Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Philadelphia

The Summer Heat Can’t Melt This Famous Philly “Sneckdown” — It’s Here to Stay

4:59 PM EDT on August 14, 2017

Jon Geeting first saw traces in the snow of a safer passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia. Now, you can see it in concrete. Photos: Jon Geeting

A "sneckdown" is what you call the piles of snow that remain when drivers have carved out tracks after a winter storm. These patterns on the street show where there's plenty of space to expand the sidewalk or add a bike lane.

In a 2014 blog post, Jon Geeting highlighted more than a dozen of them along a single Philadelphia street. Geeting photographed sneckdowns on Passyunk Avenue and outlined them in a bold green. It turned out to be a highly effective way to communicate the idea -- the post was shared around the world.

It worked so well that one of the sneckdowns Geeting highlighted is now a permanent fixture on Passyunk Avenue, where the city cast it in concrete as a pedestrian island (above).

philadelphia sneckdown before

After Geeting's blog post when viral, Sam Sherman at the Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation took up the cause with the city's streets department. Here's the result:

Philadelphia Sneckdown

"It's such a huge improvement for pedestrian safety in this area," said Geeting. "I'm hoping this success will be contagious and we'll soon see more pedestrian improvements at the rest of the intersections from the post."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Are Tired Out

Whether it's from degradation or the dust resulting from wear and tear, it's becoming increasingly clear that tire and brake emissions are harmful, perhaps even exceeding tailpipe emissions.

September 22, 2023

Study: What Road Diets Mean For Older Drivers

"After a road diet, all motorists seem to drive at a rate that feels comfortable to a mildly-impaired older adult."

September 22, 2023

Talking Headways Podcast: Local Culture and Development

We chat with Tim Sprague from Phoenix about supporting local culture through development projects and the importance of sustainable development and transportation.

September 21, 2023

How and Why to Start a Walking School Bus

Any caregiver for a kid in institutionalized education is familiar with the challenge of getting them where they’re going safely, on time, every single day, well before your own day’s assignments come into play. Here's how a walking school bus could help.

September 21, 2023

Thursday’s Headlines Have a New Pattern

Working from home may have killed the commute, but people are taking more frequent, shorter trips instead. Whether this adds up to less or more driving overall depends on the city.

September 21, 2023
See all posts