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ATTACHMENT A Citizen Petition to the Mayor and Council of the City of Phoenix. “WA DEPT. / PH 3: 58 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: 1. Remove the outdated and dangerous 7th Avenue and 7th Street rush hour reverse lanes; and 2. 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 Attachments: Change.org signatures and comments