Car Pool Cheater Website

If you don't want your picture taken while you're doing something illegal, don't do it in public!

This Bay Area website takes photos of those who violate carpool and bike lane restrictions, as well as drivers putting others at risk by doing what the website describes as "dumb things people do while driving"

Route 13 Redevelopment Project could be Stronger for Bikes

A presentation of the Route 13 redevelopment project (lower Bucks County section) is online on the Bucks County TMA website

While there are improvements slated for highway crossings for the Delaware Canal, and a lane reduction plan (4 lanes to 3). there seems to be little else for accommodating bikes on route 13; which has some of the highest bike/car crashes per mile in the suburbs.

A similar project just completed on nearby route 413 touted bike paths and sidewalks in the Transportation Improvement Program, what we got was a wider faster highway with 5 foot shoulders that are interrupted by turn lanes and dozens of curb cuts (commercial driveways). There's also sidewalks and fancy street lights for peds, but no trees and no provisions for crossing the 5 lane road.

A photo of the almost completed 413 is online

East Atlantic Bikeway Presentation

A presentation on the ongoing East Atlantic Bikeway feasibility study took place at Somerdale Borough Hall, Camden County
The corridor is 8.5 miles long from Oaklyn to Chews Landing Rd in Clementon
East Atlantic Avenue is a well known route that is used by local cyclists and in some ways acts as a bicyclists White Horse Pike,
there is a parallel rail corridor with one active track and an unused right-of-way that is mowed and is used sometimes by residents for parking.

Some highlights of the meeting
The study is being done by Key Engineers
Somerdale Mayor Gary Passanante is a pro active supporter of the project, Somerdale has been awarded $200,000 to implement their portion of the bikeway.
12 municipalities signed on to the project, but the State has told them that they must apply individually for their segments
Shared roadway is the only possible continous option, but there are opportunities for bike lanes in many segments but parking issues must be resolved, including removing parking. There are some segments where there is enough road width now for bike lanes.
An off-road path is possible but would not be continous, furthermore Conrail has been uncooperative and refuses to relinquish its unused right of way
Traffic calming or traffic reduction on East Atlantic Ave has not been looked at, apparently there is a desire locally not to interfere with the flow of through traffic because it is an alternate to the White Horse Pike (US 30)
A video of East Atlantic Avenue was made available at the meeting on CD
Two versions of the video were created, a slow deliberate version and a fast run video. Bot videos show several cyclists riding on Atlantic Avenue.


My thoughts:
County should take initiative to create a bicycle boulevard
1 - repave Atlantic Avenue and widen to the edge of the RR right of way
2 - install bicycle friendly drainage grates (note: replacing drainage grates should be a countywide project)
3 - Install Share the Road signs and sign it as "East Atlantic Ave Bikeway"
4 - Organize parking - replace perpindicular and angle parking with back-in reverse angle parking (This has been done in Pottstown and Wilmington)
5 - Install bike lanes where there is sufficient width to do so
6 - Install roundabouts at minor intersections (which are relatively infrequent), signalize major intersections
7 - Install bicycle friendly traffic calming devices in business districts

I think the multi-use path options should continue to be pursued to encourage local bike/ped travel, although that should not be signed as a continous facility nor should these segments be viewed as a substitute for a bicycle friendly Atlantic Avenue.

Thanks for the "streetscape improvements" PENNDOT

Route 413 in Bristol has just had a major makeover, the road has been widened from 3 lanes to 5 with sidewalks and a 4 foot shoulder. Local officials have been touting this project as a revitalization project.
What we got was an extremely wide road that makes it impossible to cross the street. And while the shoulder does improve bicycle access, the dozens of curb cuts (commercial driveways) and high speed turn lanes improves bicycling only marginally at best.

40 years too late

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS HINDER ROUTE 55 COMPLETION

Date: 031217
From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/atlantic/

By Thomas Barlas, Staff Writer, (609) 272-7201
Press of Atlantic City, December 17, 2003

Outgoing state Sen. James S. Cafiero, R-Cape May, Cumberland,
Atlantic, does not think the final section of Route 55 will ever be
built.

The price tag for the final 20-mile stretch of the road through
Cumberland and Cape May counties is more than $500 million.

Additionally, construction of the roadway faces numerous
environmental problems that Cafiero contends could have been avoided
if the roadway was built decades ago.

