Philly Bike Action!

Demand a Safer Fairmount Park!

On September 2, 2025, Harry Fenton, a resident of Philadelphia and a member of Philly Bike Action and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, was struck and killed by a speeding car while riding his bike in Fairmount Park at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and the Avenue of the Republic.

Harry’s death was preventable—if only the streets in Fairmount Park were designed for safety instead of high speeds. The park includes several wide roadways that encourage speeding and reckless driving, putting all road users’ lives at risk. Harry is the 8th person to die on Belmont Ave in a crash in just the past six years. Trails and sidewalks are in poor condition forcing bicyclists and pedestrians into high-speed traffic lanes. The dangerous intersections are overly wide, and poorly implemented traffic signals invite drivers to turn across pedestrians and cyclists.

Sign our petition to City leaders and PennDOT to make Fairmount Park safer for everyone NOW!

Sign The Petition!

Since 2019 at least 41 people have been killed in car crashes inside or directly adjacent to Fairmount Park. This is not acceptable. City leaders have prioritized through traffic over park users for too long, and reckless driving has become far too common. There’s a better way: Philadelphia must follow in the footsteps of peer cities and reimagine Fairmount Park as a safe, clean, and green public space for all Philadelphians.

We believe:

  1. Parks are for people and for nature. City parks are places for people to spend time outdoors with family and friends; to enjoy nature and fresh air; to picnic; to play sports; to walk, run, skate, and cycle; and places for greenery and wildlife to thrive.
  2. High-speed through traffic and reckless driving have no place in our parks. Through traffic must be limited and slowed immediately. The green heart of our city should be free of the noise, pollution, and danger caused by drivers using Fairmount Park as a shortcut to other destinations.
  3. Safety should be prioritized. No one, inside or outside of a vehicle, especially vulnerable road users, should die or risk injury in our parks due to traffic violence.
  4. Everyone deserves access. People walking, running, cycling, and using wheelchairs deserve a connected network of protected and well-maintained sidewalks, paths and trails. This can be achieved while also optimizing calm, safe access to Fairmount Park’s many amenities for motor vehicles, including public transit.

We call on our city leaders and PennDOT to prioritize safety over speed in Fairmount Park and:

  1. Introduce a road diet on Belmont Avenue and install quick-build traffic calming immediately.
  2. Immediately lower the speed limit on ALL roads in the park to 25 mph.
  3. Repair the Park’s crumbling cycling and pedestrian paths, beginning by fixing the damaged multi-use path on both sides of Belmont Ave for the 2026 Semiquincentennial.
  4. Construct single-lane roundabouts at the intersections of Belmont Ave & Avenue of the Republic, and Belmont Ave & Concourse Dr.
Sign The Petition!

If struck by a car at 40 mph, vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists have a 85% chance of dying; survivors will still face life-altering injuries and potentially permanent disability. At 30 mph, the likelihood of dying goes down to 45%; and at 20 mph, it is just 5%. Speed kills.

Modern infrastructure like road diets, traffic calming, and roundabouts slow driver speeds by narrowing roads and limiting conflicts at intersections, reducing crash severity. Cars go slower in traffic circles, keeping everyone safer, whether or not they’re in a car—while potentially reducing congestion! We know it works here: Philly’s new Penrose Roundabout has a single-lane design that has dramatically improved safety and maintained a comfortable level of service for vehicles. Belmont deserves this too!

The trails and sidewalks along roads in Fairmount Park are currently in disrepair and desperately need to be rebuilt to suit the needs of people outside vehicles. We need a contiguous, high-quality network of paths to keep everyone safe no matter how they choose to travel.

In 1876 Fairmount Park welcomed more than 10 million people, all pre-automobile, for the Centennial celebration. Now, on the eve of the Semiquincentennial, Philadelphia must make its preeminent park safe and welcoming for visitors.

Signed by: Philly Bike Action, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, PA Safe Roads PAC, Philly Running Alliance, Families for Safe Streets, Black Girl Joy Bike Ride, PATHS, Feet First Philly, Clean Air Council, 5th Square

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Demand a Safer Fairmount Park!

I support a road diet and roundabouts on Belmont Ave to calm traffic; as well as a lower speed limit and high-quality walking and cycling trails throughout Fairmount Park.

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311 Submissions So Far!

Comments

Recent comments...

"Make Fairmount park pedestrian & bike friendly!"

