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.”