Thanks for a great 2008!

As I count down to 2009, I remember 2008 as a time we added three (3) new staff, published two (2) important reports and launched one (1) new web page. (I wanted to start with 3,100 people riding Bike Philly, or even 43 press citations, but...)

A lot of people made 2008 successful for the Bicycle Coalition. I'd like to say thanks to our members, to the hundreds of you who volunteered this year, to the Bicycle Coalition staff and board, and to the government officials who have partnered with us to make bicycling better in Southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware.

It's not too late to get on the bandwagon! If you haven't renewed for 2009, I'll give you a link to make it easy.

FYI, the Bicycle Coalition office is closed until January 5.

Happy New Year!
Alex

Ice Wreaking Havoc on Stairs and Bridges

Tis the season to let cyclists know that they are second class transportation citizens:

1. The DRPA has closed the Ben Franklin Bridge walkway due to icy conditions. We expect the bridge to be open with the warmer weather tomorrow afternoon.

2. We have received reports that the landings on the Walnut St Bridge stairs are currently covered with solid ice. We have reported this condition to the Streets department.















Photo Michael McGettigan

Access to bridges and trail maintenance are just two of the issues that the Bicycle Coalition fights for. Imagine the Philadelphia Streets plowing bike lanes instead of piling snow in them. Help support us in 2009 by becoming a member.

Riding Through the Holidays

Here are some ideas for getting outside and burning calories accumulated over the holidays.

The Bicycle Club is hosting 12 days of Christmas Bike Rides. It started on Saturday, December 20th and will continue every day through the rest of the month. Details on the BCP Calendar

Or, try out the Tussle at the Trestle 2. This is "a grass flat-track 'cross thing-a-ma-jig bike race" on Sunday, December 28th at 1pm sharpish. Meet at 31st and Lower Walnut Street. (under the High Line)

(photo courtesy of Trophy Bikes)

Winter Biking in the Suburbs - Getting a Good Light

Anyone bicyclist who crosses over the city line at night knows one thing--darkness. That blinky green light on your front handlebar becomes almost useless. But trying to find a moderately priced light to see the potholes is almost impossible. Especially with the influx of LED lights which can alert motorists from afar but fail to offer the bicyclist a good view of the road surface.

I found three resources on the internet that may help you find the right light. Candlepower Forums has a bike light database that includes lights that produce at least 80 lumens. Its from 2006 so some brands may be outdated but. It is an excellent start point to search for serious bike light manufacturers.

Even better is the Eddy's Bike Shop in Ohio website, they set up a darkroom and photographed the resulting beam from their stock of headlights, below are samples of two different lights.


40 - 50 Lumens ------------ 200 Lumens














And finally the Planet Bike Light Finder is a similar web page that features their own lights.

I should note that we are finding that only about 40% of the urban core riders are using lights at all, anecdotally that number plunges way down for working cyclists in the suburbs and the resort areas. Getting everybody to use any grade of lighting at night could significantly reduce the number of bicyclists injuries and fatalities.

Action Alert - Support Funding for Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects

Economic Stimulus Legislation
Support funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects

Congress is currently putting together an economic stimulus package to have ready when the new Congress returns in early January. While public details of the forthcoming stimulus bill is not available, we are hearing that there is a chance that funds for transportation and infrastructure projects in the stimulus package may go overwhelmingly to road projects—the same unbalanced strategy that has created our existing transportation problems.

We must speak up now to make sure that the economic stimulus language maintains the established transportation funding allocations including the Transportation Enhancement set aside which is the primary source for bicycle and pedestrian projects.

TAKE ACTION: Click Here or fill out the form in the frame below



And yes this is same alert as yesterday, however we embedded the action email directly to encourage you to fill out the form.

Addiction to Oil - SUV sales spike

Today in the Inquirer:

With gas prices low, SUV's roar back.

Really? Was it all a dream? $4 gas.

SAVE Green Infrastructure in the Economic Stimulus Bill!

If you were counting on President-Elect Obama's economic stimulus package to fund green infrastructure, like bicycle and pedestrian projects, then you best make your voice heard.

The economic stimulus package being fashioned by Congress will include $100 billion for infrastructure, which is a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fund bike/pedestrian projects at a large scale. But, our friends at the American Bicycle League are joining the chorus of Friends of the Earth and Transportation for America to tell us that there is pressure to make the bill lean towards road projects and not adequately fund “green” infrastructure. This bill could potentially fund local bicycle projects such as completing segments of the Schuylkill River Trail. We can't lose this opportunity!