-Kelly M. 16 seconds ago

"Please make parks safe places for people to walk and bike by banning cars."

-Alexa R. 10 minutes ago

"PROTECTED BIKE LANES & SAFETY - NOW!!"

-Kelly K. 20 minutes ago

"People need to drive in Fairmount Park as if they’re actually driving through a park. Speed limits should be enforced."

-Jonas O. 24 minutes ago

"I moved to Philly due to its bikeable and walkable nature. My retired mom moved to Bala. The park connects us; we love the nature, exercise, and other opportunities it brings. Please support making it a safer place!"

-Leith V. 25 minutes ago

"Human life should be valued over the momentary convenience of drivers."

-Grace L. 25 minutes ago

"I support a road diet and roundabouts on Belmont Ave to calm traffic; as well as a lower speed limit and high-quality walking and cycling trails throughout Fairmount Park."

-Anne V. 30 minutes ago

"Cities should be designed for people, not cars."

-Terrence C. 38 minutes ago

"Any preventable deaths should always be avoided. We need and deserve safer walking and biking paths on and around Fairmount Park."

-Benny P. 41 minutes ago

"To: Mayor Parker, City Council and PENN DOT: This petition lays out reasonable requests needed to make the roads safe in and around the Fairmont Park area. Given the history of preventable traffic deaths and injuries in this area, you have an obligation to take action to reduce harm to cyclists and pedestrians. I implore you to take action now. Thank you, Marissa of Piscitello Law"

-Marissa P. 43 minutes ago

"We need safer streets for bikers and pedestrians."

-Ami P. 51 minutes ago

"Fairmount Park should be one of the great green spaces in the United States. Instead, it has been allowed to atrophy. It's astonishing how difficult it is to access the park from the river trail. Similarly, the degree of difficulty in accessing say, Sedgley Woods from Lemon Hill is also far, far too high. Fairmount should be the jewel of the city. It was once, and it can be again. But we must return it to pedestrians and bikers, rather than let it be constricted by a highway in all but name"

-Amar A. an hour ago

"This is important and will save lives in the future"

-James T. an hour ago

"Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians all deserve safer streets — especially in a park!"

-Nicholas B. an hour ago

"I support parks for people!"

-Owen S. an hour ago

"Parks are not race tracks! Enforce traffic laws and make sensible changes to the roadways to make them safer for ALL users!!!!"

-Terry H. an hour ago

"my husband is an avid biker, who has witnessed so many near misses in and around fairmount park. too many people have been hurt, and killed. it’s enough already."

-Paige M. an hour ago

"As the parent of a nine year old I struggle with the letting my child bike anywhere in this city. Each senseless death plays through my mind every time we bike with him. Our own cycling safety can be perfect but when cars behave dangerously the safest cycling practices cannot overcome a 4,000 pound vehicle. A city like Philly should promote cycling instead of disincentivizing it through poor infrastructure and inadequate protection for cyclists. Safer roads and trails today!"

-Laura V. an hour ago

"I strongly support the “Demand a Safer Fairmount Park!” proposal. As a cyclist who rides these roads often — and now as a new parent — I want Fairmount Park to be a safe place for families. Belmont Avenue and nearby roads feel like highways, with speeding cars and unsafe crossings. The plan’s recommendations — road diets, lower speed limits, safer intersections, and repaired trails — are proven ways to prevent crashes and save lives. Please act quickly so Fairmount Park is a place where we can ride and walk without fear."

-Steveb C. an hour ago

"I support a road diet and roundabouts on Belmont Ave to calm traffic; as well as a lower speed limit and high-quality walking and cycling trails throughout Fairmount Park."

-Paul R. an hour ago

"Fairmount Park is one of America's original great parks and should be dedicated to the traditional purposes of a park: nature and recreation. The mistakes of the last century, allowing it to be claimed for transportation and prioritizing the wants of suburban commuters over the needs of local residents, should be reversed. These are common-sense changes that have met with great success in other cities."

-Emily M. an hour ago

"Philadelphia needs to protect people over cars!"

-Madison M. an hour ago

"Parks are for people and bikes, not noisy and polluting death machine cars! I have a car and use it regularly, but I want to go to Fairmount Park to enjoy the quiet park and nature."

-Alec B. an hour ago

"As a heavy user of Fairmount park, I implore city officials to examine how unusable and dangerous the park is to pedestrians and cyclists. One death is too many. Please consider taking action to make Fairmount Park safer, especially considering the upcoming events in the next year."

