the FOP, Lodge 5, who do not answer to the city. McNesby does not answer to the city.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/police-fop-philadelphia-tshirt-badge-killing-20220316.html

> The Philadelphia Police Department said it will ask the city’s police union to stop selling a T-shirt bearing the department’s trademark badge logo next to a slogan that reads, “Heroes when we die, fired when we try.”

> The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 began selling the shirts at $20 a pop on Monday — a week after Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw announced the firing of an officer who fatally shot a 12-year-old boy in the back in South Philadelphia earlier this month.

Mayor hand picks commissioner. Commissioner serves at the pleasure of the mayor and can be fired or demoted at any time. Our commissioner is inept bc our mayor is inept.

Maybe mayoral candidates should get on that train and announce they’d fire our current police commish and have a plan on replacement.

That’s a campaign idea we can get behind

And a new commissioner doesn't change a single damn thing about what I pointed out.

The PPD does not answer to the city. The city cannot fire them.

The last time I was on the el, and this was pre-pandemic (so I hear it's only gotten worse) a lady intentionally hit everyone with her child's stroller (child in it) getting off the train and spit in my ear. So I'm fine with being self-interested.

Agree, was hit by car on sidewalk in university city. Titanium implants in legs now.

I’m asking this seriously bc I genuinely don’t know: what could they have done besides grovel to city council?

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Aside from the whole bicycle/pedestrian/car thing, who the police commissioner is makes a big difference, we saw that under the Nutter administration.

I mean, there are alleys behind lots of Center City streets, but not all. And not as many in other neighborhoods. Sucks when large parts of this city are crammed with one-way streets that lack alleyways.

I'm an avid cyclist but I don't really see the City getting better for non-drivers until there are more non-drivers. People are obsessed with cars because our transit is such a damn mess, they need to extend the subway ASAP. It's criminal that it hasn't happened already.

2.6% of the population rides bikes last I checked.

Like I said, literally the least important thing. So unimportant that you are literally scrounging for someone to vote for.

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You know, I gotta hand it to you: some people who didn't know the answer to my question would have just scrolled past. I appreciate the extra effort you put into trying to convince me that the things I thought were important actually don't matter.

Maybe .026 and they are all on this sub

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This isn’t just about bikes, try being a pedestrian. Or do you never walk? Look at this fucking intersection I came upon in my neighborhood last week. Three of four crosswalks are completely obstructed by parked cars in the middle of the day. That’s absurd and fucking unacceptable.

It's only tangentially related but MQS has publicly come out in support of the Roosevelt Blvd subway extension.

It's a chicken and egg scenario. You won't get more cyclists or micro mobility users (scooters, ebikes) until they feel safe doing it in the city. That means safe, protected infrastructure. Lots more people would do it if they weren't constantly threatened with death.

But there isn't widespread support for those infrastructure changes bc there aren't enough current users.

The BCGP could have easily engaged in protests using bicycle rides. Unfortunately the City Council has a tendency to punish organizations and their goals when that happens. The BCGP used to engage in protests, now they are lobbyists using an "educate and inform" methodology which inevitably leaving cyclists as a whole get the short end of the stick.

Basically any candidate coming from the cesspool of city council has to be looked upon with an immense amount of skepticism. All of them are complicit in allowing the city to fail by supporting the asinine tradition of councilmanic prerogative. So, bc Kenyatta Johnson is a corrupt piece of shit he can block any improvements to Washington Ave in his district and no one will say peep due to councilmanic prerogative. Helen Gym supported the changes originally and then completely shut up and ran away from it for that reason. Obviously Green, Parker, Domb, MSQ are all in the same boat.

I have not seen or heard anything from Rhynhart or Brown pertaining to this issue

I've always wondered why the at-large councilmembers don't raise any kind of stink about the prerogative. My understanding is that that whole system is informal; members just choose not to interfere in the districts of other members.

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It's an unspoken rule. My sense is that it is one of those things you learn not to mess with if you want any support for your own bills and projects. Not that that excuses it.

I will vote on that single issue for council elections. But i doubt anyone would dare try it.