Speak up to make sure that the bill’s language funds the Transportation Enhancement set aside which is the primary source for bicycle and pedestrian projects. Send a message now to your Congress representative.

Obama's New Transportation Secretary

Barack Obama has picked outgoing Illinois Republican Congressman Ray LaHood. And while the first reaction for many including commenters on Streetsblog have been skeptical, our colleagues in Chicago and Springfield are singing his praises.

League of Illinois Bicyclists Director Ed Barsotti probably is in the best position to judge the accomplishments of LaHood "In summary, he’s been great for us! He is an active supporter of bicycling and trails, and he has very visibly gone against the wishes of his party leaders on our issues"

LaHood also was a key vote against the threat to Transportation Enhancements in 2003 for the bill that became SAFETEA-LU.

On the flip side of all this is an environmental record that is clearly spotty and Peoria based Caterpillar is his largest political contributor. But all this may be a moot point as the highway lobby is clearly trying to hijack the stimulus package. Even David Brooks questions the haste on roadbuilding.

Stolen Bike Search on Craigslist

Is posting a stolen bike to Craigslist the only recourse for bike theft victims? If so then it is clear that Philadelphia needs to do more reduce bike theft and recover bicycles.



We would like to hear your ideas on tackling this problem. In the meantime check out http://mystolenbianchi.blogspot.com/ in which a Philadelphia woman posted a great tutorial on how to recover a stolen bike.

Rails to Trails--Economic Recovery Petition:

Please sign their petition to President-elect Obama and key congressional leaders, encouraging them to fund these important bicycle and pedestrian projects:

Friends of the Earth--Road lobby attempting to hijack stimulus

President-elect Obama and Congress are working to pass a green-jobs economic stimulus package -- but it is in danger of being hijacked by the road-building lobby, which wants billions of dollars for unnecessary new roads that would increase global warming pollution. Please help us stop them. Transportation is responsible for 30 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and 70 percent of our oil consumption. By investing in clean transportation solutions including public transportation and smart growth, the stimulus package can create green jobs and reduce our dependence on oil. But now the road-building lobby wants to divert billions of dollars to new highway projects. New road construction creates fewer jobs than investing in public transit and maintaining pre-existing roads and bridges. And there's the environmental impact: just 10 miles of a new four-lane highway lead to emissions that are equivalent to the lifetime emissions of 46,700 new Hummers. Send Congress this simple message: New Roads = New Pollution. Keep the stimulus clean. Rather than new highways, we need to maintain our current system. We also need major investments in expanding and improving access to public transportation, passenger rail, and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Such investments make environmental and economic sense. Investing in public transportation reduces pollution and creates 19 percent more jobs than building new roads. Moving toward a cleaner, more efficient transportation system will help our economy and our climate. The economic stimulus package has the potential to hasten this transition and create millions of jobs--but not if it gets hijacked by a highway lobby that wants to take America down the wrong road. Please you help us deliver this message to Congress. Click here to take action and join our campaign. Sincerely, Colin and Kate Friends of the Earth Transportation Team Editors Note: Hooray for the Friends of the Earth! They know that there is more to green transportation than hybrid vehicles. I am optimistic that the other big environmental organizations will follow their lead.

Zoning Matters

The Zoning Code Commission (ZCC) invites you to take a brief survey as part of the Zoning Code Reform process.

The ZCC is committed to including all Philadelphians in modernizing, updating, and improving the City's Zoning Code. Your opinion matters on a variety of Zoning Code issues - what works, what doesn't, and how the Code can be made easier to understand and use.

The survey should only take 5 minutes to complete. Go to www.ZoningMatters.org and click on the survey link (lower right side of the page) to begin.

Streetfilms at the Academy

Our friends at Streefilms.org will be coming to the Academy of Natural Sciences on Friday January 16th, 2009 as part of the Academy's Town Square program. Expect to see several livable streets videos from NYC and around the world to inspire change on the streets of Philadelphia.

Admission for all Town Square events are free but please click here to RSVP.

In the meantime check out this Streetfilm examining how Boulder CO. became a Platinum level Bicycle Friendly Community. Look for our former Executive Director Sue Prant (McNamera) who is now the Walk and Bike Week Coordinator for Go Boulder.

Chester Creek Trail Public Meeting

A public meeting on the Chester Creek Branch Rail-Trail Phase I Engineering Study will be held 7 p.m., Monday (Dec. 15) in the Multi-Purpose room at Indian Lane Elementary School, 309 South Old Middletown Road, Media.Phase I of the Chester Creek Branch Rail-Trail is the 2.8 mile section from Lenni Road in Middletown to Creek Road. Phase I also includes a short portion in Aston Township from Mount Road to Pennell Road.