-Rachel B. an hour ago

"SAFER PARKS"

-Maxwell W. an hour ago

"Safe streets now! Paint is not infrastructure! We are done with preventable deaths and hostile drivers terrorizing our communities."

-Colin S. an hour ago

"fairmount park could be the jewel of philadelphia. instead, the numerous busy roads make it extremely unpleasant to navigate without a car. let's make it a better park for everyone."

-Brendan A. an hour ago

"I support anything and everything to make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists."

-Morningstar H. an hour ago

"I bike around the city with my children - this is terrifying and unacceptable. Parks especially should be safe for all users, not de facto highway deathtraps."

-Louis T. an hour ago

"Fairmont Park deserves to be the gem of Philadelphia's Park system, a safe, green space for safe recreation for all the city's residents, not the neglected interstate bypass traffic sewer that it currently is. Traffic calming is desperately needed on the biggest streets in the park, and car access should be eliminated entirely on many of smaller streets. We can make Fairmount the beautiful jewel that it once was, but only if we get cars out of it as much as possible and get pedestrians and bicyclists in."

-Alexander R. an hour ago

"Zero car-related fatalities on our street should not be aspirational but a reality. Stop building for cars and start building for people."

-Craig S. an hour ago

"Nobody should be run over by a car in a city park!"

-Alyse T. an hour ago

"Our parks needs to be safe!"

-Andrew S. an hour ago

"As a regular bike rider through the roads and trails of Fairmount Park, I have witnessed first hand the reckless driving that happens throughout the park, and have been an almost-victim. The multiple 4-lane roads that run through the park are unnecessary, and detract from Philadelphia’s most beautiful natural retreats. Please slow traffic down to ensure that the residents of Philadelphia (and those from anywhere else in the world) can enjoy Philadelphia’s beauty without the risk of reckless driving."

-Samuel J. an hour ago

"Belmont Avenue is a death trap bisecting one of the most beautiful parks in our city."

-Michael T. 2 hours ago

"Philly's largest green space needs to be designed as an urban escape for pedestrians and cyclists. The city has prioritized vehicles in a space that should be for families to enjoy without the fear of vehicular injury or death. We need safe infrastructure!"

-Judy A. 2 hours ago

"We all deserve safe streets."

-David H. 2 hours ago

"It is literally a park. For people. Not cars."

-Mandy S. 2 hours ago

"I ride through Fairmount Park at least 2 - 3 times a week. Many of those rides include at least one terrifying experience with a motor vehicle. They speed, run redlights, crowd out cyclists, etc. I encourage the Mayor and Council to move quickly to return the Park to a safer and more tranquil state. If New York and San Francisco can fund, maintain, and protect their beautiful Olmstead Parks, so should Philadelphia."

-Thomas K. 2 hours ago

"Despite living near Fairmount Park I use it far too little because whenever I do I feel like the "park" is designed to scare away or injure pedestrians like me. Many times I've seen families hold hands while they sprint through high speed traffic because the nearest crossing is 30 minutes out of the way. That is unacceptable. Fairmount Park should be a real park for Philadelphians to enjoy, not a scenic death trap."

-Ian K. 2 hours ago

"Fairmount Park is essentially a race track for drivers in this city. IT needs to be a park where pedestrians can ride, walk, run, skate, and otherwise enjoy a safe day with family. If New York could turn Central Park into an incredible pedestrian friendly park there's no reason we can't have the same for Fairmount on both sides of the river."

-Christopher S. 2 hours ago

"I want to be able to bike safely through the park with my family!"

-Jordan T. 2 hours ago

"This was a completely preventable tragedy. No person should have ever have to worry about their safety as a pedestrian or cyclist in a park! Philadelphia parks need a total overhaul. Other cities throughout the country have banned cars from their parks- we must do the same. How many people must die in order for the city to make a change?"

-Trevor P. 2 hours ago

"I had met and spoken with Harry Fenton a few times, and his death was a tragedy caused by unsafe roads in Fairmount Park. Please act NOW to prevent any more traffic violence. I frequently bike to Fairmount Park to hike and play softball. The park is nearly impossible to get to via public transit, and very unsafe to walk and bike in. We need to make the park safer and more accessible for those who bike and walk -- it is a PARK, not a parkway. Please implement traffic calming and make the multiuse paths safer and better connected! I am sick of having to risk my life dodging traffic across Montgomery Avenue because none of the multi-use paths allow you to actually access the softball fields and Trolley Trail. Parks are for people, not cars traveling at deadly speeds!"

