Ian McClendon - The Triangles on Grays Ferry Ave. Gateway Project - Lobbying
American Government
D Band
The Triangles on Grays Ferry Avenue Gateway Project
Last year for my American History class an assignment we had was to attend or assist a community meeting. I chose The Triangles on Grays Ferry Avenue Community to help. It was a very well organized group of citizens that came together to get the current and past residents ideas pertaining to businesses, traffic, safety, place identity, and green economic development for new structures of Grays Ferry.
I lobby for this Community Project because as a neighborhood that is the start of a major avenue branching from the popular South street. Those areas(G.F. Triangles) should not be subject to speeding motorist disregarding traffic signs, J-walking pedestrians because of improper crosswalk placement, and limited vehicle space for businesses to load and unload product. At first I didn’t think that a meeting to improve someones community would be beneficial for me until these Break-Out groups were formed to initiate discussing every problem there is to know about it. Then you realize how much this area could be improved and be more of a convenience by living in Philly.
This committees foundation started with concerned neighbors and was progressively sponsored by many local associations such as SOSNA, CCRA, SOSCDC, and SSWBA. Besides all thel associations, what really makes collaborating click is the people at the meetings. Elder resident, business owners, previous/ current house owners, residents living outside the triangles, and guests of Traffic Planning and Design, Inc to contribute multiple solutions for the new design of Grays Ferry. The meeting I attended was Greater St. Matthews Baptist Church on the corner of a triangle. Everyday of Mass the main issue for the Church is parking spaces so the idea for change is in everyone mind for the surrounding organizations.
In my research for more information about how Grays Ferry was originated I came across a Congressional Meeting with the transcript of when the development of the area was still underway. It explains the statistics and proposed formulas to how the traffic flow and train yard transit can move easily together. This congressional text was made on April 11, 1914 by Mr. La Pollette and Mr. Fletcher and called it the “FIVE PER CENT CASE”. Through out the 1,000 pages it isn’t all about this topic. In the text it is debated about why and why not Grays Ferry was ever made for a interstate passageway that co-exist with the loading and unloading of businesses. The statistical numbers that was presented comes from Illinois Northern Railway and then broken down to accommodate the prime construction around Grays Ferry province... in 1914. It’s 2011 and their originally stated idea in 1914 was to integrate other major city shipment structures as a bias for the actual shippers. You can see how this community has been left out of touch with the 21st century.
Government officials have partaken in helping the community but recently none of the lobbying proposals have been put into action. It seems that the opportunity is there for the neighborhood but its all about the timing and right now in our economy, neighborhood reconstruction isn’t at the top of the To Do List for Philadelphia. I fully support The Triangles on Grays Ferry Gateway Project and hope to follow every step that the area can take on making a hidden historical landmark be discovered.
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