Bike the Strike with the Bicycle Coalition

Are you going to Bike the Strike?

The Bike the Strike Bike Station will be open every day of the strike from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Municipal Services Building Plaza (15th St and JFK Blvd). The station offers guarded valet bike parking, free bike safety checks and route planning advice.

• Anxious about riding alone? Take a look at the Bike Buddy Rideboard on the Bike the Strike Blog.
• Make sure your bike is ready to go
  Free safety checks are available at Philadelphia bike shops
• Pick a route before you go
  Use the Philadelphia Bicycle Map to find quiet streets and streets with bike lanes. Pick up the map at a bike shop, at the main branch of library or download the map and look for red and purple streets. Philadelphia or Center City
• Ride safely
  Read the Bicycle Coalition's Top 10 Safety Tips

More tips on biking to work

Pedal power can help Philadelphians travel if SEPTA is hit by a strike.

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia announced plans to help thousands of stranded SEPTA commuters “Bike the Strike” on Friday. “If there is a SEPTA strike, avoid the stress of huge rush hour traffic jams and ride your bike to work,” said Bicycle Coalition President Dennis Winters.

To help new bicycle commuters, the Bicycle Coalition is partnering with Philadelphia’s bike shops to provide free bicycle safety checks. Bring your bicycle to any shop in Philadelphia and get your tires filled to the correct tire pressure, get your chain oiled and make sure your bike is mechanically safe.

Free Philadelphia Bicycle Maps will also be available at bike shops. “Philadelphia is a great city to bicycle in, especially if you avoid streets with lots of automobile traffic,” said Alex Doty, Bicycle Coalition Executive Director. “Our bike maps can help you take advantage of more than 190 miles of bike lanes in the city.”

What do new bicycling commuters need to know? Mike McGettigan, owner of Trophy Bikes and League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor, offers his Bike the Strike Top 10 Safety Tips:
1) Check that bike! Tires full, make sure saddle and bars are tight.
2) Protect that head. Wear a helmet not just for crash safety, but to be more visible.
3) Bike like a vehicle. Ride in the direction of traffic and obey all traffic rules. Follow a nice straight line, don't weave around. Look back before you change lanes.
4) Communicate! Use simple hand signals to let motorists know you're turning left (point left), turning right, (uh, point right), stopping (hold hand at waist level, palm facing back).
5) Be Seen! Wear light colored clothing, reflective materials and fit your bike with lights if you're riding at night.
6) Lock it down! Use a U-lock through the frame and back wheel, protect the front wheel with a cable.
7) Buddy up. Find a cycling friend to help you with route planning and accompany you on that first commute. Or use the new Philadelphia Regional Bike Map to plan your ride.
8) Fuel up. You're the engine. Eat a good breakfast and drink a nice amount of water. Do the same on the way home.
9) Don't win the Door Prize! Keep 3 feet away from parked cars.
10) Expect the unexpected. Good commuters scan the road ahead for dangers, always checking to keep their ride smooth.

Other Bike the Strike plans include a bike station at City Hall on Monday.

Check back here for updates to the Bike the Strike campaign.