-Sage L. 2 hours ago

"Lets not let the small minority of reckless drivers make the park dangerous for other drivers, bikers, runners, and pedestrians. Repairing the sidewalks and introducing traffic calming measures help keep everyone safe and enjoying the park."

-Anthony O. 2 hours ago

"Our parks should not be treated as alternatives to I-76 and Roosevelt Blvd. By doing so we as a city degrade or outright block the use and enjoyment of public parks by residents and visitors alike. Parks are for people, not cars."

-Alexander M. 2 hours ago

"Imagine leaving home for work in the morning, kissing your family goodbye, hopping on your bicycle, for it to be your last moment. This is the fear cyclists and bike commuters alike reckon with every day in Fairmount Park and Philadelphia as a whole. Cyclists deserve safe infrastructure. Cyclist deserve to make it back home to their families every night."

-Kelly H. 2 hours ago

"Parks are for people, not cars."

-John W. 2 hours ago

"I support a road diet and roundabouts on Belmont Ave to calm traffic; as well as a lower speed limit and high-quality walking and cycling trails throughout Fairmount Park."

-Antonio C. 2 hours ago

"There are easy, common-sense improvements we can make to Fairmount park roads right now that will prevent more people dying. We need to act on this now before more people die."

-Gidon K. 2 hours ago

"Parks are for the people not for the cars"

-Ross A. 2 hours ago

"Parks are for people, not a short-cut for commuters! Centering Fairmount park around people instead of cars will elevate this valuable resource for Philadelphia. It will make the park more accessible for all citizens to enjoy. As someone who frequently rides through Fairmount I’m sadly not surprised by the shockingly high amount of fatal traffic deaths."

-Daniel L. 3 hours ago

"Everyone deserves to safely get where they are going, no matter their means of travel. All of the demands made here to make the streets of the Fairmont Park area safer are proven to be effective at saving lives and reducing major traffic collisions."

-Alexander K. 3 hours ago

"I ride my bike regularly in Fairmount Park, and am grateful to live so close to one of the largest city parks in the country. However, seeing the number of traffic fatalities in the park is absolutely appalling, and makes me afraid to spend time there. Harry Fenton’s recent death was preventable. I do not want to see another cyclist die anywhere, but especially in a city park, which should be one of the safest and most enjoyable places to recreate and ride a bicycle. I know people who actively avoid biking in the park due to fear of being hit by a car. If a park is not a safe place for pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users, we have strayed too far from what a public park is supposed to be. Parks are not meant to be treated like highways — I want to see slower speeds and roads with adequate infrastructure for all users."

-Rachel G. 3 hours ago

"Enough is enough, the people of Philadelphia need and deserve a safe and reliable space for recreation and travel on bicycles and on foot. Cars have taken over the entire city and pollute our air and kill our neighbors. We need to have separate spaces for everyone to feel safe."

-Ian G. 3 hours ago

"Fairmount "Park" feels more like a highway interchange than a park. 41 deaths is 41 too many!"

-Jacob U. 3 hours ago

"Please take the necessary steps in this petition to keep our community safe. Kids and community love Fairmount park, especially in areas along Belmont and the please touch museum and Kelly pool. We have a beautiful park in Philly can draw people to our city and allow recreation and physical activity to promote public wellbeing. But only if we can do so safely. Infrastructure and speed limits that threaten our safety and permit driving behavior that kills people in our community is not acceptable. Please. Its life or death."

-Melissa S. 3 hours ago

"This area is so hostile to people trying to enjoy the park that I dread going there even though I am desperate for the green natural space that Fairmount Park provides."

-Jessie A. 3 hours ago

"Parks are for people. Ban cars now. Fairmount Park is the green lung of our city—an Olmsted park and a critical oasis of green in one of the cities with the least park access anywhere in the country. The systematic neglect of the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and other park users in order to shave a few minutes off of the commutes of suburban drivers is a shameful component of Philly’s dark history—and present—of environmental racism. The City of Philadelphia must follow the lead of peers like New York, Washington, and Pittsburgh and plan a managed retreat from car centric infrastructure; we must lower, and ultimately eliminate, through traffic in our parks."