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It's not though. The conversation always focuses on protection, and we need it sure, but what we really need is for there to just be less cars on the road. That means making public transit a convenient and accessible option.

Three cyclists died in car accidents this month. What’s the point of trying to convince people that they shouldn’t care about the safety of cyclists? Should we not care about homicides because less than 1 percent of the city will be victims?

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Agree. Brown is bad. MQS and Domb could be ok or at least they understand the importance of SEPTA, density and pedestrians. Rhynhart is likely neutral. The rest are actively against transit.

Edited an auto correct error.

Itzkowitz for City Council at-large.

Rhynhart, Domb and Quiones-Sanchez have publicly and within the last 6 months.

Yeah I don't wanna dox myself or the org but he was the one person that was willing to take the difficult/correct stand about some decisions we had to make and I always respected him for that.

I bet when we have a new mayor that Outlaw will “choose to spend time with family” and quit, then we get a new commissioner.

This allows candidates to say no or be non-committal but still get to pick their own commish.

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I've seen pictures of Domb on the bus, but not the EL. MQS I can believe. Any proof for RR?

So that’s why I and even more agreeable/cordial people than I can’t run for council? I’m no where near patient enough to play nice with others about that “rule”

I’m still doing it anyway, besides injury and death. Have already accumulated titanium in both legs from being run over on the sidewalk, and I’m gonna continue to roll the dice. Fuck driving unless I’m going to the next state/county

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Yep some people regardless seem to have a death wish. I've seen scooters and bikes cut off septa buses with just inches to spare.

They're only alive because the bus drive was able to respond so quickly, otherwise they'd maimed or dead.

There's ways around the PPD refusing to enforce traffic laws and thier until recently blocking creating another department to handle it, which is expanding PPA coverage area city wide along with camera enforcement.

Hmmm... I'm not sure where we disagree.

Both in terms of environmental impact, and the fiscal health of the city we need to move away from relying on car-centric infrastructure. We need to build out infrastructure for and encourage all other modalities. Extending subway lines, establishing bus rapid transit with dedicated lanes and signal priority, expanded pedestrian and micro mobility pathways that are grade separated or protected from car traffic. Protected bike lanes on regular streets is just one small step for sure.

Without the infrastructure changes there will never be enough people willing to risk their lives on the streets as they are currently laid out. Same with public transport, people won't take it until there is more frequent service, safer service, and more rapid service.

I'm with you. But i don't begrudge anyone who would rather not risk life and limb on the insanely dangerous streets we currently have.

A potential band-aid: Have cars park in the car lane to unload instead of in the bike lane. Cars can go around by entering the bike lane, at which point they will make sure the lane is free of cyclists before proceeding.

But nobody wants to do that, because they're scared of angry drivers.

The fact that we have so many people in the city who have to use SEPTA because they have no other choice, in addition to the people who use it as an alternative to driving for whatever reason they have, should make this a major campaign issue, yet it's not even given lip service most of the time.

It's so frustrating to see candidates constantly kneeling to the wants of the car lobby, despite the reality that it is mathematically impossible to accommodate 100% car usage in the city.

The city should demand free state police coverage from Harrisburg.

I'll have to check them out, not familiar with thier work, but sounds like my candidate from other comments in the thread.

My only disagreement with any of that is that, even if frequency, safety and speed are all improved, people still won't take public transit as long as driving is more convenient. Driving will always be more convenient as long as city government as a whole refuses to enforce any meaningful limitations on driving. When you can just drive where you want running every red light, blowing every stop sign and just throw your car on the sidewalk when you get there, that's going to beat a bus every time. Then, instead of paying for storage of your car, just put it on a bus loading zone at night or throw out a cone so that other users of the street are afraid to take "your" spot.

Actively making driving more expensive/harder is part and parcel of improving other transit modes.

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Haha for sure. The amount of hidden subsidies we give for drivers and car culture in general is infuriating.

Driving should NOT be the most convenient way of getting around a big city. It isn't in most cities in the world, and isn't in NYC. Driving has it's place, but the vast majority of it can and should be replaced in a city like Philadelphia. It's a whole mind shift though.

