Philadelphia 2035 (Elim, Liberty, New Hope: percentages, ranges, department)

[cpomp]

Traffic in Center City is a mess. Here's why and what should be done - Philly

Is traffic that bad in CC? Or are people whining?

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Traffic in Center City is a mess. Here's why and what should be done - Philly

Is traffic that bad in CC? Or are people whining?

It really is that bad. I avoid driving when I can but sometimes I can't help it. It typically takes an over an hour to drive the 8 miles from my house in Mt. Airy to my office CC in rush hour. The other day I had a particularly rough commute and it took just under 2.5 hours.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Traffic in Center City is a mess. Here's why and what should be done - Philly

Is traffic that bad in CC? Or are people whining?

Yes, it's bad. It's been getting bad for a long time though. Someone else wrote another article in philly mag about how much longer even his commute to Penn is now. This was someone who would not break his habit of driving into W. Philly when he could be taking septa with no problem. He admitted as such. One of his, "complaints" was bike lanes on Chestnut St. He is being inconvienced ! lol.

I can tell you, anecdotally, that the foot traffic on 15th St is non-stop at least during weekday hours.

Here's the thing though, being an old head, I can say that it used to be that way on 15th St when I was a teenager and young adult...now it is again. Tbh, it's a thrill to see that kind of energy again because I truly didn't think I would see it again in my lifetime.

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Traffic in Center City is a mess. Here's why and what should be done - Philly

Is traffic that bad in CC? Or are people whining?

It's terrible. And not just for drivers, but for everyone. The amount of vehicles blasting through crosswalks (or stuck forever waiting for peds) is terrible. Vehicles parked on every square inch of this city.

What it should ultimately come down to is a comprehensive transportation plan. Private autos, transit, bikes and peds. Street parking is way over-used; we need a strategy or more infrastructure for parking garages, especially in South Philly. We need a dedicated place for buses and even bikes. We need to start looking at transportation in a holistic sense and stop fighting over modes. TJMO

Btw, the issue with our traffic is not just a CC problem. The author is short-sighted in this regard. The problem is a larger cultural issue. People get in the car to drive to the corner store. And the city's most dense neighborhoods exist in South Philly. That's why S Broad Street acts like a parking lot. Too much driving, too many vehicles parked, no parking garages, and no real enforcement.

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

It's terrible. And not just for drivers, but for everyone. The amount of vehicles blasting through crosswalks (or stuck forever waiting for peds) is terrible. Vehicles parked on every square inch of this city.

What it should ultimately come down to is a comprehensive transportation plan. Private autos, transit, bikes and peds. Street parking is way over-used; we need a strategy or more infrastructure for parking garages, especially in South Philly. We need a dedicated place for buses and even bikes. We need to start looking at transportation in a holistic sense and stop fighting over modes. TJMO

Btw, the issue with our traffic is not just a CC problem. The author is short-sighted in this regard. The problem is a larger cultural issue. People get in the car to drive to the corner store. And the city's most dense neighborhoods exist in South Philly. That's why S Broad Street acts like a parking lot. Too much driving, too many vehicles parked, no parking garages, and no real enforcement.

All of this plus throw in the fact that due to fewer jobs in the city proper, as compared to other cities our size, and you have a lot of cars floating around the streets. I for one would LOVE to ditch my car, but I have no other way to get to my job every day. Until we get a resident mass of good-paying white collar jobs in the city, there are going to be thousands of professionals who are forced to keep one car per person...

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

All of this plus throw in the fact that due to fewer jobs in the city proper, as compared to other cities our size, and you have a lot of cars floating around the streets. I for one would LOVE to ditch my car, but I have no other way to get to my job every day. Until we get a resident mass of good-paying white collar jobs in the city, there are going to be thousands of professionals who are forced to keep one car per person...

Exactly. And those who have to have a car to drive out to the burbs to work then have to circle to find parking because all the parking spots are filled with cars from Tony down the block who owns four huge SUVs.

[nimshady123]

I found the delivery trucks very interesting and something I didn't think of. It's been years since I drove or have been driven in Center City. I avoid it all together and use SEPTA. I really don't think there should be parking on the sides of some streets such as Chestnut or Walnut. Wider sidewalks would be a plus and I think parking in center city should be even more expensive. I know that sounds radical since parking is already expensive but we need to deincentivize driving in the city and use the extra money to fund septa to improve service.
At the same time I think this is a good problem to have per se. i would much rather have bustling streets throughout the day than a downtown that is empty or dies at 6pm.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

It's terrible. And not just for drivers, but for everyone. The amount of vehicles blasting through crosswalks (or stuck forever waiting for peds) is terrible. Vehicles parked on every square inch of this city.

What it should ultimately come down to is a comprehensive transportation plan. Private autos, transit, bikes and peds. Street parking is way over-used; we need a strategy or more infrastructure for parking garages, especially in South Philly. We need a dedicated place for buses and even bikes. We need to start looking at transportation in a holistic sense and stop fighting over modes. TJMO

Btw, the issue with our traffic is not just a CC problem. The author is short-sighted in this regard. The problem is a larger cultural issue. People get in the car to drive to the corner store. And the city's most dense neighborhoods exist in South Philly. That's why S Broad Street acts like a parking lot. Too much driving, too many vehicles parked, no parking garages, and no real enforcement.

You are so right. Couldn't agree with you more.

Nutter, btw, had a transportation czar who didn't seem effectual at all.

And, this shouldn't come as a surprise either: the traffic in NYC(Manhattan) is bad too especially on specific avenues like 5th below 59th and 9th Ave.

Curbed Philly has articles about Louis Kahn who wanted to create parking garages on the outskirts of CC.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by nimshady123

I found the delivery trucks very interesting and something I didn't think of. It's been years since I drove or have been driven in Center City. I avoid it all together and use SEPTA. I really don't think there should be parking on the sides of some streets such as Chestnut or Walnut. Wider sidewalks would be a plus and I think parking in center city should be even more expensive. I know that sounds radical since parking is already expensive but we need to deincentivize driving in the city and use the extra money to fund septa to improve service.
At the same time I think this is a good problem to have per se. i would much rather have bustling streets throughout the day than a downtown that is empty or dies at 6pm.

Most of you guys don't remember, or know about, the Chestnut St Transit Way which removed car traffic for a big chunk of its length. Only bus traffic was allowed. The idea was to make Chestnut a pedestrian "mall" and it did work for a while. In some ways it was ahead of its time.

[nimshady123]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Most of you guys don't remember, or know about, the Chestnut St Transit Way which removed car traffic for a big chunk of its length. Only bus traffic was allowed. The idea was to make Chestnut a pedestrian "mall" and it did work for a while. In some ways it was ahead of its time.

That's really interesting and I am surprised I never heard of it. Since Chestnut Street is 3 lanes (2 for driving and 1 for parking) I think they could use two of those lanes for busses and take the westbound busses off of Walnut to alleviate traffic there. This would allow for one lane width widening of the sidewalk which will help the extremely crowded sidewalks on Chestnut.