-Gabriel S. 3 hours ago

"We have a world class, historic, utterly beautiful park in our city...and I am afraid to take my kids there because it is a dangerous speedway. Make Fairmount Park safe and welcoming for everyone! Calm motor vehicle traffic now! No more deaths!"

-Christopher D. 3 hours ago

"I commute through Fairmont every day and the insane maneuvers pulled by drivers and supported by the infrastructure are out of control! We demand action now!"

-Jess Z. 3 hours ago

"A park should be safe for pedestrians! Fairmount park is far too streamlined for high speed car traffic. It’s a park!! Parks should be enjoyed by people not just cars"

-Lucas M. 3 hours ago

"I ride my bike in the park nearly everyday. Please don’t be the reason I don’t get to go home."

-Tim B. 4 hours ago

"Parks are for people and recreation. Drivers shouldn’t even be allowed to go fast enough to kill people. And if they try, it should be as frustrating and difficult as possible for them."

-Mohit P. 4 hours ago

"come on, man. How is our park designed to be an alternative to 76. That's just WILD."

-nathan f. 4 hours ago

"Through inaction of bike safety improvements around the city Philadelphia is should be held accountable for the bicycle road deaths that are occurring. It is unacceptable."

-Nik T. 4 hours ago

"Most of Fairmount Park is as inaccessible as the medians of an interstate highway. It looks like a lot of green space on the map, but good luck trying to get around there without a car (and it’s dangerous in a car, too!). Our park should be a place all Philadelphians can visit and explore safely and easily."

-Jason D. 4 hours ago

"As both a driver and cyclist, I am constantly aghast by the conditions of West Fairmount Park, where motorists are allowed to effectively treat the roadways as a speedway. Harry Fenton's death, along with all those who have died as a result of a car crash, could have been preventable if the city had installed measures to prevent aggressive driving behaviors, as well as offered safe alternatives for cyclists."

-Maria S. 4 hours ago

"Fairmount park could be world class if the city hadn’t turned it into a highway. Make it safe for people, not convenient for drivers!"

-Andrew S. 4 hours ago

"World class park. Completely undermined by unsafe roads."

-Dan P. 4 hours ago

"It’s gotta be safer there’s some crazy stuff happening in the park"

-Isaac D. 4 hours ago

"I ride my bike through Fairmount often. Some roads like Belmont are designed like highways, encouraging speeding and making me feel like I'm running with the bulls when I should feel like I'm relaxing by biking through the park."

-Theodore Z. 4 hours ago

"Preventable deaths should way heavy on law makers minds. As an avid bike user it terrifies me that my loved ones are at risk."

-Natalie L. 4 hours ago

"As a primary pedestrian, sometimes cyclist with a partner who cycles almost every day I am anxious each time that we will be murdered recklessly by a person driving a car. We need changes for safety, and also need to hold people accountable for their actions."

-Kailan P. 4 hours ago

"We need safer and more accessible biking infrastructure to ensure our city is prepared for a more sustainable future, retains and attracts young residents and families, and has a vibrant and healthy streetscape."

-Prithi C. 5 hours ago

"41 car related deaths in Fairmount Park since 2019? That is abysmal."

-Joseph D. 5 hours ago

"Highways have no place in parks"

-Martin W. 5 hours ago

"Parks should prioritize people, not cars! Philadelphia has so much beautiful parkland that is underutilized because it is difficult to access and criss crossed with high speed roads. If we want to be the world class city we have the potential to be we need to address this. There are countless unrealized benefits because of this. Please do the right thing and prioritize people over vehicles."

-Max B. 5 hours ago

"i ride through Fairmount Park on almost every ride i do, lately it feels more and more like a highway cut through than a a large public green area in a town, used for recreation. traffic speed is usually high, despite being a park, and crossing Belmont feels increasingly dangerous since Harry Fenton was tragically killed. Philadelphians deserve a better park."

-spencer h. 5 hours ago

"Enjoying Philadelphia's parks should not require bravery or accepting the risk of being crushed by a car."

-Julia M. 5 hours ago

"Our parks in Philadelphia should be safe for pedestrians and bikers. There is no reason that people should be worried about their safety when they want to visit one of our great parks in Philadelphia. Please make Fairmount a safer park to visit!"

-Shannon Claire K. 5 hours ago

"Parks are not for cars!!!!"

-Sean L. 5 hours ago

"I regularly bike through west Fairmount Park and it is embarrassing how car-focused it is for a “park”. Mr Fenton’s death was a policy decision."

