Seven days after the Eagles unveiled their Super Bowl banner and kicked off the NFL season, Philadelphia City Council started its legislative season in City Hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Council\u2019s playbook this year includes a variety of moves, from taking on new development and bike lane initiatives to tackling businesses and sidelining select smoking substances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s your football-themed Five for Friday, highlighting Council\u2019s first day of session and what priorities are part of the game plan:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Call on the field for late hit stands<\/strong><\/p>\n After Council passed a bill in June that would expand an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. business curfew beyond Kensington to other parts of the city, the legislation received pushback<\/a> from food truck owners and others who questioned Council\u2019s authority to implement such a sweeping regulation, even as the bill, led by Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, passed by a 16-0 vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mayor Cherelle Parker let the call on the field stand, declining to sign the bill but allowing it to become law without her signature. The focus on what Council deems \u201cnuisance businesses\u201d sought to crack down on 24-hour shops in the Kensington area that allegedly create a lot of noise and attract crime. The new bill expands those restrictions to other parts of North and Northwest Philadelphia, including five areas of Kensington and the entire 6th, 8th and 9th Councilmanic districts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bag on the play<\/strong><\/p>\n Years after the initial flag was thrown on plastic bag usage, Councilmember Mark Squilla wants to take the retail regulation further.<\/a> Squilla is seeking to pass a measure that would charge shoppers a fee for using paper bags, which have become commonplace after the plastic bag ban took effect.\u00a0<\/p>\n The move \u2013 a Hail Mary to sway people from using disposable bags altogether \u2013 would institute a fee for paper and other nonplastic materials while still maintaining the ban on plastic bags in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lane protection<\/strong><\/p>\n Much like Eagles All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, bike lanes are used in an attempt to keep Philadelphians safe and sound while on the move. Earlier this year, a judge blocked the city from implementing car loading zones in arterial bike lanes in Center City. But Parker followed that up Thursday by sending Council a bill in hopes of providing a legal fix and helping the measure move forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n Council had made it illegal for vehicles to idle in bike lanes, but after the Streets Department looked to establish loading zones in a handful of parking spaces, residents submitted a lawsuit to order the city to stop using parking spaces on Spruce and Pine Streets for loading zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new legislation would clarify that the Streets Department can create loading zones and legalize all existing regulations related to the department\u2019s authority over parking.\u00a0<\/p>\n