CM Squilla giving helmet to a student on a bicycle.

May 2025 Newsletter

Program Updates

2025-2030 Action Plan Development

We need your support (yes, you!)  to write a plan that keeps our Vision Zero actions focused on community priorities. The Vision Zero Action Plan 2025-2030 is being updated this year and is set to be completed by October 31, 2025. The Vision Zero team is updating the action items that guide our efforts and set our priorities. Each month this year, we are featuring either a program that advances the goals of the Vision Zero Action Plan or the progress being made on Action Plan development. This month, we are featuring our Safer People strategies.

Since the beginning of this year, we have been collecting feedback on community needs and priorities through surveys, pop-up events, and in-person roundtable sessions. Your input is still needed! Please click below to stay included on Action Plan updates or to express interest in your organization participating in a Vision Zero roundtable session. Your feedback will help us develop new programs that address traffic safety concerns across the city.

Action Plan 2025-2030 Interest Form

Safer People – Bike Month

Through our Safer People strategies, Vision Zero empowers Philadelphians to spread Vision Zero messaging, take community action, and promote a culture of safe driving, walking, and biking. The Mayor’s Vision Zero executive order highlights two key areas of our Safer People strategies:

  1. Teaching Philadelphia’s youth about traffic safety and encouraging active transportation
  2. Promoting a citywide safety culture and encouraging safe travel behaviors

Every May we celebrate Bike Month by engaging with communities across Philadelphia around these elements of our Vision Zero strategy at many events and through our ongoing programs.

May 7was Bike, Walk, and Roll to School Day. To prepare for the big day, we worked with 10 schools through our Spring Training event. Every week leading up to May 7, we walked, biked, and rolled with the students to have fun while getting to school all while sharing information about traffic safety. Check out our Safe Routes Philly shoutout to see how our Bike to School Day event went (spoiler, it was amazing!).

On May 8, we joined PennDOT, local and regional police partners, and the Philly Phanatic to share the importance of buckling up as part of a Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization. On May 14, we joined cyclists across the city for Bike to Work/Wherever day. Mode shift from personal vehicles to biking or transit is a major component of Vision Zero, and we are grateful to the Philly Bike Train for organizing and to all those who biked in to make this happen.  

In addition to these in-person events, we are engaging with the public online through social media reminders on safe travel behaviors. We have a simple message: slow down, yield to people walking and biking, and buckle up. Check out our social media feeds to see our video messages and share them with your networks!

To end Bike Month, we will join the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) at the annual Ride of Silence on May 21. This ride is a time for us to reflect on those who have been lost to traffic violence in the past year and recognize the continued work that needs to be done to reach zero fatalities on our roadway.

Infrastructure Solutions Team (IST)

The City’s Infrastructure Solutions Team (IST) released the fourth edition of the Procurement Forecast, featuring approximately 130 contracting opportunities—including both public works and professional services opportunities—across five agencies. In total, these opportunities represent an estimated $360 million in upcoming infrastructure projects. Learn more about the Procurement Forecast here: https://www.phila.gov/2025-05-02-highlighting-spring-2025-infrastructure-opportunities-with-our-updated-procurement-forecast/

Safe Routes Philly kicked off Bike Month with their largest Bike and Roll to School Day ever! 10 schools participated in last week’s celebrations doubling the number of schools who participated in National Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day last fall. Notably, four of the participating schools were brand new to working with Safe Routes Philly yet had some of the largest turnouts.

Shoutout to our Spring 2025 Schools:

  • Alain Locke School
  • Bache-Martin School
  • D. Newlin Fell School
  • Edward Gideon School
  • General George A. McCall School
  • George W. Nebinger School
  • Penn Alexander School
  • Southwark School
  • Vare-Washington Elementary
  • William M. Meredith School

Over 200 students biked, walked, and rolled with Safe Routes Philly last week but they were not alone. A big thank you goes out to the over 150 teachers, parents, caregivers, neighbors, school staff, administrators and Office of Multimodal Planning (OMP) staff who joined these students out on the streets and made this event possible. Many schools will continue to host weekly biking and walking buses expanding the opportunities to safely bike or walk to school. Walking school buses and biking buses are strategies implemented by Safe Routes Philly to promote a culture of safety among the youngest Philadelphians. To learn more about how your school can join in on the fun, email SafeRoutesPhilly@phila.gov.