-Bryan M. 5 hours ago

"Begging for safer streets for all!"

-Maria T. 5 hours ago

"Biking through Fairmount Park should not require risking your life!"

-Pedro R. 5 hours ago

"The state of the sidewalks and bike trails in Fairmount Park is abysmal and is an embarrassment. We have such an amazing asset in terms of open green space that is hardly utilized/accessible because you mostly have to drive to get to it, or you can't get to it safely by other means, and once you do get there it is overrun with car traffic and everything that goes with it (noise, pollution, speeding) that it is not enjoyable to be there. The City must do more to calm traffic and provide safe and usable alternative transportation options to take advantage of this great parkspace."

-Michel S. 5 hours ago

"Roundabouts are proven to succeed in Philly. More would improve so much"

-Samuel C. 5 hours ago

"Fairmount should be a park, not a shortcut!"

-Alex C. 5 hours ago

"If you build Belmont like a highway, people will treat it like a highway."

-John B. 5 hours ago

"Fairmount park should be a friendly and welcoming place, not a high-speed traffic corridor."

-Alexander P. 5 hours ago

"obviously, ban all cars. but this is a start."

-Spring G. 5 hours ago

"I ride down Belmont Ave routinely from West Philly to access mountain bike trails at Belmont Plateau. The driver behavior I witness on Belmont is outrageous and can only be curtailed with infrastructure improvement. This NEEDS to be a safer place to walk and bike considering the presence of many children coming to and from schools in the area. Please consider taking action before more tragedies occur!"

-john r. 5 hours ago

"I live in Cedar Park (West Philly) & regularly bike through this area. This is one of the most inhospitable areas to bike (or drive) in the city. The driving culture faces no controls for recklessness & speed. I regularly witness horrible crashes on Belmont Ave. There is no safe way on a bike to cross Montgomery Ave & get to the incredible Belmont trail system. It’s a shame that so much safe cycling is blocked by this car-centric environment."

-Annie Z. 5 hours ago

"It is unacceptable that priority is given to car traffic in city parks. They should be a safe space for families to enjoy without the fear of getting killed by high speed traffic."

-Justin D. 5 hours ago

"41 people killed since 2019. Enough is enough."

-Noam O. 5 hours ago

"People should be able to safely enjoy the park."

-Danila C. 5 hours ago

"Please help protect and enforce bike safety, the city street are becoming more and more dangerous and we all deserve safe streets."

-Jackie M. 5 hours ago

"I ride in Fairmount at least once a week. Even going 20+ mph and trying my best to stay to the side, aggressive and shortsighted drivers make close calls in traffic a regular occurrence."

-Gabriella F. 5 hours ago

"Parks are for people, not high speed through traffic!"

-Ryan B. 5 hours ago

"I worked on parkside ave and would bike to work every day from fairmont because there was no reliable public transportation and cars are too expensive. It was very dangerous, especially when going through the park - cars driving as if they are on highways."

-Francis E. 5 hours ago

"Safety of all - pedestrians, bikers and drivers - should come first. Regulating speed is a first step."

-Fabricia D. 5 hours ago

"Yet more needless tragedy as a cyclist is killed in a situation that we had the power to prevent. How many more people need to be sacrificed before we collectively see the wake up call to do something about this? This problem only stands to get worse in the wake of the SEPTA funding crisis, as more people are going to eventually be forced into driving, cycling, and walking as a means of getting around if current trends continue. This means greater potential for collisions between drivers and non-drivers, resulting in more cyclist and pedestrian deaths, unless we do something about the current state of our infrastructure."

-Taylor G. 5 hours ago

"Going to parks should offer a relief from the stink, noise, and danger of cars everywhere in the city"

-Clayton H. 5 hours ago

"I am tired of watching my neighbors get killed by cars. This must be fixed. Every traffic death allowed is a choice by those in power."

-David B. 6 hours ago

"My daughter Emily was killed in 2017 while cycling. Everyone deserves to get to their destination alive. Safe speeds. Safe vehicles and the correct infrastructure !!! Zero traffic deaths is the only acceptable number."

-Laura F. 6 hours ago

"Concrete-protected bike lanes now! Every day without them is another potential life lost!"

-Eric C. 6 hours ago

"This is an unacceptable situation. Safety measures must be implemented immediately to protect all road users. I use the roads of West Fairmount Park on my bicycle all the time and there should be appropriate safety protections and traffic control installed."

