PHILADELPHIA – The City’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure & Sustainability (oTIS) announced today announced the results of the Market JFK Vision Zero Pilot Project, installed last June to increase safety for people using the major east-west arterial roadways. The pilot project tested an alternate roadway configuration between 15th and 20th Streets on both Market Street and JFK Boulevard.

The project reconfigured the roadway from four traffic lanes to three lanes and added painted pedestrian areas and a protected bicycle lane on both streets. The evaluation report details the city data collection effort before and during the pilot project to measure the impact of the project on safety, mobility, and quality of life of travelers along the corridors.

After the pilot was installed, there was a 12.8 percent reduction in the number of vehicles with speeds above the posted speed limit during off-peak hours on Market Street and JFK Boulevard. 76 percent of area residents surveyed support making the pilot project permanent.

In addition, a survey conducted by the Central Philadelphia Transportation Management Association (CPTMA) showed thirty-seven percent of survey respondents feel it is safer to cross the street with pilot improvements and another 37 percent of respondents feel it is the same level of comfort. Vehicle traffic through-put and travel times were maintained along the corridor after the pilot.

To measure the impact of the project, oTIS worked with partners on an extensive data collection and evaluation plan before and during the pilot project. Partner agencies include PennDOT, SEPTA, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and the Central Philadelphia Transportation Management Association. The performance measures analyzed include crashes, vehicle speed and volumes, bicycle and pedestrian volumes, and user comfort level and experience.

In addition to data gathering efforts, the City met extensively with stakeholder groups from 2017 – 2019, including property owners and tenants, residents, and community groups along the corridors. This winter, meetings were held at the two large residential buildings and both demonstrated support for making the project permanent. In addition, both the Logan Square Neighbors Association and the Center City Business Association wrote letters of support to make the project permanent.

The next steps for the project are to work closely with City Council on the legislation needed to make the project permanent. oTIS will also work in close coordination with the Streets Department and PennDOT to design the permanent installation as part of the 2019 repaving project on JFK Boulevard.

The evaluation report and more information about the project can be found at http://www.phillyotis.com/portfolio-item/complete-streets/ or by emailing oTIS@phila.gov.