September 07, 2017
A Court of Common Pleas judge on Wednesday tossed a lawsuit from a group that had sought to force Philadelphia to ban parking in the middle of South Broad Street.
Jake Liefer and the local urbanist political action committee he co-founded, 5th Square, had argued that while parking on South Broad's median strip is technically illegal, the city does not enforce the rule.
Judge Daniel Anders dismissed the suit with prejudice, preventing the group from re-filing an amended version, PlanPhilly reported Thursday.
Anders sided with the city, which contended that 5th Square and Liefer could not prove the direct harm that would warrant a suit.
The group still could appeal the decision, Liefer told PlanPhilly.
Wednesday's decision reportedly was the latest turn in a year-long effort on Liefer's part to have the city bear down on the longstanding practice of parking on the South Broad Street median. The center strip on the four-lane thoroughfare holds about 200 cars, according to PlanPhilly.
As 5th Square's suit was pending in court, lifelong South Philadelphia resident Marc Ferguson launched a petition for the city to legalize parking on the median. He collected signatures from more than 1,100 supporters.