-Ray S. 6 hours ago

"Fairmount Park should be accessible and safe for all users, whether they are pedestrians, cyclists, or motorists."

-Michael S. 6 hours ago

"Bike safe on safe streets!"

-Charlie K. 6 hours ago

"Get rid of all the roads going through Fairmount Park! Parks are for people, not cars!"

-Peter K. 6 hours ago

"It's a park, not a thoroughfare. This desire to optimize car movements at all costs has come at great cost to those outside of a car. Step up and change the design of Fairmont park. Give the park back to the people."

-Jonathan K. 6 hours ago

"Both west and east fairmount park need work. I've lost count of how many flipped cars Ive seen on kelly drive, some even going off the road and into the trail itself. Not to mention the busy Kelly + Sedgley intersection and how its lights are set up in a way that puts pedestrians, runners, and cyclists alike in danger. That one would only cost the labor of sending a team down to change the light timings!"

-Violetta V. 6 hours ago

"Please take these simple steps to make Fairmount Park safer. Philly should prioritize safety over the speed and convenience of people driving."

-Annie O. 6 hours ago

"Action is needed immediately!"

-Mark K. 6 hours ago

"Help create a more livable and welcoming city!"

-Susan W. 6 hours ago

"I support a road diet and roundabouts on Belmont Ave to calm traffic; as well as a lower speed limit and high-quality walking and cycling trails throughout Fairmount Park."

-Rowan S. 6 hours ago

"Park roads should have a design speed of 25MPH. The city should prioritize people and safe green space usage over traffic mitigation. Fairmount Park is a treasure in an otherwise urban landscape. No pedestrian or cyclist should have to fear for their safety. Unfortunately Belmont Ave, Montgomery Dr, Wynnefield Ave, Lansdowne Ave, among others, currently serve as high speed highway access and commuter routes. The city must adjust the park roads to discourage or eliminate high speed driving, unsafe vehicle maneuvers, and conflict with recreational users."

-Dave T. 6 hours ago

"Fairmount park is in my blood.I grew up running cross-country on Belmont plateau, watching my aunts play softball on the Dairy Fields, visiting the Please Touch Museum with my parents, and riding on MLK on weekends. Now I bike to work through the park every day. Every day I have to cross Belmont Ave and I hold my breath as cars speed and run red lights. Every day I have cars race past me along South Concourse and Lansdowne Ave. Every day I navigate the worst intersection in the city in front of the zoo at 34th and Girard. I don't dare ride on Belmont Ave as the paths are unpassable, the intersections treacherous, and riding in the traffic lane seems suicidal. I am signing because I want a park that I can enjoy without the threat of getting killed by a speeding car."

-David T. 6 hours ago

"Fairmount Park is a highway for cars, not a park. Let's make it a great safe park worth visiting by calming traffic!"

-MICHAEL N. 6 hours ago

"I often bike from MLK up to the Mann center. If i get killed on a bicycle in philly, it’ll be because of negligence of the city in establishing a safe crossing of Belmont Ave at Montgomery."

-John O. 6 hours ago

"I also support restricting cars from Fairmount Park altogether."

-Greg L. 6 hours ago

"I’ve had way too many close calls with cars driving too fast through the park. If NYC can shutdown central park to vehicles we can do the same with fairmount park."

-Scott M. 6 hours ago

"It is truly incomprehensible that Fairmount Park, arguably our city's greatest public resource, is made nearly inaccessible and unusable due to the major roadways that cut through it. Philadelphians should be able to access and enjoy our outdoor spaces with confidence that we are safe from high speed car traffic. We need comprehensive traffic control measures across the entire park."

-Kate S. 6 hours ago

"No place should be safer to bike than our City parks. The City needs to get serious about prioritizing safety over the speed and convenience of people driving."

-Jacob R. 6 hours ago

"I am so sick of not being able to go anywhere in this city without being able to get away from speeding, deadly cars. A PARK is the one place we should not have that, yet we do. Harry Fenton’s death should be a wake up call to the city to finally start saving people’s lives instead of prioritizing the convenience of drivers."