The meeting will include the following:

-A brief description of the engineering study.

-Stations with maps showing the proposed route and drawings of typical sections;

-Opportunity for public comment on the project.

Representatives from the Wilson Consulting Group, its subcontractors, and Friends of the Chester Creek Branch will provide information on the project, and answer questions.

The Friends of the Chester Creek Branch is a non-profit organization. The Chester Creek Branch Rail Line is an unused rail line that traverses Aston, Chester, and Middletown Townships, with endpoints in Middletown Township and Upland Borough.

The purpose of the engineering study is to develop a final design to convert Phase I of the unused rail line into a multi-use trail for the community.

For more information on the Rail-Trail Project write to the Friends of the Chester Creek Branch, P.O. Box 2313, Aston PA 19014 or visit the website at www.chestercreektrail.org.



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Parking Fines Going Up

Tonight City Council has approved hikes for parking fees, you would think that this would be a great revenue stream for Philadelphia but you would be wrong. The Parking Authority is controlled by the state although some money is set aside for the School District. It's a far cry from London's Congestion Charge which pays for transit, pedestrian and bicycling improvements in the Central Business District.

Still it provides another small disincentive to drive in Center City and University City.

Volunteers Needed!

Just in time for the holiday season; take some time and give back to your community!

Children's Village Child Care Center
125 North 8th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Thanks to the generosity of one of our former board members, Children’s Village is able to offer each child enrolled at our Center a new bicycle and helmet. Our board member knew the value of high quality early childhood education and also the importance of children having an opportunity to learn through play. As a way to support this play experience we will be distributing bicycles the week of Monday December 15h thru Friday, December 19th from 3:00pm – 6:00pm.

In addition to our staff and parents, we are requesting at least five (5) volunteers per day (if possible) to assist in measuring the children for proper fit of bikes and helmets. Please contact me directly to volunteer or to have your questions answered.

For more information about our organization please refer to our website:
www.childrensvillagechildcare.com

Linda Gordy
215-931-0164 - Direct
linda.g@cvchildcare.org

Photo of the Day - World's Worst Bike Lock

I locked up next to this one at the Trenton Train Station today. Yes, that's a bike secured to a rack with an inner tube. Scissors Anyone?

From Philadelphia Bicycle News

Neighborhood Bike Works Film Tonight

Come in out of the cold to see a short film about NBW at International House 3701 Chestnut St, tonight at 7:00pm. Admission is free

Last Vehicle to Cross the South Street Bridge was a Bicycle

SSB Closure 120808
Originally uploaded by Philly Bike Coalition

John Boyle, Advocacy Director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (and main blogger of Philadelphia Bicycle News), rode the very last vehicle to cross the South Street Bridge before the Streets Department and their contractors closed the fourth side of the bridge around 10:45am this morning. The Bicycle Coalition joined Jim Campbell and Marcia Wilkoff of the South Street Bridge Coalition and about 40 others to commemorate the final crossings of the Bridge and to watch the contractors close off each of the four entrances to the Bridge one after the other. For more photos taken during the 2 hour event, click on the photo.

Bicyclists Urged to Ride Safely on South Street Bridge Detours

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia stresses need for increased safety measures for bicyclists

With the South Street Bridge scheduled for closure on Monday, December 8, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is asking bicyclists to ride safely on detours.

"We are urging bicyclists to stay in the road, to follow bike lanes and to not ride on sidewalks," said Breen Goodwin, Bicycle Ambassadors Coordinator, a community adult education program sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the city of Philadelphia, University City District and Fairmount Park.

"Shaving a few minutes off your bike commute is not worth the increased risk posed to yourself and others by riding against traffic or on the sidewalk," added Goodwin.

The anticipated increase in motor vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic on all detour roads makes it critical that rules of the road be followed and enforced for all users. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is especially concerned that bicyclists who want to go to Center City may try to use Walnut Street Bridge, either by riding on sidewalks or in the bike lane going in the wrong direction.

"We have made several recommendations to the city on how the detour can be improved for bicyclists, chief among them is to create a complete bike lane on 33rd Street so that bicyclists know that they should ride all the way up to Chestnut Street to go eastbound," said John Boyle, Advocacy Director for the Bicycle Coalition.

A complete list of the Bicycle Coalition's recommendations for improving the detour can be found at their website www.bicyclecoalition.org.

