September 2025 Newsletter
2025-2030 Action Plan Development
The Vision Zero Action Plan 2025-2030 is being updated this year and is set to be completed by October 31. 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 work towards Safer People through our Safe Routes Philly program.
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. The Action Plan Survey closed on June 30 so that we can review and incorporate what we learned from you into the Action Plan. To stay up-to-date on progress, check for updates in this monthly newsletter and online at bit.ly/action-plan-25-30.
Back to School 2025
Safe Routes Philly is dedicated to making students’ commute to school as safe as possible. Walking and biking school buses are a key community-based strategy where students, caregivers, educators and neighbors meet up before school and travel a route as a group (just like a bus) to school together. Safe Routes Philly supports and facilitates walking and biking buses. Last year, we had walking and biking buses at nine schools across the city.
The return of students to school in September impacts travel patterns across the city. In the mornings and afternoons, be extra alert around school zones and choose alternative routes to avoid schools if possible. Slow and attentive driving is always important but especially as it starts to get dark earlier. Keeping crosswalks and intersections clear is paramount so people walking, rolling, biking and driving can see each other. Students’ height increases their vulnerability of being hit, making it critical for drivers to be aware of their vehicle’s blind spots.
Walk and Roll to School Day
Walk and Roll to School Day is on October 8! There is still plenty of time to plan a successful celebration at your school. Check out How to Plan on the Walk & Roll website to get started. Join schools across the city, like Gideon Elementary, and represent Philadelphia in this national event by registering here.
If you have any questions or would like support designing a route, please reach out to saferoutesphilly@phila.gov.
Walktober
Walk and Roll to School Day marks the start of Walktober! Take advantage of the fall weather by stepping up and joining Safe Routes Philly’s walking and biking challenge held from October 8th to November 14. Schools taking part in Walktober will host weekly walking and/or biking buses and share a photo with the Safe Routes Team to track participation. Walktober leads up to Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on November 14.
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
On Friday, November 14, students across the country will by honoring the living legacy of activist Ruby Bridges by walking to school and engaging in conversations surrounding activism, anti-racism and anti-bullying.
Check out Safe Routes Partnership page for resources, toolkits, and templates designed to make the planning and outreach of your event a breeze. Walktober is designed to give schools opportunities to practice their walking routes and build excitement leading up to Ruby Bridges Day. As always, reach out to saferoutesphilly@phila.gov to schedule a site visit or time to chat to make an event plan that works best for your school.
Germantown Bike Ride
A safer Germantown for all road users is possible! State Representatives Andre Carroll and Darisha Parker, joined representatives from the City of Philadelphia, and community groups to gather for a press conference and bike ride. We enjoyed a tour of this historic neighborhood which highlighted the need for greater traffic safety measures.
This event was in partnership with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Germantown Traffic Safety Coalition, Friends of Fernhill Park, Foundation for Health Equity, Germantown Friends School, SoLo /Germantown Civic Association, Greene Street Friends School, The Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, Indego, and 8th District Councilmember Cindy Bass.
Park(ing) Day
On September 19, the Office of Multimodal Planning (OMP) participated in Park(ing) Day. Park(ing) Day is a global event that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It is an opportunity for people across the world (and Philadelphia) to temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces and convert them into public parks and social spaces to advocate for safer, greener, and more equitable streets for people.
In Philadelphia, 39 organizations participated across Center City, West Philly, Roxborough, Olney, and Tacony. OMP used this as an opportunity to talk with people bus lanes and how they improve the efficiency and comfort of public transit. We hope you came out and talked to us and the other organizations who competed for the Golden Cone awards by activating street space for people!
National Week Without Driving (9/29-10/5)
National Week Without Driving is this week! Week Without Driving was created so that those who have the option to drive can learn firsthand about the barriers and challenges that nondrivers face. These experiences will help drivers and nondrivers create more accessible communities for all.
The Vision Zero team is proud to participate in #WeekWithoutDriving this week and most weeks of the year. Vision Zero and our partners at Clean Air Council are also urging elected officials, local advocates, and individuals to participate in this week dedicated to creating change and understanding the challenges created for non-drivers by our current urban infrastructure, which caters to cars over people. Sign up to participate in this year’s Week Without Driving: bit.ly/3P268qc
Learn more about Week Without Driving here: weekwithoutdriving.org
Upcoming Events
You’ll see us and our partners out in the community at the events listed below.
