[CentralGrad258]

There are a couple major roadblocks to Philly being a truly seamless walkable city.
1. Center City, by far the most walkable area of the city is cut off from the rest of the city on 3 sides. The rivefront is essentially cut off by I-95. West Philly is cut of by Skuylkill and I-76- the crossing bridges are not especially pedestrian friendly. North Philly (including walkable neighborhoods like Fairmount, NoLibs and Fishtown) is cut off by Vine Street expressway and the expansive no-man's land between Callowhill and Spring Garden. Even Ben Franklin Parkway is not especially pleasant pedestrian experience.
2. Public transportation still kinda sucks. Yeah, it's decent by American standards, but you can only walk so far, right? With only two subway lines, the pedestrian options become more limited. Buses and trolleys are decent, but there's nothing like rapid transit to make walking a viable option.

IMO, Philly is a decent pedestrian town, but getting around by pedal bike is where it's at.