Good thing the city rolled out that high tech loading zone for commercial deliveries!

I’d say that’s a great indicator that she’d be supportive of alternative transportation options

A crazy number of people hate the bike lanes - “but they took a lane of traffic/parking away for the stupid bike lane no one uses!”

If only we could put all those asshole tow truck drivers to work....imagine if they could tow any car stopped in a moving lane.

I’ve become really pro-electric scooter because I see anything that’s getting people out of cars and onto other modes of transit as being a positive thing

You're not wrong. But I feel the number of votes you would get from protecting the bike lane would be roughly equivalent to the votes you would lose. The calculation could work for someone who thinks bike lanes are the right thing anyway.

I would hope. But i think it also reflects the fact that her old district would greatly benefit from it.

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I’d vote for it. It’s actually one of the reasons I stopped hating on New Yorkers moving here. They are used to things/municipal services in NYC that I’d like to see here, so hopefully their vote can help upset the status quo

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I don’t ride one and yes, they belong in the bike lane or with traffic. I like seeing them because they hopefully will help encourage expansion of bike lanes as well as getting people out of cars and onto alternative e transportation methods

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Domb on the El. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmguhRju1jQ/?hl=en

I may have been wrong on Rhynhart. I only see her on BSL with Joe Beddia after a Sixers game.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RebeccaRhynhart/status/1610828745363042304

Hey guys look, another completely obstructed crosswalk. But sure, no big deal. Guess people walking on that side of 12th can just cross the street to get to other side of the cross street so the drivers have a shorter walk to their destination. Got it.

BSL works.

I’m the 9th District, I’m supporting Yvette Young for council. As a civil engineer with experience in various city and city-adjacent entities, couple with progressive policies, I think she could be very effective in council!

https://www.yvetteyoungforthe9th.com/?fbclid=PAAaYYFBuIUTaCkwPSL9v8gE4FaBo-nXRQOJ6PaeVhGwxY8PH6TdSGpmJJxMA

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I commute by bicycle and frequently have issues with aggressive or dumb drivers. The discussion doesn't have to be divided into "pro-car" or "anti-car". We just need a balance underpinned by strong enforcement of traffic laws and more protected bike lanes. Also designated delivery zones so we don't get blocked by a million delivery drivers. I also have a car and use it mainly to get groceries or weekend trips out of town, so I understand the unparalleled convenience of being able to drive in Philly. I don't want to "abolish parking" or any such nonsense, but I do want people to have multiple options to reliably and safely get around.

On that note, as much as I support and strive to use public transit, SEPTA bus drivers are some of the most problematic people on the road for cyclists. They don't look before pulling into a bike lane, often let out riders without advising them to be careful about walking into a bike lane, squeeze you to the corner, etc. It's ridiculous.

Even in protected lanes, I have to dodge a surprising number of pedestrians who just loaf in the middle of the lane waiting for a walk sign. There's a sidewalk for a reason...

Wait I’m confused, how do cyclists dying have anything to do with the mayor? I bike in the city but some ppl don’t give a damn about road laws on bikes and pull dangerous stuff.

Terrill Haigler AKA YaFavTrashman's campaign is mostly about cleanliness but he seems pretty receptive to listening about other issues. I commented on one of his posts somewhere about protected bike lanes and transit, and he responded positively to it. He also supports the Roosevelt Blvd subway extension.

He also just seems like a really genuine guy. He's not a career politician, he's just really fed up about a particular issue. I think we need more people like that in office.

The point he’s trying to make is that the cycling deaths are indicative of the mayors promise for vision zero but no meaningful policy changes were made to achieve it. Even if there were no cycling deaths this year so far, could the city council really take credit? What do they do?

There used to be flex posts too, but everytime they put em up, they're quickly removed.

