New Banners on the Schuylkill River Trail Encourage Users To Use Nice

Note: this blog post first appeared on Crossing Paths, the official blog of The Circuit.

Just in time for the high season, nine banners with trail etiquette messages were installed today on Schuylkill Banks.

The messages include sharing the path, slowing down and being courteous.

Over 800,000 people use Schuylkill Banks annually and, on beautiful warm days, the number of people using the path can make you think you are on I-76 on a Phillies/Eagles game day. User conflicts are not uncommon and The Circuit Coalition decided this was a good place to tastefully communicate some messages about civility and safety.

Many were involved in making these banners possible: the William Penn Foundation, Schuylkill River Development Corporation, Maskar Design, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the Narducci Brothers, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Three of each of these banners appear along the trail between the Connector Bridge and the new skate park

See you on The Circuit!

Upper Darby Study Recommends Center Median Bikeway On West Chester Pike

Upper Darby Township held a public meeting to discuss its draft plan for the West Chester Pike Traffic, Parking and Streetscape Improvements Study. The study examines the street between Bywood Road and St. Laurence Road, a distance of just under one mile.

West Chester Pike as it appears today (photo: Google Street View)

Proposed street layout for median bikeway

A key component to the plan was a complete streets analysis (you can see that analysis at the bottom of this post) which looked at three options for the bikeway:

1. Standard bike lanes next to parking;
2. Two-way sidepath distinct from the sidewalk;
3. Center median bikeway.

The center media bikeway ended up being the preferred layout. The standard bike lane option conflicted with parked cars and bus stops. The two-way sidepath would push the vehicular travel lanes towards the center, removing most or all of the center median. That media was a characteristic of the road that residents wanted preserved.

Upper Darby Public Works is taking written comments on the projects using this form and survey. You can fax your comments to 610-734-7775 (put "RE: West Chester Pike Study" on the cover) or mail it to:

Submit Comments and the survey to:
Upper Darby Township
Department of Public Works
100 Garrett Rd, Room 301
Upper Darby, PA 19082

The next step for the plan will be to present the plan to the Township Council, who will need to adopt it. It will be up to the residents to push for its implementation.

Using the median on West Chester Pike as a transportation corridor has been kicked around for years. In 2007 DVRPC conducted a feasibility study of making the median into a dedicated busway. The study recommended against it, citing insufficient bus traffic, pinch points and problematic left turn lanes. A bikeway that extends beyond Upper Darby could have similar challenges, but the implementation of this plan could become a pilot for such a facility.

Ride the Route of the Philly Cycling Classic Before the Race Starts

The Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic, formerly known as the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, is coming up June 2nd. And while we're fans of the pro race, there's also a really cool event happening beforehand:

Tape your feet to your pedals and drop the hammer

The Bicycling Open! A chance to see how many laps of the actual race course (including the Manayunk Wall) you can do in 75 minutes.

The course will already be closed to cars, so it'll be just you, other bicyclists, and the soundtrack to Breaking Away playing in your head. What's more (and better), a portion of the cost of your registration supports The Cadence Foundation.

The Bicycling Open takes place from 7:15 - 8:29 AM on Sunday, June 2nd, before the women's ride begins at 8:30 AM (course marshals will sweep the course to ensure you don't get flattened by the women's riders). Each of your laps will be timed so you can compare your times to friends via Strava or other GPS devices. All finishers receive an official time, swag bag, finisher's certificate, and free breakfast after the ride. Start/finish area is the UA Main Street 6 movie theater parking lot.

Register for the Bicycling Open here. Registration starts at $25 but there are higher packages that you get swaaaaaaaaaaaaag and race access.

We're also looking for volunteers!

There are volunteer opportunities available to help with bike valet parking. Shifts are 2-4 hours long and happen from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM on June 2nd. All volunteers receive t-shirts and are entered into a volunteer-only raffle for one of 5 custom-made cycling kit (shirt and shorts). If interested, contact Steve at steve@bicyclecoalition.org.

The pro race itself happens in the morning, with the women's race beginning at 8:30 AM and the men's race at noon. The start and the finish are on top of the Manayunk "wall" on Levering Street. The course no longer goes down to the Ben Franklin Parkway. More info about the pro races here.

Bike to Work Day Recap

Friday's Bike to Work Day was a big success! We enjoyed beautiful weather and more than 150 bicyclists joining Mayor Nutter for a leisurely ride down the Ben Franklin Parkway.

We'll have more photos up on our Facebook and Flickr pages soon. In the meantime, we gathered together in a Storify story some photos and reactions to the event from people who took part.

Thanks for making Philly the best big city in the country for bicycle commuting! See the collection below.

Bike to Work Tomorrow With Mayor Nutter

It's going to be a beautiful morning  - grab your bike and glide down the parkway with Mayor Michael Nutter!

Mayor Nutter will be there. We cannot promise he will be there in bike shorts.

Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day. Ride with us for a police-escorted jaunt down the Parkway to Love Park before continuing onward to your final destination of employ. Joining us will be Councilman Mark Squilla, Councilman Dennis O'Brien, Superintendent Hite, and Deputy Mayor Michael DiBerardinis, plus students from Meade and Meredith Elementary Schools. Get there early for coffee and breakfast munchies from Cosmic Cafe.

Date: Friday, May 17th
Meet up: Lloyd Hall (1 Boathouse Row)
Time: 7:30 AM (ride will leave approximately 8:10 AM)
Route: Ben Franklin Parkway to Love Park

Cyclist Struck By Tractor-Trailer On Callowhill St

According to 6ABC a cyclist was struck by a tractor-trailer at 2nd and Callowhill St in Philadelphia at approximately 9 AM this morning. The victim was transported to Hahnemann University Hospital in critical condition. We will provide updates when they become available.


View PA/NJ Bicycle Crashes 2011-2013 in a larger map