For those who don’t know, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a major road in Philly that connects City Hall (or, more specifically, Love Park which is across the street from City Hall) to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It’s also how I get to and from work every day. For the past… month? Two months? One of the westbound sections of the Parkway has been shut down. The City has put in chairs, tables, and a lot of spray paint art. And… logs. For some reason. This has barely affected me, and I’ve put almost no thought into it.
When I’m waiting at a red light with several other cyclists, Surveyor, who is standing on the nearest street corner, addresses us all.
Surveyor: Hey guys! Anyone want to share their thoughts on the Parkway closure?
Everyone else ignores Surveyor, but I decide to see what’s up.
Surveyor: Yay! Hi! I’m out here taking peoples’ opinions on the way that we’ve closed the Parkway.
Me: Hit me!
So they ask me a couple questions- my feelings on the subject are pretty bland- again, I haven’t thought about the subject a lot.
Surveyor: Do you think we should close down this section Parkway permanently?
Me: Aw jeez, I don’t know. I’m no traffic engineer, but it seems to me cutting out two lanes of street is less than ideal for drivers trying to go home at 5:00 every weekday.
Surveyor: These are multiple choice questions… so I’m gonna put you down for “I’m not sure”
Me: Close enough. See ya!
And off I go, having done my super-important civic duty. But then, as I’m on my way home, I ride past another cyclist who starts yelling.
Cyclist: Hey Child! Watch out, there’s another biker coming behind you!
And ahead of me, there’s a 5 or 6 year old riding down the street. This shifts my perspective a little bit, and I turn right around and go back to Surveyor.
Me: Hello! Me again! I was riding down the Parkway, thinking about your questions, and I had a new thought. See, there was this little little kid riding west with their parent, and suddenly it made me realize: This child is learning about street and cycling safety on a major major road, but without the cars. That’s a valuable learning experience. On second thought, I think temporary closure of this section of the street is ultimately best for the City.
Surveyor: Wow, that’s really helpful! But… I can’t go back and change your answers. Wanna take the survey again?
Me: God dammit