Why Congressman Pat Meehan needs to hear from you

All eyes are on Congressman Pat Meehan (PA-7). He sits on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which will be voting on the new House Transportation bill next Thursday. The bill
strips out funding for biking and walking programs, but, thankfully an amendment will be introduced to restore the funding.

Will Congressman Meehan support the amendment? Only if he hears from his constituents that they want him to. If you live in PA-7 (not sure? Check here) please call Congressman Meehan and ask him to vote in favor of the amendment that restores funding to Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes To School.

His District phone number is 610-690-7323 .

TE & Safe Routes to School funds brought $10.3 to pay for the following projects in Congressman Meehan's district (PA-7.)

East Goshen Township Pathway Project

Phoenixville Streetscape Project

Phoenixville Streetscape Project

Landsdowne Borough Gateway Park & Pedestrian Bike Trail

Lower Chichester Sidewalks and Trail

Lower Chichester Controlling Outdoor Advertising

Marcus Hook Streetscape

Media Downtown Streetscape

Radnor Station Renovations

Sharon Hill Train Station Rehab.

Swarthmore Intermodal Trans Improvements warthmore Delaware

Brandywine Historic Landmark Delaware

Schuylkill Lock Restoration

Upper Darby Township Sidewalks

Nether Providence Township Township Sidewalks

Swarthmore Borough Pedestrian Access Upgrade

Do you tweet? Send Congressman Meehan a tweet that you want him to support funding for biking and walking For example: Do it! I called @RepMeehan 610-690-7323 to ask that he vote 2 restore funding for biking and walking in federal transpo bill #bikePHL

Put Biking and Walking Funding Back Into the House Transportation Bill

Congress is finally moving on a federal transportation bill.

The House will release its bill tomorrow (January 27) and vote on it next Thursday (February 2).

The bill does NOT include dedicated funding for biking and walking. It will provide ZERO funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School.

We must get those programs restored to the bill.

Please write and your Congressional representative today. It's especially urgent that those of you who live in districts represented by Congressmen Meehan, Shuster, Barletta and LoBiondo to call them at their District offices to reinforce the message!

Restore biking and walking funding in the House Transportation Bill.
Send an email and make a phone call today!

Keep Up The Pressure For The Ben Franklin Ramp: Attend DRPA Meeting Feb 1st

We've been blitzing the Delaware River Port Authority about a ramp on the Ben Franklin Bridge since what seems like forever. We're getting closer - we've chased the quarterback from the pocket, but if we don't stay after him, we won't disrupt the play.

(In this analogy, the quarterback is DRPA, and the play is their attempt to dodge their responsibility to build a bicycle-friendly ramp. The four-man rush is ramp support from more than 1,000 petition signers, the University of Rutgers-Camden, 15 local companies and organizations, and the support of two members of Congress.)

How do we finish this play? Rally for the Ramp at the DRPA meeting on Wednesday, February 1st. They will be considering allocating funds for the ramp, and we need to maintain the visible public support for the project.

What: DRPA Operations & Management Committee Meeting
Where: The Delaware River Port Authority, One Port Center in Camden
When: Wednesday, Feb 1st
Time: 8:00 AM


Feel free to download and distribute the flyer below.


Ramp Flyer Web (1)

Senate PAsses Safe Passing Bill with No Amendments

Breaking News! The PA Senate just passed by a vote of 45 to 5 House Bill 170, the Safe Passing Act.

THANK YOU to all 45 Senators who voted YEA, especially Senator Pileggi, who tweeted his support for the bill several times including this message sent a few minutes ago:

The #PaSenate has approved HB170, addressing bicycling safety issues, 45 to 5. Next stop: @GovernorCorbett #pagovt #hb170yes

Senator Lisa Boscola spoke against the bill before the vote, claiming that she heard from several "bicycle advocacy" groups that the bill would make things more unsafe for cyclists. Also voting against HB170 were: Senators Jane Earll (D-18), Jim Ferlo (D-38), Shirley Kitchen (D-3) and Michael Stack (D-5). Ouch! If you live in any of those Districts and disagree your Senator's vote, please let him/her know!

The bill now moves to Governor Corbett for his signature.

A Redesigned South Philly Street To Be Presented Feb 1st

Do you live in South Philly? Are you interested in ways Philadelphia can make its existing streets better for walking, biking, and transit?

The Safe Streets for Healthy Neighborhoods initiative is a collaboration between the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and a Community Design Collaborative design team. The goal? To prioritize specific neighborhood corridors in Philadelphia and offer design solutions to make them better places for walking, biking, and transit.

A first meeting was held in November to solicit input from community members. Now the design team is ready to present preliminary designs and solicit one last round of community feedback.

When: Wednesday, February 1st
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Location:  Guerin Recreation Center
1600 Jackson Street, Phila PA 19145

The meeting is open to everyone! Come hear what the team has designed for a prototypical South Philly residential block, and provide your feedback! The City is paying close attention to this project, and this meeting is your chance to make a suggestion that might find its way onto a street near you.

What Is A Sharrow And What Does It Want From Us?

Not a bike lane, but a bike-friendly street

Okay folks - we've heard there is some confusion about a new bicycling symbol that is popping up with increasing frequency on Philadelphia's streets. They have been spotted in Manayunk, in Center City, and in South Philly. Here's the lowdown on this new addition to Philly bike paint:

What Is That Funny Marking?
If painted on a road, it is a sharrow (a mix of the words 'share' and 'arrow'). If displayed on a sleeve, you are addressing a Corporal in the Bicycle Army.

Is It The Same As A Bike Lane?
No. It marks a lane shared by vehicles and bikes.

So What's The Point?
A sharrow is a visual reminder that bicyclists share the road, and offers an ideal 'line' for bicyclists to take on the street. They have many uses, such as bridging a gap in a bike lane network (example: on Pine between 23rd and 22nd St).