PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread II

[Gatorade_Jim]

Originally Posted by Londonee

There’s hockey/skating rinks and a large community parking lot under 95 in Queen Village that are huge benefits to the ‘hood and city - so you only have to look like 1 mile south on how to make this type of space work.

Basketball courts, tennis courts, dog parks, kids play ground would all be awesome under the over hang of 95. In London - this space would probably be a massive flea market with dozens of daily vendors. It’s basically a waste land now, I don’t understand how that was ever intentional and how the community groups didn’t foresee this coming and fight for activation or hell - even just having it fenced off/enclosed and used as SEPTA bus parking or something… it’s a disaster as is

The bigger issue to me is how terrible it is for your health to do physical exercise next to a highway for a long period of time. All that fine rubber particulate from car tires and car exhaust goes somewhere...

[El Duderino]

Originally Posted by Gatorade_Jim

The bigger issue to me is how terrible it is for your health to do physical exercise next to a highway for a long period of time. All that fine rubber particulate from car tires and car exhaust goes somewhere...

I like to mix microplastics in with my protein shakes, so I should be good

In all seriousness, it's documented as causing pretty terrible health impacts, so I hear you. It's a tough challenge sadly to figure out a way to make an unappealing place a worthwhile destination that doesn't harm those who go there.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by daninpa

I'll try to take a pic on my way home, but I just passed through North Philly station on the CHW and they're starting to put in window frames in the Ink Factory. Can't wait for this area to get moving!

Awesome. Glad to see a hulking blight along the Amtrak corridor fixed up.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Awesome. Glad to see a hulking blight along the Amtrak corridor fixed up.

I saw that as well! I was shocked.

[DeltaNerd]

Originally Posted by Londonee

There’s hockey/skating rinks and a large community parking lot under 95 in Queen Village that are huge benefits to the ‘hood and city - so you only have to look like 1 mile south on how to make this type of space work.

Basketball courts, tennis courts, dog parks, kids play ground would all be awesome under the over hang of 95. In London - this space would probably be a massive flea market with dozens of daily vendors. It’s basically a waste land now, I don’t understand how that was ever intentional and how the community groups didn’t foresee this coming and fight for activation or hell - even just having it fenced off/enclosed and used as SEPTA bus parking or something… it’s a disaster as is

Yeah, most of the time it's empty in that little park. Skateboarders usually have headphones on. You have to yell to talk normally under a highway. Have to tired to hangout under a highway before? Is it not awesome to hangout under a highway, go try it.

Highways are not good public spaces. Expanding i95 more public space is not a good use of transit money. Sure Septa and the PPA can store more cars under the highway.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Awesome. Glad to see a hulking blight along the Amtrak corridor fixed up.

I looked up the location for permits- there is nothing indicating a conversion is underway- it seems like this is remediation work in response to violations issued by the City....oh well.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by DeltaNerd

Tolling i676, i76, and i95 would fix a lot of the traffic problems imo

PA cannot toll I95 or I676

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by cardeza

PA cannot toll I95 or I676

https://www.phillyvoice.com/penndot-...83-harrisburg/

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by Raja

But but but but but but but but PennDot doesn't have the toll money that other states have. They can't possibly be expected to keep the highways clean!

what PennDOT does is a reflection of the priorities of this state and its tax structure. PennDOT is not funded to provide the levels of cleaning or maintenance that many would like to see. In many other states a lot of these costs are passed off on other motorists whereas PA lacks any significant north south toll road other than I476 which is mostly used by PA residents. To keep up with what you see in other states PA would need to pump in more funding because tolls are not happening on roads built by the interstate highway system- PA tried that and it failed.

[ok-ez]

Originally Posted by DeltaNerd

Have to tired to hangout under a highway before? Is it not awesome to hangout under a highway, go try it.

Highways are not good public spaces. Expanding i95 more public space is not a good use of transit money. Sure Septa and the PPA can store more cars under the highway.

I have under the new portion of 95 through fishtown/port richmond and it was fine, not perfect, but no yelling involved.

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by ok-ez

I have under the new portion of 95 through fishtown/port richmond and it was fine, not perfect, but no yelling involved.

The new portions are great, the older portions may be a little noisy but it's not the end of the world, the areas under 95 can be great it just needs the infrastructure.

[Skintreesnail]

Check it out (they should include sansom)

Car-Free Streets for Four Sundays This September
Center City District (CCD), with support from Rittenhouse Row and the City of Philadelphia, plans to transform one of Philadelphia’s most popular shopping and dining destinations, 18th Street from Locust to Chestnut and Walnut Street from 15th to 19th, by temporarily closing streets to vehicular traffic.

https://centercityphila.org/explore-...ty/openstreets

[Raja]

Originally Posted by cardeza

what PennDOT does is a reflection of the priorities of this state and its tax structure.

