We as a community hope to encourage our elected officials to clean up Third Street in the Queen Village and Society Hill neighborhoods by: 1) Preventing the tour buses from Theater of the Living Arts (334 South Street) from parking on Third Street in front of local residences. These tour buses (coaches with their trailers that are typically 70 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 15 feet high) block the traffic sightline of Gaskill Street pedestrians and drivers. They bring in bands from across the country, and throughout the past two years, these bands and their drivers, their employees, and large groups of fans have been in breach of numerous city ordinances and violations -- from frequent late night noise violations to loitering and vandalism, from one driver being cited for cutting down tree branches, to local residents receiving tickets for the buses' regular deposits of trash, to police calls for the use of drugs and alcohol on our sidewalks. The buses detract from the character of our neighborhood; they are unsightly and oversized, and they frequently idle for hours on end, causing local homes and businesses to fill with gas fumes. Most of the TLA buses park at the waterfront parking lot, away from residences -- only the headliner act is permitted to park on Third Street -- and we ask that those headliner buses park with the other buses, thereby allowing more street parking for local residents and businesses and retaining the tree-lined character of Third Street. 2) Requiring that the Makos Bar and Grill (301 South Street) leave at least five feet of the sidewalk clear for pedestrians and strollers, and that they comply with the city's Noise and Excessive Vibration Regulations. We also ask that local officials work with the building’s ownership to replace their mural with something more in keeping with the present-day character of our community. 3) Preventing Abbotts Square (530 South Second Street) from blocking the sidewalk on the east side of Third Street between South and Lombard with their large dumpster bins and parking signs, and thereby requiring them to keep at least five feet of the sidewalk clear for pedestrians and strollers. 4) Arranging for the City of Philadelphia Department of Streets to plant a tree and fill in the large gap in the sidewalk on the east side of Third Street between South and Lombard. We appreciate and support our local businesses, but too often, our sidewalks are blocked by these aforementioned businesses, and our families are required to walk into the very busy traffic of Third Street, and often around these large tour buses. We are one of the most family-oriented communities in the city. We take great pride in our homes and our neighborhoods, and it is our hope that by signing this petition, we will ensure that these businesses will come to share this respect with the community that surrounds them.

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