More than 1,000 Philadelphians petition for a safer Fairmount Park

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More than 1,000 Philadelphians have signed a petition advocating for a safer Fairmount Park. The demand comes weeks after Harry Fenton, a popular cycling advocate in the city, was killed while riding his bike in the park.

Philly Bike Action, partnering with nine other organizations in the city, launched the petition — “Demand a Safer Fairmount Park” — on Sept. 22. Dave Talone, an organizer with the group, spearheaded the campaign.

“We really want a safer Fairmount Park for all users, which means pedestrians, wheelchair users, bikers and even people in cars,” Talone said. “Nobody should die in traffic violence in the park.”

The organization is looking for infrastructure changes in the popular Philly recreation destination. According to research conducted by Philly Bike Action, there have been at least 41 fatalities in or along the perimeter of Fairmount Park since 2019.

Talone said traffic calming would be the first improvement on his list to make the park safer. This urban planning technique employs primarily physical impediments to slow down and reduce the amount of traffic in a given area through the use of speed bumps, narrowed lanes and modal filters.

“They could put that in tomorrow if they wanted to,” Talone said.

Advocates are also calling for an overall speed reduction in the park, bringing the speed limit down from 35 mph to 25 mph. The city implemented the same decrease two years ago on Kelly Drive. John Boyle, research director at Bike Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, said that the roads in Fairmount Park have been “overbuilt” for cars and “built for speed.”

Boyle wants Philadelphia to follow the example set by other cities when it comes to park safety. Notably, in 2022, Los Angeles closed a road in Griffith Park that commuters commonly used to avoid freeway congestion following the death of a cyclist.

“Really making their parks for people, with cars as guests to get there and visit, but not drive through,” Boyle said.

Part of Vision Zero Philadelphia’s High Injury Network of dangerous roads in the city, Belmont Avenue has seen a number of crashes and eight fatalities over the past six years, according to Talone.

A safer park for everyone

Biking has been Julian Bender’s main mode of transportation for the past 18 years. The West Philly cyclist said that he goes to Fairmount Park regularly and is often on the road where Fenton was killed.

“Belmont Avenue is the one that I’m on most frequently and there’s extremely fast traffic on that,” Bender said. “Anytime of day, I’ve seen tons and tons of cars flying by at reckless speeds.”

The thoroughfare, which varies from four to six lanes at given points in the park, intersects with many of the interior roads of the park. Cars tend to turn off Belmont onto smaller roads — like Avenue of the Republic — at “extremely high speeds,” according to Bender.

“A lot of these cars are clearly not looking,” Bender said, describing the difficulty of crossing the multilane road.

Philly Running Alliance is one of the younger organizations that signed on to the Philly Bike Action petition. With the upcoming Philadelphia Marathon in November, Kevin Brandon, the president of the volunteer organization, said participants traditionally like to preview the course before the race.

Miles 9 to 12 go through West Fairmount Park, but Brandon said runners feel uncomfortable previewing the course due to traffic conditions there. While the roads are closed to cars during the race, a runner who wanted to test out the route today would have to risk running on the street next to traffic, as many of the roads don’t feature sidewalks.

“Having a distinct sidewalk would be a major benefit to the community,” Brandon said.

Restoring these sidewalks, along with the park’s extensive trail network, would be the easiest thing to do to increase safety, according to Talone. The city is currently in the design phase for reconstructing one of these paths, along Belmont Avenue. However, the projected completion date is not for another two years.

If the city agrees to implement these safety measures in Fairmount Park, there still could be challenges. Roads in the park are owned by both Philadelphia and the state, meaning any changes would require a collaboration between PennDOT and the Streets Department. Larger thoroughfares in the park, including Kelly Drive and Belmont Avenue, are state roads.

Speed limits in the park are controlled by the city, according to Krys Johnson, a safety press officer at PennDOT. In an email, she said the transit agency is waiting for guidance from the city on how to move forward on any possible road changes.

While Philadelphia decides on a potential implementation of enhanced safety measures in the park, Dave Talone said Philly Bike Action has more plans. The advocacy group will be holding a protest in Fairmount Park on Oct. 12.

“There are so many people that want to come and use the park,” Talone said. “To ride in it, but also to walk, and to play, and to enjoy the park, and not have to fear that they’re going to become victims of traffic violence.”