May 9: Flashy Philly Phlash | Kensington fire shuts down El | Property assessment data released | Ads on municipal buildings | Philly commuters biking more, walking less | City Ave road repairs

Happy Friday, Eyes on the Street!

A made-over Philly Phlash hits the streets today and will run through December. Philadelphia Business Journal reports that the new buses accommodate more people and use clean diesel technology. They will also be more accessible for people with disabilities. 

A fire in Kensington shut down the Market-Frankford Line during rush hour yesterday. The fire began in a Kensington dollar store and spread to surrounding buildings. NBC Philadelphia reports that firefighters had trouble accessing two of the buildings because they were locked and a third because it was vacant and boarded doors had to be knocked down. 

The City released its 2014 and 2015 property assessment data early this week, and Technically Philly says the feat “feels like a victory.” The data set has been months in the making and is a high value data set, meaning it includes more than the low-hanging fruit.

At least 12 “major players” in the advertising business have responded to the city’s call for proposals to manage the sale and placement of ads on municipal property, The Inquirer reports. That could mean ads on municipal buildings, libraries, rec centers and even trash trucks. It is unclear how much revenue a deal could bring in, but it is expected to generate millions of dollars.

New Census Bureau data finds more Philadelphians are biking to work but fewer are walking. Between 2008 and 2012 2 percent of city workers rode bikes to work – nearly double the 0.9 percent who biked in 2000. But the percentage of people who walked to work fell from 9.1 percent in 2000 to 8.6 percent between 2008 and 2012.

PennDOT is about to embark on a $2.8 million project to repair and resurface five miles of City Ave. According to the Business Journal, the work – expected to be completed in August – will make use of state transportation funding from Act 89. 

The Buzz is Eyes on the Street’s morning news digest. Have a tip? Send it along.
Follow us on Twitter @EOTSPhilly | Like us on Facebook | Share your Philly photos in our Flickr Group