Better Mobility Philadelphia 2015

Mark your calendars. Mobility, transit and safer streets are going to be an integral part of the next Philadelphia mayor’s priorities. And we want the public to know where each of the candidates stand on these important urban problems. That’s why the Better Mobility Working Group is hosting a mayoral forum on March 19 at the Friends Center.

WHAT: A mayoral forum in which all Philadelphia mayoral candidates are invited to discuss the following issues: Vision Zero, the On-Street Bikeway network, The Circuit, Bike Share, accessibility to public transit, bringing Philadelphia’s streets into a good state of repair, walkability, and on-street parking. Read the Better Mobility 2015 report here.

WHO: The Better Mobility Working Group is the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Bike Share Philadelphia, 10 Thousand Friends of Pennsylvania, PenTrans, PennFuture, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Clean Air Council, Feet First Philly, the Philadelphia Parks Alliance, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. The forum will be hosted by Patrick Kerkstra, Deputy Editor of Philadelphia Magazine.

WHY: Philadelphia has a street paving backlog of 900 miles. There’s a traffic death every four dayscosting our economy $1 billion per year—and pedestrian deaths are on the rise. Meanwhile, Philadelphia spends less money, per capita, on its streets operating budget than numerous peer cities, including Pittsburgh, New York, Baltimore and Boston. Philadelphia is also one of the only major cities left in the U.S. without protected bike lanes. We want the next mayor to take certain action steps to reverse these trends.