That’s kind of my thought, like bikers in this city can be completely insane, people ignore street lights, stop signs, and the like, hell I’ve had bikes fly past me at a stop sign after I’ve waited and gone to cross in my car. If I didn’t have somewhat decent reaction time someone could have gotten hurt

My point being cyclists who ride dangerously and get into accidents make their own choices, same with drivers and those motorcycle squads. I don’t think you can blame the mayor or whatever for that

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I think if frequency, safety, and speed are improved (also gonna throw in cleanliness), transit will become more convenient in center city even with the lax traffic enforcement.

Safety is a big one. There's a lot of people who just will never get on the El right now, but would if they didn't have to worry about safety.

I agree that asshole drivers will break rules, and there are too many of them. But they still aren't the majority. Most ppl in center city will park legally for example, if they're gonna be parked for hours. And that usually means paying for a spot. Which also takes some time (finding a spot & walking to the destination if the lot isn't right next door).

If you have a safe, clean, train that comes every 2 minutes, that option is suddenly a lot more convenient.

Outside of CC, I agree with you. Transit is too sparse, and easy/free parking is too much for it to compete with, even with the upgrades.

I take a both/and approach, but your example of Center City is exactly what I'm talking about. In the areas where there's actual enforcement, people behave better and it's overall more pleasant to walk/bike/exist. Sadly, because of all the baggage that goes with them, that area is almost entirely patrolled by the PPA, who are monumentally better at enforcing parking violations than PPD. If we could get a comprehensive enforcement division as efficient as the PPA that wasn't up to its eyeballs in political corruption, we'd really have something.

Instead, we have a city where the powers that be have decided you can just park wherever you want as long as you remove your tag and cover your VIN first.

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I worked with him at this same startup I think. He’s a great person!! ☺️

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I'm from the suburbs, and I honestly don't like the rail trails because I'm a commuter cyclist. These trails never connect to anything important, so I have to use the roads. Drivers then bitch at me to get off the road, but I don't work in the park...The only thing they're good for is recreation.

Confirmation bias much?

Seems pretty suspect

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if you're not against nazi's you're with them, its literally that simple.

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Psychotic.

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Yeah, it's the most Philly gov't thing I've ever heard: roll out a complicated (and presumably expensive) way to pay for something that you just give away free anyway. What a disgusting joke that idea is.

100% of people will be affected by climate change, so getting people out of single-occupancy vehicles is a reasonable goal for any politician at any level.

I didn't have time to reply to this post yesterday and am surprised that no one (that I've seen) has mentioned 5th Square yet. This is a PAC that has vision zero as one of their major issues. They send candidates detailed questionnaires on issues including the ones you're interested in, and publish the answers and make endorsements. I find that information makes it very easy to tell who's on board and who isn't. They don't have their 2023 info up yet but you can look at 2022 for examples of their questionnaires and endorsements. (You have to join as a member to vote in endorsing candidates but any can view the info.) https://www.5thsq.org/2022_election_center

A few parking tickets (which is what it sounds like you want with the cop example on your OP) isn't going to make people switch from driving to SEPTA. It also won't make people stop driving altogether. Some of us rely on our cars to get to work, because there is no transit nearby or several transfers and 2 hours to get to work versus a 30-minute Drive will never be appealing. It's survival, not self-interest, and when you have kids it's a matter of caring for other people, because I have yet to find a daycare open past 6p.

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Yes. I walk more than I do most other things, so this is the one that endangers me the most. It's also one of the few that I have any faith that our city government could actually fix I'd they wanted to. So just keep moving if you don't find it important.

Sadly there isn't a single politician that's supportive of modernizing streets to improve pedestrian and cycling conditions.

You are absolutely correct. I have brought up these exact points many times to these people. And they HATE hearing it. The bicycle coalition is not friendly to folks who want to protest or pressure politicians. The same with 5th Street, which is really just a PAC run by a man raising money to benefit the interests of private developers. These people will shut you out of their org if you challenge their lack of vision and urgency.

You would have to organize a take over of the BCGP and overhaul it top-to-bottom. Those people's number one goal is to pat politicians on the back for doing jack shit. I'd recommend starting a different organization with the mission of fostering direct action.

Its a great idea except the only other organization I can think of is 5th Square who is in league with the BCGP. I was involved in one attempt and it fell apart pretty quickly.