"They should have done it back in the 1960s when nobody really
focused on the environmental," Cafiero said. "I don't know if it's
ever going to be finished now."
---
Boo Hoo

Kensington and Tacony Meeting Minutes

Kickoff Meeting on December 4, 2003 hosted by former Congressman Bob Borski.

East Atlantic Avenue Bikeway hearing

There will be a presentation on the proposed Atlantic Avenue Bikeway
tomorrow 8/18/2003 7pm at Somerdale Borough Hall 105 Kennedy Boulevard,
Somerdale

The East Atlantic Avenue Bikeway will follow the abandoned rail line parallel to
Atlantic Ave between Collingswood and Clementon.

New Hope - Lambertville Bridge update

The New Hope Lambertville bridge closes January 5 2004 and will remain closed during the weekdays until June.

A free shuttle will be running between 7am and 11pm Monday – Thursday and 7am – 5pm on Friday.
Bus stops are in front of the PNC Bank in New Hope and the NJ TRANSIT bus stop in Lambertville.

The bridge will then be open for bikes and pedestrians on weekends, Friday’s at 5pm and will close at 6am on Monday’s. This shuttle bus will be equipped with bike racks.

River Line Santa Train and open house

NJ Transit has been showcasing this week its new River Line light rail cars via its first Santa Train. You still have a chance to see the new cars including the 4 bike racks on the train at Bordentown at 6pm on Tuesday. (note I have no photos of the bike racks to date)

For Center City and NJ Residents this line is going to be a great alternative to the unfriendly and crowded R7 train. Its only $1.10
from Camden to Trenton (vs $7), runs every 1/2 hour (vs hourly off-peak) and promises to be uncrowded (according to NJ TRANSIT ridership projections), best of all no conductor harrassment! Secure your bike and have a seat. Bikes are expected to be allowed on trains at all hours much like PATCO.

Scudder Falls Bridge Website

Speaking of bridges, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission is studying improvements for the Scudder Falls Bridge or the I-95 Bridge between Yardley PA and West Trenton, NJ.

Currently there is no bike or pedestrian access to the bridge, which spans over the Delaware Canal and the D&R Canal. Use the website to contact the project engineers and tell them that you want a pedestrian crossing that connects both canals.

Ben Franklin Bridge Reopens

6 days after the storm DRPA has reopened the south walkway. Walkway hours are 6am to 6pm. An investigation on Tuesday revealed that no effort was made to remove the snow off the walkway.

The neglect of the walkway suggests that DRPA is pennywise and pound foolish. Maybe money that is being used to build a tram should be diverted to maintain, improve and beautify the walkway. The razor wire at the gates give the walkways a real Stalag 17 feel to them.

Some Accounts of Fatal Bicycle and Pedestrian Crashes

Every year 7000 pedestrians and 700 bicyclists are killed by motor vehicles. That's 13% of all highway deaths yet we spend less .38 cents per person per year of bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

The following 17 reports were gleaned from newspaper and tv news stories. About 10 bicyclists and 110 pedestrians die in the Greater Philadelphia Region every year.

10-15-02 Pacific Ave Wildwood
Bicyclist
William C. Wise Jr., 66 of Wildwood died after the bicycle he was riding collided with a car at the intersection of Schellenger and Pacific avenues at 7:40 p.m. His bicycle collided with a Jeep Wagon driven by a 40 year-old Wildwood man.

10-16-02 Bristol Rd Bensalem
Pedestrian
A 25-year-old Bensalem woman was struck and killed by a 16-year-old male driver last night in Bensalem, police said.
The crash occurred about 5 p.m. on Bristol Road and Neshaminy Road as the woman was walking along Bristol Road.

12/11/02 Amtrak Main Line Marcus Hook
Pedestrian
A pedestrian who authorities said was trespassing on railroad tracks near the Delaware border was struck and killed yesterday by a train heading to New York. at 2:48 p.m. by an Acela train from Washington.

12-22-2002 Route 309 Hatfield
Pedestrian
A black Honda, being driven by an 18-year-old woman fatally strikes a 61-year-old man from Perkasie, who was walking across a heavily traveled area of Route 309 saturday night in the area of Bethlehem Pike and North Broad Street in Hatfield.

