More PENNDOT and Streets Department Criticism

More PENNDOT and Streets Department Criticism

The latest comes from Architectural Critic Inga Saffron in the Inquirer, on poor pedestrian connections to the Cira Center. In today's article Changing Skyline, Cool Beauty Saffron describes the pedestrian access to the building

"The poor pedestrian conditions are a direct result of the anti-urban policies of PennDot and the city Streets Department.

Amtrak had asked PennDot to install a midblock traffic light on Arch Street because it is the most intuitive crossing point between the station and Cira. But PennDot vetoed the request. Instead, it put new lights at the corners of 29th and 30th Streets. As long as those traffic patterns exist, no sensible person will dare cross Arch Street because of the way drivers race around the station. As a result, Cira's sidewalks were narrowed to discourage people from attempting to walk to the building.

Yet another recent PENNDOT decision that favors motorized traffic flow over the poor pedestrian.