Philly committee endorses ‘pedestrian enhancement’ bill

Following a trial run in the city, some amenities for pedestrians have won backing from a Philadelphia City Council Committee.

The bill codifies what is necessary for parklets, bicycle corrals and pedestrian plazas.

Andrew Stober of the mayor’s office of Transportation and Utilities describes a parklet as a roof deck for the street.

“They are seasonal pop-up parks from April to November that transform one to two street parking spaces into areas for sitting eating and socializing,” Stober said. “Philadelphia’s parklets can be found across the city from West Philadelphia to Fishtown from South Street to Logan.”

The bike corrals are designed to help keep bikes together instead of being chained to every stationary object on a sidewalk, said Sarah Clark Stuart of the Bicycle Coalition.

“There’s still many zones and areas within the city that do not have enough bicycle parking, so bicycle corrals — which is a very efficient way to park 10 to 12 to 14 bicycles,” she said.

The pedestrian plazas take unused sections of the road for pedestrian use and seating. There are now three of them in West Philadelphia and one in Southwest Center City.