-Alex C. 6 hours ago

"I ride in Fairmount Park almost every week, and Harry’s death hit close to home. Belmont Ave and the surrounding roads are designed like highways cutting through what should be the green heart of Philadelphia. It’s unacceptable that wide, fast roads have been prioritized over the safety of people walking, running, and biking in our city’s premier park. The solutions outlined in this petition (road diets, roundabouts, repaired paths, and slower speed limits) are not radical. They’re proven, common sense safety measures that cities across the country have already implemented with success. Philadelphia deserves the same. Parks are for people. They should be places where families can spend time outdoors, kids can ride bikes without fear, and visitors can experience nature without the constant danger of speeding traffic. City leaders must act now to make Fairmount Park safe and welcoming for everyone."

-Owen K. 6 hours ago

"Belmont is close by to me but I rarely ride there because I feel so unsafe in the area. Entirely preventable deaths are happening that can be solved with reasonable infrastructure"

-Laura M. 6 hours ago

"I use the park regularly. I ride by the intersection where Harry Fenton was killed at least once a week if not more. The speed and unpredictability of cars on Belmont Avenue has made it one of the most dangerous places in the city. Traffic on Belmont and Montgomery Avenue make it nearly impossible to feel safe getting in and out of the park from West Philadelphia. We really need crosswalks on Montgomery Avenue and traffic calming measures on Belmont Avenue, perhaps speed cameras and bumps. While the protected bike lanes on Parkside Avenue are a great step forward. It really is incomplete until we have a way of reaching Chaminoux from other areas of the park safely. The intersection of Belmont and Montgomery is terrifying to cross of pedestrian or on a bike. Please make this a priority."

-Ezra W. 6 hours ago

"I ride up and down Belmont Ave frequently, going right past the spot where Harry was killed. It's ridiculous that one of the biggest urban parks in the country is so unsafe for people to actually use. We need to keep the high-speed traffic on the freeway and open up Fairmount Park for the public to access safely."

-Julian B. 6 hours ago

"Parks should be safe places to exist outside of a car. The city has allowed fairmount park to become a cut through to avoid traffic at the expense of safety."

-Adrian L. 6 hours ago

"My first experience with Fairmount Park was doing the Boxer Trail 5k. I love the way the park gives us a natural space embedded within the city. However, cars should not be going THROUGH the park at such speeds that it kills people. I believe that Fairmount Park should be accessible by all forms of transit, but that the park itself should be safe for people walking, cycling, in wheelchairs, in strollers etc."

-Elva D. 6 hours ago

"Fairmount Park should be a safe place for all Philadelphians to enjoy nature. No one should have to worry about being hit by a car when using the park. Road design can help us achieve this goal. Make Fairmount Park safe, clean, and green!"

-Deb H. 6 hours ago

"I bike in Fairmont frequently, like Harry Fenton did before he was killed by speeding drivers. Please prioritize people in the park, not traffic!"

-Stefan Z. 6 hours ago

"As a cyclist and pedestrian I enjoy Fairmount Park often throughout the year. The City has a chance to create some thing really wonderful here, especially since we are always pointing to the Park as one of our great assets. But by continuing to allow people to move at high speeds through this area, we will never allow it to realize its potential. If we want it to be an area that can be used by Philadelphia families and residents, then we need to take steps to actually make it a safe place for people to be."

-Jordan B. 6 hours ago

"41 deaths around the park in 6 years is horrible. Anyone dying in a public park is horrid. We need to do something about this, and basic safety measures as proposed above are the right first step."

-Joshua S. 6 hours ago

"I ride fairmount park all the time. Please make it safer."

-Alicia S. 6 hours ago

"Belmont is one of the scariest roads in Philly to ride on, we need to fix it asap!"

-Henry F. 6 hours ago

"I like to ride my bicycle and have been to Fairmount Park. I would like it to feel and be safer"

-Michael S. 6 hours ago

"I understand cars need to get to parks of farimount park in order to access the facilities. But it does not neeed to be so convenient that it makes the park unsafe to children and others enjoying the park. Biking through the park recently I really do no reason so much of the park needs to be paved with two way traffic."

-Keith M. 6 hours ago

"Philly deserves safe parks. The City and PennDOT must prioritize a safe, clean, and green Fairmount Park by making these changes, following in the footsteps of other major cities. Harry Fenton was a tireless advocate for safety and will be missed. I went to his funeral. I hope it’s the last traffic death we experience—Philly leaders can make Vision Zero a reality by prioritizing modern, high-quality multimodal infrastructure throughout Philadelphia."

-Adrian V. 7 hours ago

"I love Fairmount Park and would love to experience it without fear of getting hit by a car. All of us deserve safety and peace in our parks."

-Brian E. 7 hours ago