Anyone have ideas/experience about how to go about converting a street to a dead-end street? I'm on a small side street that ends at main street. (The street does not continue past the main street.)

We have a lot of cars cutting through at high speeds, and we're especially worried about the kids playing. A "watch children" sign would be useful, but it's not going to solve this problem, I think.

I assume a city council person would be a good place to start. ?

Well, I'm guessing your local council person, and then I'm sure a petition of just about everyone on the street would be needed. I know years ago, they tried to change the direction of my old street to keep people from cutting through between 8th to 11th (on Greenwich st) and because they didn't get like 95% of the neighbors to agree, it fell through.

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"Beer..the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!" Homer J.

I'm really not sure what you're looking for. The streets in South Philly that dead end do so because they were built that way (there's a bunch of different ways that it happened). There's no way to retroactively "dead end" a street; it's a public thoroughfare.

As to people traveling at high speeds, Rizzo (of all people) fixed most of that in the 70's, by by making the side streets one way in different direction, block by block.

Have the city turn the street the other way. You just can't block it because of traffic

Unfortunately, my street runs the same direction for several blocks. So, apparently, Rizzo missed this one!

Street reversal is a possibility that we've considered, but this might create more problems since the intersection where the street would come out at is problematic. There are already several accidents there per year.

My thought is, by creating a dead end, we could drastically reduce the reckless driving through our block and increase our sense of community. It is a public street, but there is no reason why people couldn't use the numbered streets on either side. I'm tired of seeing block residents being intimidated by those who are just passing through, and who could easily take an alternate route. Just looking for a more humane living situation for my neighbors, I guess.

Yeah, right. The councilman tried this last year with another street, at the behest of a few people-he got his @ss handed to himself on a silver platter. There's no way he's trying that approach again.
You solved your own question. If you approach any part of the city, they will say no since part of the process is taking a survey where they would realize that people still use the alley you wish to condemn.

Kids want to play on every small street in south philly, and every other driver wants to carelessly speed down the small roads. Welcome to life-you are not going to get a road closed for your own pleasure...oh, that's right-its fo' the kids. Sorry, not gonna happen fo' the kids, either.

I've seen speed bumbs used in the burbs. They work very well but I doubt if you could get it approved.

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Before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Yeah, they actually did switch directions of Cross street between 8th and 10th quite a few years back, so now they go back and forth in direction, which is why the residents of 900 greenwich gave it a shot... didn't work out for them (us) though.

In what way are you looking to dead end the street? By a barrier of some sort? I don't think the city would go for that. The best you'll probably do is by requesting some SLOW KIDS AT PLAY signs or something along those lines.

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"Beer..the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!" Homer J.

There's no way the city's putting in speed bumps. If they did, people would speed over them, destroy their suspension and then sue the city for the damage (it's happened before).

I'm still trying to figure out what the OP means by "dead ending" the street; it's a public thoroughfare, so you can't just close one end because you want to.

How come it seems people on small streets get more attention because of traffic. So people on live in main streets have to suck traffic up?

Streets should be drawn to aid the flow of traffic through the city, not disrupt it.