12-23-02 Castor Ave NE Philadelphia
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
A 50-year-old woman was hit by one car as she crossed Castor Avenue at Unruh around 6 p.m. When she tried to get up, a second car struck her and fled. The driver of the first car stopped.

1-03-03 Amtrak Main Line NORWOOD
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
James Dougherty, 43 died after a car hit him as he walked outside a friend's home on Chester Pike on New Year's Day.

3/18/03 Chestnut St West Philadelphia
Pedestrian
Gertrude Young 76 died after being struck by a SEPTA bus as she crossed Chestnut Street at 57th Street shortly before 4:30 p.m. The northbound G bus was turning right onto Chestnut.

4/12/03 South Washington Ave Telford
Pedestrian
Beatrice Nicholson, 87, of East Lincoln Avenue, was walking on the 100 block of South Washington Avenue at 1 p.m. when an 85-year-old Lansdale woman heading north on Washington hit her, borough police said.

4-27-03 Hunting Park Ave North Philadelphia
Bicyclist
Hit and Run
A woman was instantly killed at 8th and Hunting Park Ave at 2:30am. A Hunting Park man was charged in the hit and run death of a bicyclist.

4-28-03 Route 13 Bristol Township
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
A 35 year old woman with a suspended license was driving an uninsured and unregistered 1987 Ford Tempo that struck 9-year-old Timmy David - who was returning from fishing with his brother and a friend - as he tried to cross Route 13 at Green Lane just yards from his home in Bristol.
The woman charged plead guilty and was sentenced to two to four years in the Bucks County Correctional Facility and was fined $2,500.

6/8/03 City Ave Lower Merion
Pedestrian
A man crossing City Avenue early yesterday near St. Joseph's University was killed after being struck by two cars while trying to cross the street at Cardinal Avenue. He was hit first by a car heading south that was driven by a West Chester man then hit again by an Ardmore man driving a sport-utility vehicle in the same direction.

9/10/03 Route 38 Cherry Hill
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
Ravija Rufati 40, was struck while she was trying to cross Route 38 near Cooper Landing Road at 8:56 p.m. Sept. 10
A 23 year-old Cherry Hill man was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident,

11-7-03 Route 13 Bristol Township
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
A car struck and killed Russell Bennett 44-year-old of Bristol Township on Route 13 in Bristol Township at 1:12 a.m.
A two-door, 1986 Pontiac Grand Am. was spotted leaving the scene on Route 13 just past Beaver Dam Road.

10/11/03 Ogontz Ave West Oak Lane
Bicyclist
Hit and Run
A man was struck and killed on a bicycle in the 66-hundred block of Ogontz Avenue overnight.

10/3/03 Route 611 Warrington
Pedestrian
James Robert Galbraith, 42, was struck in the northbound lanes by an SUV driven by a 58 Year-Old New Hope man, as he tried to cross in the middle of a block on Route 611 at 10:45 p.m. On a dark stretch of road north of the Creekview Shopping Center

10/27/03 Interstate 95 Upland
Pedestrian
Dennis McCollum, 31, of Broomall, died after being hit at 4:10 a.m. after being struck by three vehicles and killed while walking on Interstate 95 in the southbound lane of the highway in Upland, Delaware County, a half-mile north of the Route 322 exit.

12/1/03 Route 130 Cinnaminson
Pedestrian
William Hauck, 24, of the Kensington section of Philadelphia was struck by a minivan on Route 130 in Cinnaminson at 9:30pm as he was walking north in the left southbound lane
The driver of the minivan pulled over and rendered assistance and was not charged

Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/07/2003 | Making riverfront park a hit

Yet another article on Schuylkill River Park, this time by architecture critic Inga Saffron.

Schuylkill River Park Tensions Building

CSX's plan to fence off access to Race St and Locust St already has some neighborhood associations up in arms. This issue will probably explode when CSX actually puts the fence up.

U.S. Bike Industry worth 4.2 Billion

This article in the Bicycle Retailer contains lots of interesting statistics about the bicycle industry.

For instance
In 2001 - 19.4 million bikes were sold (est.)
95% of the bicycles sold in the US are imports (imagine the effects of a trade war)
Only 3 major bike manufacturers produce bikes in the US - Cannondale, Trek and the American Bicycle Group
The average speciality road bike cost $1,180 (National Bicycle Dealers Association)