TODAY, Two Citizens Petitions Served on Phoenix City Council to Create Safer Streets for Drivers, Pedestrians and Cyclists
PHOENIX – Following the formal Phoenix City Council meeting today, Wednesday, May 7th during the public comment section of the meeting (reverse lanes starts at 1:11:25) Phoenix residents and longtime safe streets advocates Stacey Champion and Nicole Rodriguez each submitted a Citizens Petition to Council. Per Phoenix City Charter, Chapter IV, Sec. 22, any city resident may bring forth a written citizen petition, which shall be acted upon by the Council in the regular course of business, within 15 days.
Champion’s citizen petition asks for the removal of the outdated and dangerous 7th Avenue and 7th Street rush hour reverse lanes. To date, more than 4,200 people and nearly 50 businesses have signed Champion’s Change.org petition for removal and additional information can be found on the End Reverse Lanes website.
Rodriguez’ citizen petition asks for Council action (at 52:50 mark) on high visibility crosswalk markings and stop bars for vehicles at all pedestrian crossings – both of which will save lives in a city that is known for its high pedestrian and cyclist fatalities and injuries. As Phoenix Streets Department regularly cites “budget constraints,” Rodriguez also points out: “In March 2025, the City of Phoenix agreed to pay $3 million to the family of a woman who was struck and killed in a crosswalk by a City of Phoenix trash truck in 2024.”
Following the Council meeting, Nicole and I drove north on 7th St. from McDowell to almost Northern then back south. It was between 5:05 - 5:55PM. In the course of that 50 minutes, we witnessed 3 crashes (including the pic above) all which appeared to be head-on collisions and involved the rush hour suicide lane, numerous near misses, many people not following signs and doing crazy stuff and plenty of speeders. The rush hour reverse lane is also completely under-utilized, most likely because sane people are terrified to drive in it for good reason.
What the above information means though, is that we have basically forced the City Council to add our issue to the formal City Council meeting agenda where they will have to vote on the matter. And this has to occur within 15 days. As soon as I have this date and time, I will provide an update, but it will be IMPERATIVE that we pack those Council chambers and show up to give public comment in support of REMOVING the rush hour reverse lanes on the 7's. Business owners on the 7's are also going to be key. I'm hoping everyone can also wear red shirts when we do this so we're in solidarity. So please stay tuned...
The Citizen Petition I submitted is below.
Citizen Petition to the Mayor and Council of the City of Phoenix
WHEREAS,
The city of Phoenix implemented rush hour reverse lanes on 7th Avenue in 1979 and 7th Street in 1981 to move traffic quickly in and out of downtown Phoenix prior to Arizona State Route 51 being built.
WHEREAS,
These are the only two streets in Phoenix that function in this manner and they are widely known as “the 7’s suicide lanes.” They are confusing to locals and out of town visitors and encourage speeding and aggressive behavior.
WHEREAS,
Many more people now live in downtown Phoenix and numerous multifamily apartments have been built along 7th Street and 7th Avenue in the past 40+ years.
WHEREAS,
Multiple businesses are located along 7th Street and 7th Avenue and their customers have a difficult time safely accessing and egressing their businesses depending on the time of day and this harms their earning potential.
WHEREAS,
The 7th Street and 7th Avenue rush hour reverse lanes do not conform with the Complete Streets Design Guidelines that were adopted by the City of Phoenix in 2018 and are not safe for drivers, pedestrians or cyclists.
WHEREAS,
There are numerous mid-block bus stops along both 7th Street and 7th Avenue with no pedestrian refuge and complete lack of recovery zone for drivers.
WHEREAS,
The 7th Street and 7th Avenue rush hour reverse lanes cause people to cut through neighborhoods, use parking lots to cut through, make dangerous u-turns and create a dangerous situation for everyone in their vicinity.
WHEREAS,
Recent data and studies show there is a higher rate of crashes AND the 7th Street and 7th Avenue reverse lanes are significantly underutilized. The City of Phoenix completed a “study” in 2021 utilizing data that fails to account for current traffic usage.
WHEREAS,
Other cities around the country – even those that had added digitized signage – including Tucson, Arizona have removed their rush hour reverse lanes because they’re dangerous and we don’t need more studies.
WHEREAS,
More than 4000 people and nearly 50 businesses have signed on to a change.org petition that requests the rush hour reverse lanes be removed by the City of Phoenix immediately for all of the reasons highlighted above.
THEREFORE,
Pursuant to the City of Phoenix Charter, Chapter 4, Section 22,
I, Stacey Champion, am a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, this citizen petition requests the full City Council to take action on this matter within 15 days at a formal city council meeting and this petition is not duplicative of a prior request in the past year duly acted on by City Council. I hereby petition the Mayor and Council to enact within 15 days resolutions, ordinances, or measures that will:
- Remove the outdated and dangerous 7th Avenue and 7th Street rush hour reverse lanes; and
- Direct City Manager to have Phoenix Streets Department staff develop a timely plan to remove or cover the reverse lane signage and create a reeducation/PSA plan and/or campaign for drivers and the public who use the 7th Street and 7th Avenue rush hour reverse lanes.
Respectfully submitted,
Wednesday, May 7th, 2025
Stacey Champion
Citizen and petition creator