- Tuesday, September 30 – Cobbs Creek-Eastwick Neighborhood Advisory Group Meeting, 6-7:30pm (Cibotti Recreation Center, 7700 Elmwood Ave)
- Thursday, October 2 – Safer Streets: A Billy Penn Town Hall, 5:30-7pm (Parkway Central Library 4th Floor Skyline Room, 1901 Vine St)
Partner Updates
Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP)
Here’s what the Bicycle Coalition is working on this month:
- Week Without Driving PHL Sept. 29 – Oct. 5
- Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia Town Halls – We want to meet with you!
- Make Bikes Count by Volunteering for our Annual Fall Bike Count
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
Child Passenger Safety Week – September 21 – 27, 2025
Child passenger safety week was last week. Keeping children safe while traveling is a top priority for parents and caregivers. Unfortunately, almost half of car seats used are either the wrong car seat for the child’s age and size or installed incorrectly. This year’s theme “Secure Their Future, One Ride at a Time”, highlights the vital role that selecting and using the right car seat plays in protecting children. Caregivers are encouraged to attend one of many car seat checks being held, either in-person or virtually. To find a car seat check in the Philadelphia area, visit: Car seat checks | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Clean Air Council
Cycle September
Today is your last chance to try Indego this Cycle September! Join Clean Air Council and Indego Bike Share for this Cycle September Challenge and register on their new platform and log your rides to collect reward points for discounts at some of your favorite retailers and chances at fun prizes. Indego Bike Share is offering new users a chance to try it out for just $1 for the duration of the challenge with promo code INDECYCLE25. Join Clean Air Council this Cycle September and start logging your rides. Visit GoPhillyGo for exciting events and destination ideas!
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Feet First Philly’s Public Space Enhancement Mini-Grant Program 6th Round
Feet First Philly, Philadelphia’s only pedestrian advocacy group dedicated to protecting the rights of all pedestrians, launched the 6th round of its Public Space Enhancement Mini-grant Program. Applications are due October 1st, and everyone is encouraged to apply and improve a public space of their choice. Learn more about the mini-grant program here.
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
The DVRPC Planning Fellowship is an opportunity to explore the field of city and regional planning, without prior training or experience, by spending a year working with various departments across DVRPC. Applications are due by October 15, 2025. Learn more: https://www.dvrpc.org/humanresources/planningfellowship/
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Missed the most recent Regional Safety Task Force meeting on Safe Routes to School? Keep an eye on the RSTF webpage, where we will post the meeting recording and materials soon! Reach out to kphillips@dvrpc.org if you’d like to be added to the mailing list for future in-person and virtual meetings.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)
Child Passenger Safety Week is recognized each year in September and brings heightened awareness to how parents and caregivers can keep children safe in vehicles. Child Passenger Safety Week 2025 was held from September 21-27, but you can still use NHTSA’s Car Seat Finder to make sure your child is in The Right Seat.
Vision Zero In the News
Philadelphia 
WURD Radio | Christopher Puchalsky | Automated Speed Enforcement on Broad St (WURD Radio)
Bicyclists pedal for a safer Germantown (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Hundreds of Philly bicyclists demand better bike lanes in demonstration ride (Fox 29 Philadelphia)
Philadelphia’s Overbrook Educational Center Area to Get Traffic-Safety Makeover by 2026 (Hoodline)
Concerned South Philadelphia neighbors call for safety improvements at ‘Triangle’ in Queen Village (6ABC)
Smile! You’re on camera, Broad Street drivers (BillyPenn at WHYY)
How can we make Philly safer for cyclists, pedestrians, others? (WHYY)
The back-to-school danger no one talks about (The Philadelphia Citizen)
Drivers divided as speed cameras set to be activated along Broad Street (6ABC)
What We’re Reading 
In Defence of Vision Zero — a Traffic Engineer’s Perspective (Planetizen)
To truly prioritize safety, federal guidance must be grounded in evidence (Transportation for America)
How Britain built some of the world’s safest roads (Our World in Data)
Vision Zero Jobs
Project Manager Infrastructure Economy, Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS)
Senior Manager Infrastructure Economy, Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS)
Transportation Planner, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
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 Friday, October 10 to Virginia Lynn at virginia.lynn@phila.gov.