> That seems inefficient.

😑

Indeed. Inefficient by design is The Philadelphia Way.

Here's a general outline of how to get, e.g. a new crosswalk or stop sign installed, or to get permission to plant some flowers or whatever:

• File a complaint with the Streets Department. On paper, Streets is responsible for all this. But Streets won't do anything unless a) they're legally required to or b) a District CM tells them to. In this case, you might want a "no parking" sign, or if there isn't one there already, or a "speeding study". https://www.phila.gov/services/streets-sidewalks-alleys/report-a-problem-on-a-city-street-sidewalk-or-alley/report-a-problem-with-a-traffic-light-or-sign/request-a-traffic-sign-or-report-a-problem/ Get your friends to fill out the same form. Fill it out more than once.

• After the signage is in place, report illegal activity to PPA to get them to ticket. 215.683.9775

• PPA may tell you they don't ticket there, in which case you need to go through 911 - you can text them! Yes 911, not 311. 311 won't do anything. Don't worry about clogging the lines or whatever. This is how they want you to do it.

• File a "roll call" complaint with police, and get your friends to do the same. https://www.phillypolice.com/forms/roll-call-complaints Enough noise through this channel, and you might see an uptick in ticketing for a couple weeks. Repeat every couple weeks as the ticketing subsides.

• Now that you've established a track record of illegal and dangerous parking and driving, contact the RCO again about additional measures like planters, bump outs, and other street treatments. Blow up their spot at meetings, get them to bug the CM about it, and keep contacting Streets. You might have an email contact at Streets by this point. Email them, as well as filling out the speed study form. Your RCO will probably want you to collect signatures from neighbors to show support for the changes you're proposing. The CM almost certainly will want to see the same.

• Consider running to be on the RCO board, or running to become a Democratic Committeemember, and you'll have an even more direct line of communication with the Councilmember. By now, you'll have the phone numbers of the people who can make these things happen, and you should call and text them every day until it does.

Hope this helps!

I call the ppa for illegally parked cars on our street weekly. You are right that they don’t always come but sometimes they do.

No, but it needs to get scoped into a project.

Typically stuff like that goes under open ends (like TOITS or VIZOC), and the political pressure to get that scoped can come through a councilperson or RCO.

Streets identifies other projects based on prioritization by planning, DVRPC, and OTIS, as well as the mayor's office.

Yes. There has to be council resolutions approving street repaving