COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON COMMITS $320,000 IN CAPITAL FUNDS FOR NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY CALMING MEASURES ON WASHINGTON AVENUE

After years of discussions, the entire stretch of Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia has been repaved. I committed $320,000 in capital funds to the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) in 2022 to install speed humps and hardened centerlines on Washington Avenue, west of Broad Street. The speed slots and hardened centerlines are on the roadway now.

Speed slots are analogous to speed humps or cushions and represent a measure to improve safety on arterial class roads. Hardened centerlines help reduce the elevated fatal and serious injury crash rate history associated with left turns off of Washington Avenue. I believe that the installation of these new safety measures will increase traffic safety all Philadelphians for years to come. Whether traveling by car, bike, foot, or otherwise, people will be safer on Washington Avenue.

I strongly support a wide array of safety interventions along Washington Avenue, including better intersection treatments, better lighting, and improved traffic signals. I also want more school crossing guards at key locations to make sure children get across Washington Avenue safely, and better enforcement of traffic violations. I believe that Washington Avenue can and must be much safer, with the help of strategic investments.