A recent count of all of the five Schuylkill Bridges found that the South Street Bridge is the most heavily used by bicyclists. As documented in the report Double Dutch: Bicycling Jumps in Philadelphia, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia found that 160 bikes cross the South Street Bridge per hour during rush hour.

"Over seven percent of vehicular traffic on the South Street Bridge is bicycles, which is about 1,700 bicyclists a day," said Boyle. "All those bicycles are now going to cross the Walnut and Chestnut Street Bridges, doubling bicycle traffic on those bridges."

In order to assist bicyclists, the Bicycle Ambassadors will have a street team at key intersections during the morning and evening rush hours on the first day of the closure. Ambassadors will be handing out detour maps as well as rules of the road for bicyclists. A copy of the map is also available on their website.

"We are pleased that the South Street Bridge's makeover is finally beginning," says Alex Doty, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. "The new bridge will be safer for bicyclists and more pedestrian friendly and we thank Mayor Nutter and his administration for their leadership."

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization making bicycling better through advocacy and education by promoting biking as a healthy, low-cost, and environmentally-friendly form of transportation and recreation.



View Larger Map
Sayonara Southie

Moorestown Wants To Be Bicycle Friendly

June and July 2008 was a tough time for Moorestown. Two high profile bicycle fatalities Comcast Counsel General Stanley Wang and Moorestown High Student Will Christianson were both killed about one mile apart on Route 537.

Township Manager Chris Schultz and Bicycle Coalition member Mike Zickler have organized an ad hoc bicycle advisory committee to look at improving bicycling in the township. It is hoped that this committee will be formalized in early 2009.

The first major task of the committee is to create the framework for a township bicycle route map and plan. Safety and maintenance issues have also arisen as priorities among committee members.

If you are a Moorestown Resident and would like to participate please contact Township Manager Chris Schultz.

In our Byzantine structure of municipality-school district-county-state government bicycle friendly suburbs are only achievable when the local residents demand it from local officials. Consider approaching your town council or commissioners asking for bicycle improvements, the BCGP is ready and waiting to provide assistance.

Volunteers Needed For SS Bridge Closing Day

The Bicycle Ambassadors are looking for a few good volunteers.

With the closure of the South Street Bridge on Monday, we are looking for some volunteer Ambassadors to come out and help distribute educational flyers to cyclists in the University City neighborhood during the morning and evening rush hours.

If you are interested, please contact Breen Goodwin for more details.

email:
breen@bicyclecoalition.org
phone:
215.BICYCLE (242-9253) ext. 5

Bicycle Racks Installed in UPenn Parking Garages

Compared to cities like Washington DC garage bicycle parking has been lagging in Philadelphia. But recent actions by the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the University of Pennsylvania are helping to improve things.

Today UPenn announced that secure, indoor bicycle racks have been installed in two Parking Services’ garages. Each location/rack can hold up to 30 bikes.

In Garage #37 at 34th and Chestnut, racks are located next to the Parking Booth at the 34th Street entrance.

Hours are Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., and the garage is closed on weekends.

In the Fresh Grocer parking garage at 40th and Walnut racks are located on the 2nd level across from the Parking Office and the garage is open 24 hours.

The Bicycle Coalition supports the installation of high quality bicycle parking and applauds the University's bike parking expansion program. We hope that this innovative approach to transportation problems spreads to other institutions such as Drexel, St. Josephs, Temple and LaSalle.

Regional Bike Map Is Again Online

"What happened to the online bikemap?" We have been hearing that question since the new website went up. Well the outdated and clumsy online map was retired and our friends at PhillyMap.com have been working on a more dynamic map for the web.



View Larger Maps:
Side 1(Philadelphia, Bucks, E. Montgomery and NJ)
Side 2 (Chester, W. Montgomery and Delaware Counties)

A permanent link is on our maps page on the Bicycle Coalition website. PhillyMap also maintains a zoomable transit map on their website.

One Last Ride on the South Street Bridge on Monday

The South Street Bridge will be closing for two years on Monday December 8th at 9:30 AM and the Bicycle Coalition will be hosting one last bike ride over the bridge. We will be meeting along with the South Street Bridge Coalition at Hollenbeck Hall just west of the I-76 Interchange on the Bridge at 8:45 AM.

Paris Velo Liberté Now Live on e²

As promised last week the PBS series e² Bike Sharing episode is online. Click on the image then select webcasts>>Paris Velo Liberté













http://www.design-e2.com/