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.
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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.