Upcoming Events

You’ll see us and our partners out in the community at the events listed below. 

Partner Updates

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP)

May is Bike Month! Please check out our full calendar of events.

  • May 21 – Ride of Silence
  • May 28 – Philly Bike Train
  • May 30 – Western Main Line Greenway Loop Ride
  • TBD – Postponed Germantown Community Ride

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

  • The New Jersey Safety and Health Outcomes (NJ-SHO) Center for Integrated Data is hosting a virtual workshop on how to use their crash data dashboard. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 28 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET. Register here.
  • CHOP just published a new resource for teens and their parents navigating the driving process called Get Road Ready. Download the guide here.

Clean Air Council

What is one way that you can improve air quality while getting a physical and mental health boost? Biking! The Clean Air Council is committed to advocating for sustainable modes of transportation like accessible and affordable public transit, walking, and biking. In May, we are partnering with Love to Ride, a global organization championing the health and fitness benefits of biking, and Indego Bike Share, Philadelphia’s local bike share program, to bring you the May Bike Month Challenge. 

The May Bike Month Challenge is an exciting opportunity to get outside, try something new, or if you are already a seasoned cyclist, go the extra mile! The sign-up is free and easy. Log 5 miles or more over the course of the month, and you are automatically entered into drawings for cash prizes and local gifts like the grand prize, a $4000 vacation or $500 to a restaurant of your choice. While wellness and a chance at prizes are major incentives for hopping on your bike this Spring, you will also be doing your part to help reduce air pollution in Philadelphia. Almost a quarter of total emissions come from transportation. Around 70% of the amount of emissions from passenger vehicles come from trips of 10 miles or less. Last May, Philadelphians biked 43,000 miles and saved 3 tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere. Join us to reduce even more greenhouse gas emissions this year.

Department of Public Health (DPH)

The We Walk PHL Spring season started on May 1 and ends June 30.  We Walk PHL is a free walking group that meets several times per week. All walks are led by a team of community volunteers.  Launched as a pilot program in 2017 at three parks, this program has expanded to over 25 locations at parks and rec centers across Philadelphia.  

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s commitment to a safer, cleaner, greener city helps support outdoor environments and activities that promote quality of life, including good health. As part of this commitment, the Health Department partners with Clean Air Council – Feet First Philly to identify and fund community-led strategies to improve public space. Feet First Philly and the Health Department recently awarded mini grants to 10 projects across Philadelphia that improve safety and walkability.  The mini grants, with awards of up to $2,000 per project, will help improve public spaces and make them more accessible to residents.  

The grants will support: 

  • Greening projects.
  • Infrastructure and cleaning projects.
  • Programming and public art projects.
  • Lighting and security projects. 

To learn more about the projects selected for funding, visit: https://www.phila.gov/2025-04-25-safer-cleaner-greener-10-new-projects-will-improve-safety-and-walkability/

Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC)

Join us in planning for Philadelphia’s future! The Philadelphia City Planning Commission seeks applications for Community Partners. This paid opportunity will help city planners gather and analyze feedback to update the City’s comprehensive plan—we’re calling it Philadelphia2050. Applications accepted until May 30; information session on May 15. Learn more and apply at the City Fund website: https://philacityfund.org/plan-call-for-community-partners/

 Questions? Email phila2050@phila.gov

Indego

May is Bike Month! Get things rolling with 75% off Indego monthly pass! Use the code INDEPRO25 at rideindego.com/passes to redeem this offer any time before 5/31!

Indego and the City of Philadelphia are excited to announce the return of Indego mini-grants, offering up to $1,000 for local nonprofits to support programming between June and September 2025. Read on to learn how to apply and bring your community-focused project to life! https://www.rideindego.com/blog/apply-for-the-summer-2025-indego-mini-grant/

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA)

SEPTA is facing a funding crisis — and we need your voice.

