In Its Report, Managing Success: Reducing Congestion to Enhance the Competitiveness Of

Summary: Managing Success in Center City:Reducing Congestion, Enhancing Public Spaces

Congested sidewalks and streets are a byproduct of the revitalization of Center City Philadelphia as a thriving 24-hour downtown. The diversification of downtown – new office buildings, hotels, residences and restaurants – means that more people have more reasons at more times to be downtown. But Center City is quickly approaching a tipping point at which traffic congestion can threaten the downtown’s economic competitiveness and quality of life.

Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s restoration of a city Office of Transportation and the appointment of Rina Cutler as deputy mayor for transportation and utilities is a major step forward. A deputy mayor can coordinate transportation, traffic, pedestrian and bicycle issues with SEPTA, PATCO, PennDOT, the Philadelphia Parking Authority, the Philadelphia Police Department, other public agencies and with downtown business and residential groups.

To assist in this effort, the Center City District (CCD) and Central Philadelphia Transportation Management Association (CPTMA) have produced Managing Success in Center City: Reducing Congestion, Enhancing Public Spaces to document the challenges and causes of an increasingly congested downtown and to propose a series of short-, mid- and long-term solutions to managing traffic congestion in Center City Philadelphia.

Some of the recommendations apply to all of Center City, others to the project study area (Broad to 23rd, Chestnut to Walnut streets) and others to specific streets and/or intersections.

Short-term solutions are low-cost actions that can be undertaken within the next 12 months and produce an immediate and visible impact on traffic congestion in Center City. They are:

• Buy cans of white paint In the absence of pavement markings, moving vehicles often straddle two lanes and stop in pedestrian crossing zones. The white lines denoting travel lanes and crosswalks throughout Center City should be repainted as soon as possible this spring and should be routinely scheduled for re-striping. As streets are resurfaced, different pavement types to permanently mark crosswalks and bike lanes should also be considered.
• Day lighting intersection: Cars waiting to turn at intersections are often blocked by the volume of pedestrians crossing the street. Their inability to turn backs up traffic behind them, preventing other cars from moving through the intersection. Two to three parking spaces could be removed throughout the study area on Chestnut and Walnut streets at numerous intersections where there is left-turn movement.
• Leading pedestrian intervals: This signal system creates a time period for pedestrians to safely cross while parallel traffic still has a red light, eliminating the danger that turning vehicles present to pedestrians in intersections. In Center City, the Streets Department has already installed such a system at 16th and Market and 20th and Market streets. This can be quickly expanded throughout Center City.
• Valet parking: The Nutter administration should undertake a comprehensive review of all existing valet parking licenses and review enforcement policies. Valet operations provide an important service, but some operators abuse the privilege of using public parking spaces for private business purposes.
• Penn Square: Immediate action is needed to re-evaluate all authorized on-street parking around City Hall and enforce parking regulations.

Mid-term actions can be taken over the next six to 12 months, but are more costly than the short-term solutions. They are:

• Safer pedestrian crossings: Pedestrian countdown timers that signal how much time is left to safely and legally cross can be installed at all major Center City intersections.
• Alternative locations for loading zones: Delivery trucks are essential to the competitiveness of downtown businesses. But all delivery trucks should be prohibited from parking on Chestnut and Walnut streets between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Instead, a new set of dedicated, delivery-truck-only loading zones should be designated on smaller and less-traveled streets. Parking meters at those locations could be removed and replaced by dedicated delivery spaces, paid for by the delivery companies. Permit fees and parking violation revenues from cars illegally parked in delivery-only spaces could be dedicated to pay in part for the restoration of traffic police in Center City.
• Uniformed officials at intersections: Traffic police should be restored to direct traffic at key Center City intersections during morning and evening rush hours and at lunchtime. In between, they should be rotated among problematic intersections. Fines for moving violations issued at downtown intersections could also be dedicated to pay for the traffic officers.
• Don’t block the box: With the restoration of traffic police, existing rules prohibiting cars from entering intersections should be vigorously enforced and frequently blocked intersections should be clearly striped.
• Dedicated bike lanes: Several east/west and north/south streets in Center City could be designated as bicycle-priority streets with dedicated bike lanes adjacent to the curb and separated from the car-parking lane with flexible bollards or plastic cones.
• Bike boxes: At intersections in the study area where a left turn is possible from Chestnut and Walnut streets, the stop bar for vehicles should be set back 10 feet from the crosswalk to create a “bike box,” allowing cyclists to safely switch lanes in front of stopped traffic and turn left.
• Dedicated bicycle parking spaces: One parking space could be removed on alternate blocks in Center City to create a bike-parking zone in the cartway. Eight bikes can fit into a parking space that previously accommodated only one car.
• Bike parking in private garages: The City, Center City District and Philadelphia Parking Association could collaborate on a plan in which private parking operators would create indoor bicycle parking spaces. Parking fees paid by bicyclists, with a potential subsidy from federal transportation enhancement funds, could help fund and promote the program. Liability issues however, need to be carefully reviewed and addressed.

Long-term solutions require more time and money. Several can be implemented on a demonstration basis; others should be considered only after other alternatives are tried. They are:

• Neckdown removal: The pavement bulb-outs constructed along Chestnut Street in the late 1990s should be removed to facilitate left turns and improve traffic flow.
• Better branding and marketing of buses and subways: SEPTA’s core objectives in Center City should be to encourage transit use both for commuting into the downtown and for travel within Center City. SEPTA, PATCO, CCD, PennDOT and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission are already taking steps to make transit more visible, including a totally new graphic system for the 123 downtown entrances to the underground system. In addition, SEPTA should undertake to sell tokens and passes at multiple, highly visible locations throughout Center City. SEPTA should also explore replacing a portion of its Route 21 and 42 buses with smaller, high-frequency vehicles on a shorter route between Penn’s Landing and 38th Street to better connect Center City and University City. Small roadway changes on the Spring Garden Bridge would enable SEPTA’s Route 38 bus to link Center City with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and other attractions on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
• Real-time transit information: Philadelphia should install technology to communicate real-time transit information on several Center City routes on a demonstration basis.
• Bus-only lanes: SEPTA and the City should evaluate strict enforcement of bus-only lanes that already exist of Chestnut, Walnut and Market streets. There are, however, pros and cons to this approach, so rigorous use of bus-only lanes should wait until other recommendations to improve traffic flow have been tested.
• Multi-space meter parking: Multi-space meter parking, currently being tested on 2nd Street between Lombard and South streets, can accommodate 10-to-15% more vehicles and should be considered throughout Center City. Multi-space meters would also allow the City to experiment with variable parking rates on some blocks.
• Advanced parking systems: This type of wayfinding system relays current information about available off-street parking to drivers, alleviating the cruising and queuing that occurs as drivers search for available parking downtown.
• Four-way pedestrian crossing: With all signals red for vehicles, four-way crossings allow pedestrians to cross intersections east-west/north-south or on the diagonal, increasing pedestrian safety and crossing times. This system could be tested at an intersection such as 15th and Market streets to facilitate crossings to City Hall.
• Bus signal priority: This technology minimizes transit delays by automatically extending green signals and shortening red signals when a bus approaches. Given its expense, however, it should be considered only after other alternatives are tried.
• Extend two-way traffic on West Market Street and JFK Boulevard: In its April 2007 report, Planning for Growth, CCD proposed making both streets two-way from City Hall to 20th Street to improve access to the office district, reduce congestion and improve circulation.

To implement any of the suggestions outlined above, Philadelphia needs to centralize management of the diverse components of transportation, parking, and pedestrian issues such as pavement condition. Mayor Nutter’s commitment to re-establishing the Office of Transportation and putting an experienced professional in charge as a deputy mayor is an important first step. To insure long-term success, Philadelphia should look at and learn from models of transportation management in other major cities, where more resources and authority are provided to a full-fledged Department of Transportation.