2022 Urbanist Uproar
The Washington Avenue Redesign Drama
A three-act tale of Philadelphia government dysfunction: 1) City spends years researching bike-and-pedestrian-friendly redesign ideas for Washington Avenue. 2) City announces a “final design decision” (three lanes) preferred by a majority of community members, only to abandon it for a more car-centric version (a mix of three, four and five lanes). 3) City can’t even implement the revised plan because Kenyatta Johnson (see: Best Reason to Vote in the 2nd District) has unilateral veto power thanks to councilmanic prerogative, which means the portion of the road passing through his district will likely remain the same as it ever was — five lanes. Can we at least agree to fix the potholes?