Without new funding from the state, SEPTA will be forced next year to raise fares and reduce service across the system by 45%. These devastating cuts would impact riders, workers and communities throughout the city and region. Now is the time to speak up.

Public hearings on SEPTA’s Fiscal Year 2026 Operating and Capital Budgets — including the proposed fare increases and service reductions — are scheduled for:

  • posed fare increases and service reductions — are scheduled for:
  • Tuesday, May 20, 2025: 10 am & 4 pm (Operating Budget, Fare Increases & Service Reductions)
  • Wednesday, May 21, 2025: 10 am & 4 pm (Capital Budget)

All hearings will be held at:

SEPTA Headquarters
1234 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

You can attend in person to make your voice heard, or you can submit comments in other ways.

Call Us: Leave a voicemail at 215-580-7771 (Capital Budget) or 215-580-7772 (Operating Budget). Please include your name, zip code, and message.

Email Us: For the Operating Budget, email operatingbudget@septa.org; For the Capital Budget, email capbudget@septa.org

Write Us: Send your comments by mail to:

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA)
ATTN: Senior Director, Budgets & Transformation
1234 Market Street, 9th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107

The public comment period runs from until 5 pm on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

To take more action, contact your state legislators and demand action to fund public transit and protect our region’s future.

Vision Zero in the News

Philadelphia

Schuylkill River Trail extension will connect Center City to South Philly (NBC Philadelphia)

Indego Bike Share program celebrates 10 years in Philadelphia (kyw newsradio)

2 years later, city says Washington Avenue redo is working (WHYY)

Indego Bike Share Program celebrates 10 years, over 8 million rides (metro Philadelphia)

Philly’s carbon emissions have dropped. Here’s what experts say should be next (WHYY)

Changes coming to Philadelphia’s Castor Avenue, but not everyone is happy about it (NBC 10)

Chinatown Stitch could lose federal funding amid Trump war on policies that promote racial equity (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Automatic Enrollment in Discounted Transit Fare Programs Can Support Higher Participation: Lessons from Philadelphia (Urban Institute)

Cyclist killed in West Philadelphia ID’d; was riding in unprotected bike lane (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Philly hopes to slow down traffic on Lincoln Drive by adding speed slots (WHYY)

More speed cameras coming to Philadelphia as part of Safe Streets for Students (ABC 6)

Some popular SEPTA bus routes may disappear before others with low ridership. Here’s why (WHYY)

Safety Upgrades Scheduled for Lehigh Avenue in Philadelphia (MyChesCo)

More roundabouts could be coming to the Philadelphia area soon (Philadelphia Inquirer)

What We’re Reading

NHTSA Relaxes Rules for Autonomous Vehicles and Crash Reporting (Car and Driver)

USDOT Announces Safe Streets and Roads for All Funding Opportunity (USDOT)

NHTSA Releases 2024 Early Fatality Estimates and 2023 Crash Overview Reports (NHTSA)

 NYC to lower speed limits to 20 mph in 4 outer-borough neighborhoods (Gothamist)

Reconnecting Communities projects are under threat. Here is what’s at stake and where (Transportation for America)

Vision Zero Jobs

Service Delivery Improvement Manager, Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS)

Senior Transportation Planner/Senior Transportation Engineer, DVRPC

Public Participation Planner, DVRPC

Youth Bike Program Coordinator, BCGP

Join the Conversation

Vision Zero aims to eliminate all traffic deaths and severe injuries on Philadelphia streets www.visionzerophl.com. Follow OTIS on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and help us share safety messages with your networks using the hashtag #VisionZeroPHL.

Do you have events, accomplishments, or calls to action to share with the Vision Zero Task Force, subcommittees, and community? Send your updates for next month’s newsletter by Monday, June 9 to Virginia Lynn at virginia.lynn@phila.gov.

Virginia Lynn