The city's pretty much been in a social media tizzy since news "leaked" on July 3rd that a massive fence would be constructed for the days of the September papal visit. And while some speculation regarding that weekend's security measures has proven to be accurate (they will be closing the Ben Franklin Bridge, says a consultant for the papal visit,) Mayor Nutter asserted in a news conference yesterday that the speculative maps that have circulated around the Internet this past weekend are not the real deal.
"There has been some media speculation over the weekend regarding some maps that allegedly show a security perimeter for the visit of Pope Francis during the World Meeting of Families," said Nutter at Monday's press conference. "I want to be very, very clear with all of you. No official security perimeter has been announced or fully and finally determined."
Frustration mounts as September's event draws near: the website set up to dispense special tickets necessary to ride Regional Rail lines the weekend of the 26th-27th came to a screeching halt about an hour after it began doling out passes, there are concerns about how freely even cyclists will be able to navigate secured areas throughout the city, news leaked in dribs and drabs about one security perimeter or another, and we may be looking at an extreme shortage of public toilets for the weekend.
Via Philly Mag: The haphazard way in which information has come out has led some to worry about the handling of the event, even a few pregnant women, due that weekend, who called the Mayor's office directly in an effort to get the official word on what to expect. It's a safe assumption that they were told, as we all were last evening, to wait. But there is at least one person who knows what the real Pope Map looks like: the guy who's making it.
Take it away, Sean from Twitter:
So the pope is coming to Philly soon, so I'm working on PopeMap.mxd I know what roads will be closed and you don't! #gis
— Sean (@SeanDoesGIS) June 24, 2015
· NBC 10 and The Myth of the Papal Fence [Curbed Philly]
· Nutter: Papal security maps on internet are false [PlanPhilly]
· Michael Nutter: Those Pope Maps You Saw Aren't the Real Deal [Philly Mag]