This snowstorm made one thing clear: Philly needs better ways to get around

We wondered if the recent snowpocalypse might lead to a less car-dependent city. Instead, as cleanup drags on, residents say the winter storm has further exposed Philly’s pedestrian safety and public transit challenges.

Drive, walk, bus, or bike? More than a week after the city faced its heaviest snowfall in a decade, Philadelphians say there is still no safe or easy way to get around.

On social media, residents sounded off about the necessity of cars, unplowed roads and bike lanes, rideshare surge pricing, public transit overcrowding and delays, and inaccessible sidewalks lined with snowbanks.

While Winter Storm Fern has presented unique challenges for cleanup crews, many residents say the event has merely highlighted the city’s long-standing pedestrian and cyclist safety issues, along with ongoing problems in SEPTA’s operations.

“There has been no easy way to get kids around this city with a stroller. We have shed many tears and relied on many strangers to help lift over snow mounds, which is still happening two weeks later,” Tina O’Donnell, a mother and nanny in Queen Village, wrote in a neighborhood Facebook group. “SEPTA wouldn’t be an option, as you can’t get a stroller onto the bus with the snow, you have to climb over two-foot piles at every bus stop. Lyft/Uber surge pricing is about $25-$30 for .7 of a mile.”

Last week, Mayor Cherelle Parker said the city is ramping up its snow cleanup efforts, including deploying 300 “ambassadors” to help clear more streets and sidewalks.

For some Philadelphians, the conditions have forced a reevaluation of their daily commutes. For others, the storm underscores the need for long-term solutions to ensure the city remains safe and navigable year-round – particularly for car-free residents and people with disabilities.

“Fifty percent of households in Center City do not own a car,” said Nico Meyering, who chairs the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities. “So, for the sake of Philadelphia’s growth in the future, the city needs to have a plan for snow removal that honors pedestrians and cyclists – a plan that works for everyone.”

When Driving Isn’t an Option

As streets around the city went unplowed for days, many drivers faced unexpected challenges, with some turning to public transportation for the first time.

Fifth-grade teacher Jules Conti typically drives from her home in South Philadelphia to her school in Havertown. When her street was not plowed for eight days, she instead commuted by SEPTA – taking the Broad Street Line to 15th Street Station, transferring to the Market-Frankford Line to 69th Street, then waiting for a bus.

While the commute was doable, Conti said the multiple transfers, crowded trains, and frequent delays made it clear how difficult it would be to make public transit a daily routine.

Laura Zieber, who lives in Graduate Hospital and also works in the suburbs, faced a similar dilemma. When driving wasn’t possible after the storm, she took Regional Rail. But with no station within walking distance of her office, she still had to spend upward of $30 on a Lyft to complete the trip.

“In my ideal scenario, I wouldn’t even have a car,” Zieber said. “But now I see that wouldn’t be sustainable.”

For many residents, driving has been the only reliable option to get around in the snow, despite ongoing wars over snow-cleared parking spots.

“My car’s been in the shop since right before the storm. Using SEPTA for these last two weeks has made me so grateful to get it back today,” Laura Heifetz commented on Facebook. “The number of cancellations and delays have been deplorable.”

Navigating ‘Impassable Icebergs’

Philadelphians who regularly depend on public transit, walking, or biking described similarly nightmarish conditions.

“In over five years of living in the city, the past few weeks have been the worst experience I’ve ever had taking public transit by a long shot. It feels completely impossible to move around the city at all,” said Sarah True, a Spruce Hill resident who said SEPTA delays have left her stranded outside in below-freezing temperatures while trying to get to work.

Biking hasn’t been an option either, as bike lanes remain buried under snow, while Uber and Lyft wait times – and prices – have surged, she added. 

“I am a cycle commuter who is sorely disappointed that my bike lanes are now impassable icebergs,” Patty Gilson, who lives in the Garden Court section of West Philadelphia, commented in a neighborhood Facebook group. “I have been taking heavily overcrowded SEPTA buses to work, and there is so much hostility on these vehicles! PLEASE plow the bike lanes so I don’t have to start my day with hateful energy!”

Beyond delays, cancellations, and overcrowding, residents across the city say unsafe sidewalk conditions make waiting for buses dangerous. Children are climbing over snowbanks, and blocked curb ramps leave people who use wheelchairs without clear access to board.

SEPTA is responsible for cleaning the property it owns, which mostly includes stations and parking lots, according to SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch. SEPTA does not own bus stops, bus shelters, or sidewalks, which are a mix of municipal and private property, he wrote in an email to Green Philly.

“After any major weather or other event, SEPTA always does a complete review to determine what worked and what needs improvement,” Busch said. “That review from last week’s storm is ongoing, and we expect there will be lessons learned that will result in changes for future storms.”

Unshoveled sidewalks and crosswalks have been particularly debilitating for Philadelphians with disabilities, leaving some effectively homebound.

Jason Velykis, who lives in Lexington Park and has a son who uses a wheelchair, said conditions are especially dire in the Northeast.

“No one cleaned the walkways to get across anywhere. I have seen multiple people climb three-foot snowbanks to get to the other side of the boulevard. All bus zones are snow and ice-covered,” he said. “Also, where is the enforcement of sidewalk shoveling?”

For Meyering, the post-storm mobility challenges he has experienced and heard about from his neighbors reinforce the urgency of his advocacy work.

“This event has convinced me to work even harder with organizations like Transit Forward Philadelphia and NET Impact Philadelphia,” Meyering said, “to advocate for sustainable solutions and create cities that work for all of us.”

City of Philadelphia representatives have not yet responded to Green Philly’s requests for comment.

To contact the Office for People with Disabilities, call: 215-686-2798.