100% in agreement on that. Across the board, litter control and buckle scraping clearly are not PA priorities.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Raja

100% in agreement on that. Across the board, litter control and buckle scraping clearly are not PA priorities.

Agreed.

I've worked in Operations and Supply Chain long enough to have a spidey sense of when the math ain't mathing, and my guess is that we spend just as much on highway maintenance per (insert whatever metric is relevant here) as other states, we just don't hold operators accountable.

We have higher gas taxes than other states that have lower taxes but more toll revenues. In the end, we're probably raising the same amount of money.

Our DOT just doesn't have an ethos of maintenance, period. Plenty of street cleaners out there, they're just in a garage somewhere not being used or even worse (and most likely) they're sitting idel while the operators get paid to do nothing.

I know it's a different entity, but I see street sweepers in this city driving around all the time with their brushes up. Why isn't the expectation that brushes are always down, even if the driver isn't on their route? Like, if you're going to Germantown to clean specific streets in Germantown, why aren't you making an effort to clean everything on it's way? It's not complicated.

[3rd&Brown]

For a point of reference, from what I can find, these are the budgets for PA and NJ DOT.

PA DOT: 10.8 BILLION per year
NJ DOT: 4.8 BILLION per year

Hard to believe NJ has cleaner highways because they have more funding.

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by Skintreesnail

Check it out (they should include sansom)



https://centercityphila.org/explore-...ty/openstreets

Wouldn’t mind seeing this made permanent. Walnut would probably do quite well being pedestrian only from Broad to 18th.

[Urbanthusiat]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

For a point of reference, from what I can find, these are the budgets for PA and NJ DOT.

PA DOT: 10.8 BILLION per year
NJ DOT: 4.8 BILLION per year

Hard to believe NJ has cleaner highways because they have more funding.

Now let's do dollars per mile of road. Assuming this site I found is correct, that would equate to ~$56,400 per road mile in NJ vs ~$42,900 per road mile in PA. That's about 31% higher for NJ.

[Skintreesnail]

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

Wouldn’t mind seeing this made permanent. Walnut would probably do quite well being pedestrian only from Broad to 18th.

Yeah, i wouldn't mind either, but realistically it's a pretty major east/west thoroughfare. And there's still fears due to the chestnut street transitway, which I feel would totally work today (light rail would be better though). Sansom would be a better permanent test, which was already kind of proved during the pandemic. After that, the roads connecting the squares: 19, locust, 7, vine (south). I feel like there would be less backlash since they aren't through running. Could even start with a woonerf concept that prioritizes pedestrian and bike traffic over cars, with very low speed limits and other traffic calming measures like chicanes.

[Raja]

Originally Posted by Skintreesnail

Yeah, i wouldn't mind either, but realistically it's a pretty major east/west thoroughfare. And there's still fears due to the chestnut street transitway, which I feel would totally work today (light rail would be better though). Sansom would be a better permanent test, which was already kind of proved during the pandemic. After that, the roads connecting the squares: 19, locust, 7, vine (south). I feel like there would be less backlash since they aren't through running. Could even start with a woonerf concept that prioritizes pedestrian and bike traffic over cars, with very low speed limits and other traffic calming measures like chicanes.

I think between squares is a fantastic idea. Philly would have its own pedestrian loop; an actual emerald necklace.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Agreed.

I've worked in Operations and Supply Chain long enough to have a spidey sense of when the math ain't mathing, and my guess is that we spend just as much on highway maintenance per (insert whatever metric is relevant here) as other states, we just don't hold operators accountable.

We have higher gas taxes than other states that have lower taxes but more toll revenues. In the end, we're probably raising the same amount of money.

Our DOT just doesn't have an ethos of maintenance, period. Plenty of street cleaners out there, they're just in a garage somewhere not being used or even worse (and most likely) they're sitting idel while the operators get paid to do nothing.

I know it's a different entity, but I see street sweepers in this city driving around all the time with their brushes up. Why isn't the expectation that brushes are always down, even if the driver isn't on their route? Like, if you're going to Germantown to clean specific streets in Germantown, why aren't you making an effort to clean everything on it's way? It's not complicated.

street sweepers drive extremely slow when they are cleaning and they clean near the curbside- driving down the middle of the street with the brushes on would waste gas, likely require them to slow and generally be stupid. Do you really think all of these entities are out here just purposely not trying to do their job? You cynicism and the presumption that everyone who works for these various agencies is either stupid and/or lazy is amazing. Never ceases to amaze. Are the street sweeping drivers allowed to take lunch breaks or go to the bathroom? Or is that just one more sign that they are lazy, entitled and ineffective. Werent you one of the people constantly bitching about lack of sweeping? NOw there is more and they did a citywide cleanup/sweep and your complaint is that the trucks arent cleaning when they are on the way back to the depot or to gas up. Come on.