Program Update
Join Vision Zero at World Day of Remembrance 2024
World Day of Remembrance will take place at Carroll Park on Sunday, November 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This global event honors all those who have been killed or seriously injured on our roads. World Day of Remembrance acknowledges the suffering of all victims, families, and their communities. On this day, we also pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police, and medical professionals. These professionals respond to the traumatic aftermath of road crashes and we are grateful for their service.
It is appropriate that we honor Philadelphian victims of traffic violence at Carroll Park – located on 59th Street, near Haverford Avenue, 63rd Street, and Vine Street, which are all part of the High Injury Network (HIN). The HIN is the 12 percent of streets in Philadelphia with 80 percent all traffic deaths and serious injuries. The streets that surround Carroll Park and the stories that will be shared there remind us of the work that must be done to end traffic fatalities. We mourn together and honor those we have lost to give us the resolve to continue working towards zero.
This year’s World Day of Remembrance event will shine a light on hit-and-run crashes and crashes that are caused by impaired driving. Impaired driving is a contributing factor in one in 10 killed or serious injury crashes in Philadelphia. According to police data obtained by the Philadelphia Inquirer, fatal hit-and-run crashes have increased by 38 percent from year over year, with pedestrians accounting for most of the victims. On November 18, 2016, eight-year-old Jayanna Powell was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Jayanna’s mother, Ayeshia Poole, and her aunt Jasmine Hoffman came up with “Jay Alert” in honor of Jayanna, to help solve hit and run cases. A Jay Alert would notify auto body shops to look out for a car that matches the description of a car involved in a hit and run resulting in death or serious injury. This would help reduce the number of unsolved hit-and-run crashes. If you support PA Senate Bill 730 and its companion bill to create a Jay Alert system, sign this petition now.
Thank you to the Friends of Carroll Park, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, and Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia for hosting this World Day of Remembrance event. For more information, visit: bit.ly/WDORPHL2024.
Love Your Park
Parks play a critical role in transportation safety across Philadelphia. To show our love for our parks and to help prepare for the World Day of Remembrance 2024 event, the Vision Zero team volunteered at Carroll Park to remove leaves and clear pathways as part of the Love Your Park Fall Weekend. While the Fall Weekend has passed, there are still many more volunteer opportunities to love your park throughout November. Visit https://loveyourpark.org/events to learn more and register for a cleanup.
Upcoming Events
You’ll see us and our partners out in the community this fall at the events listed below.
November 17, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (Carroll Park, 5800 W Girard Ave)
November 20, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. – 47 St Repaving and Traffic Safety Meeting (St. Francis de Sales School, 917 S 47th St)
Partner Updates
Bicycle Coalition It’s back to getting dark closer to 4:30 p.m., so Bicycle Coalition staff, volunteers and community partners hit the streets for our 12th Annual Bike Light Giveaway on Wednesday, November 6, in West Philly, South Philly, and Kensington. Between our locations at 11th and Washington, Wharton Square Park at 23rd and Wharton, 52nd and Walnut, and American and Lehigh Streets, we collectively handed out 650 pairs of free bike lights to make Philadelphians’ rides safer!
Tell your representatives, enough is enough! There are two pieces of legislation in Harrisburg that would allow parking protected bike lanes. Please send a message to key leaders in Harrisburg to ask that they prioritize legalize parking protected bike lanes in 2024 to protect the lives of vulnerable road users. Learn more about the current status of the City and State efforts for Better, Safer Bike Lanes here.
CHOP It’s time to shine a green light on safety! For the fifth year, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will join the Injury Free Coalition for Kids and other national partners to raise awareness and empower communities to change to stop injuries and violence — the number one killer and cause of hospitalization of people from ages one to 44 years old. Roberts Center for Pediatric Medicine at CHOP will light up in green on November 18 for National Injury Prevention Day along with providing in-hospital education to patients and families to raise awareness about Injury Prevention. Traffic safety injury prevention includes: Bike safety, pedestrian safety, car passenger safety, transportation safety, road safety, and distracted driving.
In celebration of National Teen Driver Safety Week last month, the CHOP Research Institute’s blog featured new research being conducted at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at CHOP: https://injury.research.chop.edu/blog/posts/moving-needle-teen-driver-safety.
Clean Air Council partnered with AARP held the second in a series of walk audits on October 28 at Tilden Middle School. Earlier this year, the Livable Communities Network worked with Councilmember Jeffrey Young’s (District 5) office and North Broad Renaissance to audit North Broad Street. “The Walk Audit is an effective tool that can enhance the conditions of streets, intersections, sidewalks, and pedestrian safety for people of all ages,” said Yocasta Lora, Associate State Director of Advocacy and Outreach at AARP Pennsylvania. Garret Jackson, Community Schools Coordinator at Tilden Middle School. “We have to understand the “not so obvious” obstacles that our students, families and pedestrians are faced with in the day to day. Our young students are sometimes faced with traveling alone or with younger siblings and parents need the security of knowing that their child’s walking routes are as safe as possible.”
PDPH The Fall We Walk PHL season has ended but the community is alive and well, #yeswearestillwalking! Go to We Walk’s Facebook page to keep track of events and activities: www.facebook.com/groups/1346769412082556.
Health of the City is a report that provides information about public health in Philadelphia. It summarizes data about our community’s health using interactive charts and maps. The report describes health outcomes, such as rates of diseases, chronic illnesses, and injuries. It also contains information about systemic factors that affect health, including: Social and economic conditions, the built environment, access to high-quality medical care, and structural racism. To see the report visit: www.phila.gov/documents/health-of-the-city and click “Explore Our Latest Report”. Scroll or use the Table of Contents in the top left to navigate through the report.
PennDOT This fall, PennDOT highlights winter season preparedness and public safety tips. PennDOT asks for the public’s help in keeping themselves and snowplow drivers safe by slowing down, increasing their following distance, avoiding distractions, and staying off the road during winter storms. Last winter in Pennsylvania, preliminary data shows that there were 151 crashes statewide resulting in three fatalities and 55 injuries on snowy, slushy, or ice-covered roadways where aggressive-driving behaviors such as speeding or making careless lane changes were factors. Visit www.511PA.com for 24/7 traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District6.
Vision Zero In The News
Philadelphia 🔔
Speed-enforcement cameras coming to Broad Street next year, PPA ads warn (WHYY)
Weaving Through Bike Lanes and Legislation (34th Street Magazine)
Philly’s ‘Get Out the Bike Lane Bill’ prohibiting stopping, increasing fines passes (NBC10 Philadelphia)
SEPTA advances trolley modernization project with federal funding (Philly Voice)
SEPTA Launches Enhanced Detour Information on SEPTA.org (SEPTA)
Philadelphia plans to give out free SEPTA fare cards to 20,000 residents in need (NBC10 Philadelphia)
What We’re Reading 📰
Exploring the Role of AVs in Advancing Vision Zero (Vision Zero Network)
Motorcycle Deaths Are Rising Globally. Safe Speeds Are the Answer. (Vision Zero Cities Journal)
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 and subcommittees? Send your next month’s updates by Friday, November 29 to Virginia Lynn at virginia.lynn@phila.gov.