Philadelphia's Bicycle Enforcement & Regulation Debate
Following a front-page Inquirer article
on the deaths of two pedestrians struck by bicyclists, three bills were introduced in City Council on November 19th that tried to address safety
concerns but would have had a chilling effect on bicycling in Philadelphia.
The Bicycle Coalition opposes the bills and believes that
what is needed to calm the chaos on Philadelphia's streets is increased
enforcement that is "consistent and equitable" -- targeting unsafe behaviors of
bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians.
Bicyclists need to be held to a high standard when following the
rules of the road - but not a higher standard. It is tragic that two
pedestrians were killed by bicyclists in the last two months -- but over the last three years 105
pedestrians and 12 bicyclists have been killed by motorists.
On November 20th, the police launched an enforcement campaign and we sent out our Bicycle Ambassadors to inform and educate bicyclists. Before and after the launch, we have been meeting with the police to encourage an equitable and consistent enforcement program. |
Lower Merion's Cynwyd Trail Being Designed
There are three designs for the Cynwyd Heritage trail alignment and several options being considered for the trail's width and configuration. Take a look at the designs and send your comments to Chris Leswing. You can also take a survey on how you would use the trail.
Breaking News! New Jersey adopts Complete Streets Policy
New
Jersey joins Philadelphia and the State of Delaware by adopting a
complete streets policy which directs the Department of Transportation
to integrate the needs of all road users on road construction projects.
We will have details on this exciting development on the BCGP Blog.
NJ Bike Summit in February
On
Saturday February 27th, 2010 from 8am to 4pm the Denville Township
Municipal Building will be the site of the first New Jersey Bicycle Summit guests speakers will include LAB President Andy Clarke, Bikes
Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal and Alliance for Biking and
Walking Executive Director Jeff Miller.
Collingswood bicycle pedestrian advocate publishes a bike lane feasibility study for Haddon and Collings Avenues. Local champions are key to making our first generation suburbs bicycle
friendly. Case in point is Collingswood Streets founder Stella
Bonaparte who has completed a bike lane evaluation study for the
borough of 17,000 in Camden County.
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Philadelphia Magazine named the Bicycle Coalition Best Of Philly '09 for Volunteering. Would you like to get involved? The first step is to come to a volunteer training on the first Wednesday of every month. (If you are not a member yet, please join and volunteer simultaneously!)
Wednesday, January 6th
at 6:30pm
1500 Walnut St., Suite 1107 |
BICYCLE AMBASSADOR VIDEOS
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Click to watch two education videos produced by the 2009 Bicycle Ambassadors
Sidewalk riding is illegal!
Take the I BIKE PHL Pledge
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The Bicycle Coalition has a Twitter account, Facebook page and Blog. Get an RSS feed from our blog to keep up to date on bicycle news for the Greater Philadelphia region.
Follow the Bicycle Ambassadors on Twitter, Facebook, and the BIKEPHL blog. Education Fellow Max Rosen-Long does an awesome job keeping the Ambassadors social media updated on a daily basis.
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Dear Bicyclist,
Your voice has been heard!
City Council received an overwhelming response to the proposed bicycle legislation and they are listening and responding to our concerns. We have been assured
that there will be no action on the two bills for the time
being and we do not believe the two bills can pass City Council in
their present form.
In an opinion-editorial that should appear next week,
Councilman DiCicco writes that he was surprised at the "passionate and
emotional" response to his registration bill. Recognizing problems
with enforcement and that the "fee structure may be onerous,"
Councilman DiCicco states that his proposal "is not the be-all and
end-all in dealing with bicycle safety" and that the registration bill
"may need to be abandoned altogether."
All of the attention the bills have generated may actually result in a positive for bicyclists. We met this week with Police Commissioner Ramsey's staff to discuss how the city can better enforce existing traffic laws equitably on motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to calm our city's streets and make them safer for everyone.
With so much anti-bicycling sentiment in the air, it's important we show support for the new Spruce/Pine bike lanes. Please come to the public meeting next Thursday to comment on the new bike lanes.
While action in the city has been intense, we have been active in the suburbs, too -- including a presentation in Lower Merion about our Complete the Schuylkill River Trail Campaign.
It's time to send in your membership gift for 2010! Look for your renewal in the mail or make your 2010 membership gift to the Bicycle Coalition online.
Alex Doty
Executive Director
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Spruce/Pine Bicycle Lane Pilot Project
December 10, 2009 Public Meeting
The Planning Commission and Mayor's Office of Transportation are hosting a public meeting to deliver the results of the Spruce/Pine
Bike Lane Pilot Project. If
you support the Spruce/Pine bike lanes, and want the City to continue
making streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians by installing more
buffered bicycle lanes, please attend this meeting on Thursday,
December 10th. Where & When
Levitt Auditorium, University of the Arts, 401 S. Broad Street
6:30-8:30pm
Complete the Schuylkill River Trail Campaign Road Show
The Bicycle Coalition and Complete the Schuylkill River Trail Campaign made a presentation on November 30th at the Lower Merion Township building in Ardmore to over 35 Montgomery County bicyclists who came to learn more about the Schuylkill River Trail campaign. Lower Merion Township's Chris Leswing briefed the group on the design options for the Cynwyd Heritage Trail (see more below). The campaign also received a $10,000 award from the Bikes Belong Foundation to promote the nine trail segments.
The Complete the SRT petition has over 3600 signatures. Have you signed it yet? Please send the link to a friend to help us reach 4000 by the end of the year. You can also send a letter to Governors Rendell and Corzine asking them to prioritize funding for the Schuylkill River Trail, East Coast Greenway and Camden GreenWay.
MORE CAMPAIGNS |
Bicycle Coalition in the News
During the past 30 days, the Bicycle Coalition appeared in over 60 media stories. There are too many to list, so check them out here. 
Vote for the Bicycle Coalition as "Non-Profit of the Year" at Philebrity.com.
Highlights from the Coalition's blog
MORE SPINZONE | |
The Bicycle Coalition helped launch two statewide groups that need your financial support.
Double your donation to PA Walks & Bikes
Become a Charter Member of Pennsylvania Walks and Bikes and, thanks to a challenge grant from the Alliance for Biking and Walking, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Just make your gift online by December 31!
Bike DE launches
fundraising drive
Bike Delaware, an advocacy group being incubated by the Bicycle Coalition, is
launching a fundraising drive. Support Bike DE to help make biking better in Delaware.
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Give a bike-lover a gift that fits their lifestyle -- a t-shirt from B Minus Designs. B Minus is a local designer who gives 100% of its t-shirt profits to bicycle advocacy in Philadelphia.
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