Tonight (Monday, November 19th at 6 pm): Come one, come all to FFP's November meeting! We've got lots of updates for you on projects such as intersection surveying and our photo contest (which is still open to submissions; send photos of sidewalk encroachments to walkability@cleanair.org)! For more information, check out the facebook event.
Take the 2-mile challenge!
Did you know that about 40% of trips in urban areas are 2 miles or less? That means they would take about 40 minutes to walk, yet 90% of these trips are made by car. It costs a lot to run a car (about $5,170 per year, in fact). Plus, driving is one of the … Continue reading Take the 2-mile challenge!
Upcoming Walking Tours
Philadelphia's compact street grid and numerous parks and trails help to make it an excellent place to experience on foot. Don't let the chilly weather put a damper on your walk! There's still time to go on one of the many walking tours that are offered throughout the city! While the tour season has ended … Continue reading Upcoming Walking Tours
“Trick-or-treat test” another great way to measure walkability
There are a number of ways to measure walkability--we've talked about Walk Score and Walk Appeal before--but none is more fitting for this time of year than the "trick-or-treat" test. Like the popsicle test, the trick-or-treat test uses the walking behavior of children to assess how walkable a neighborhood is. In a blog post for … Continue reading “Trick-or-treat test” another great way to measure walkability
Article: Study finds that darting into street is a top reason young children are struck by cars
An American Academy of Pediatrics study analyzed the cause of child pedestrian crashes in the cases of children admitted to a particular trauma center in New York. Jaywalking was a common cause of accidents for children ages 7 to 12. In the majority of accidents where the victim was a child of 6 years old … Continue reading Article: Study finds that darting into street is a top reason young children are struck by cars
Article: New pedestrian ramp for the Ben Franklin Bridge!
Thanks to the Bicycle Coalition, the Ben Franklin Bridge will receive a new ADA accessible pedestrian and bicycle ramp to replace the steep, narrow stairs on the Camden side, making the bridge easier for both pedestrians and cyclists to use. http://planphilly.com/new-bicycle-pedestrian-ramp-coming-ben-franklin-bridge-camden
Article: Older kids now at greater risk for pedestrian injury
An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer introduces some scary statistics about pediatric pedestrian injuries. It outlines the takeaways from a report released recently by Safe Kids Worldwide concerning childhood risk of pedestrian injury. The report states that teens and tweens (kids ages 10 through 19) are now the childhood age group most likely to be … Continue reading Article: Older kids now at greater risk for pedestrian injury
Article: Designing good cities for walking
Streetsblog.org has posted excerpts from acclaimed Danish Architect Jan Gehl's book "Cities for People." When it comes to designing a good public space for people to linger in or walk through, Jan Gehl has it practically down to a science. For instance, he says that 1,640 feet is the distance most pedestrians find to be an … Continue reading Article: Designing good cities for walking
Earn money by helping out Feet First Philly!
One of Feet First Philly's principal initiatives is to make sure that traffic signals allow pedestrians sufficient time to cross the street. We are currently conducting field surveys to assess current signal timing and other characteristics at certain intersections. The information gathered will be shared with the city of Philadelphia to ensure that all signals … Continue reading Earn money by helping out Feet First Philly!
Park(ing) Day creates more space for people
Philadelphia has lots of great public spaces, but for today only, a few more have popped up. It's Park(ing) Day, where citizens and organizations transform ordinary street parking spots into public spaces! Park(ing) Day is a worldwide event held on the third Friday in September. This year, activists, artists, and others have created 59 temporary … Continue reading Park(ing) Day creates more space for people
Feet First Philly 