Gasoline Consumption Fails to Rebound

Although incredibly low gas prices continues to be the energy story, gasoline consumption continues to tank.

U.S. Finished Motor Gasoline Product Supplied (Thousand Barrels per Day) Third week of November
11/21/2008 - 8,976
11/18/2007 - 9,142
11/20/2003 - 9,067
11/15/2002 - 8,911

Percent decrease 2008 from 2007 -1.8%

When gas prices went through the roof in June gas consumption dipped to 2005-2006 levels, now we are looking at 2002-2003 gas consumption levels.

Chester County Cycling Coalition Meeting on December 1

The Chester County Cyling Coalition (CCCC) will be holding its re-organizational meeting headed up by the new chair, Mary LaSota. It will be a brainstorming event, so please try to attend as your input going forward will be important.

Monday, December 1st at 7 PM
Room #149
Government Services Bldg.
601 Westtown Road, West Chester PA 19380

Who can attend? Any and all interested parties who have a vested interest in bicycling in Chester County. That includes if you are a commuter, a recreational biker or a transportation groupie. Chime in with your recommendations & walk or ride away feeling good about contributing to helping reduce the carbon footprint in your communities.

AGENDA
1. PADOT team approach
2. Organize CCCC Group projects, find team leaders
Communications to include website maintenance
3. Discuss township ambassadors, see description below
4. Funding, Dec 15th deadline & beyond
5. Meeting schedule, 2009
6. Tunnel project

For more info contact Mary LaSota CCCC Chair
Chester County Cycling Coalition Web Page

RIde Your Bike In Philadelphia on Sunny Saturday

If you are free on Saturday then you should bike to City Hall. At 9Am Celebrity/Environmental Activist Ed Begley Jr. will lead a bicycle ride for the "Look Up" energy awareness campaign sponsored by Hunter Ceiling Fans.

Begley will be leading a ride starting on the 13th St side of City Hall and up to the Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, continuing through Fairmount Park and ending at Strawberry Mansion Dr. Bridge with a short reception.

If Ceiling Fans aren't your thing and you still want to meet Ed Begley Jr. then you consider riding with Neighborhood Bike Works who will be holding their annual Major Taylor Birthday Bike Ride and Barbecue. Begley will be at the barbecue which will happen at the Picnic Area adjacent to the Mann Music Center. Contact Neighborhood Bike Works at 215-386-0316 for more ride information.

Ride back to City Hall and take some time to enjoy the Philadelphia Christmas Village on Dilworth Plaza. It looks like fun and breathes some life into that barren public space. The Christmas Village is open from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.

Neighborhood Bike Works Short Film At International House

A film about Neighborhood Bike Works, created, filmed and edited by youth at the Haddington location alongside NBW instructor Mustafa Abdul-Rashid will make its debut at International House on December 8 3701 Chestnut St, on Monday, December 8, at 7:00pm.

This film is a partnership with Scribe Video Center, as part of its Community Visions program, admission is free. For more information see the NBW blog.

Cynwyd Trail Cleanup - Saturday December 6

There will be Cynwyd Trail workday on Saturday December 6th from 9AM to until 1 pm to clear brush and vines around the former Barmouth Train Station at the end of Levering Mill Road in Lower Merion.

Much of the trail work to date has been accomplished with volunteer labor since last spring. In May work crews cleared away brush and vines to rediscover the stone walls that were once the entrance to West Laurel Hill Cemetery. Last month they rediscovered the gates to Westminster Cemetery.

Meet at the base of Levering Mill Road (Levering mill and Belmont Ave) from 8:30 on. There will be plenty of tools, gloves and hot drinks. If you are driving please park along Levering Mill Road because the former Barmouth Station Parking lot and future trail parking lot will be used as a staging area to chip branches and brush.

If you have any questions please contact Chris Leswing cleswing@lowermerion.org

This trail which is already mowed is becoming very close to becoming a reality, the Township has 2 million set aside to build the trail, probably in 2009. If the City commits to building the trail on the Manayunk Viaduct it will provide a grade separated trail connection from the Schuylkill River Trail in Manayunk to Bala Cynwyd.



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PlanPhilly - Pennypack on the Delaware Is Open

By John Davidson For PlanPhilly

Icy winds and near-freezing temperatures couldn't keep dozens of waterfront trail enthusiasts, including Mayor Michael Nutter, from the opening of the new riverfront nature trail at Pennypack on the Delaware Park. If turnout for the frigid ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday morning was a sign of things to come, the new trail will see heavy use come springtime's warmer weather.

Full Article

Lehigh Velodrome in Trouble

The Inquirer Reports a sharp drop in revenue at Lehigh Velodrome since 2003.

"Some of the people there are way too close to bicycling," (Former CEO) Ron Horn said. "They think the sport should be good enough to bring people to the velodrome. It is not."

Sounds like all those sportscasters who believe that bicycle racing is like watching exercise, so why is golf, bowling and NASCAR on every weekend?

Full Story

E2 TV Series Debuts Congestion Pricing Episode Today on the Web

Today the PBS Environmental Series E2 narrated by Brad Pitt will release the webcast of "London Traffic" a half hour show about the congestion pricing program in London. The webcast will be available on the E2 Series website for one week.

This kicks off part 2 of season 3 which will focus on environment and transportation, other shows of interest will be released at later dates include:
12-01 Paris: Velo Liberte (Bike Sharing)
12-22 Portland: a Sense of Place

This program is currently not available on WHYY although they have ran the series in the past

Moderate Exercise and Sleep May Curb Female Cancer Risk

Exercise is good for more than just your waistline. A recent study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research suggests that regular physical activity can lower a woman's overall risk of cancer - but only if she gets a good night's sleep. Otherwise, lack of sleep can undermine exercise's cancer prevention benefits.

Walking (or bicycling) five times a week for 30 minutes can help prevent cancer, slow the disease’s progress, enhance recovery and prevent its recurrence.

Read the Full Story

Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Changes its Mission and Name

Our good friends at the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (CBF) announced last week that they are now known as the Active Transportation Alliance (ATA) and have expanded their mission to include pedestrian and transit advocacy, much in line with Transportation Alternatives in New York.

The ATA has over 40 employees and an annual budget in the 7 figure range. Many of our programs and our approach of effective advocacy are modeled after their successes. Newer and growing organizations are adopting a multi-modal approach to broaden their base which in turn works to affect change. Bicycle, Pedestrian and Transit issues however each has it's own set of challenges and may require different "departments" within an established group.

There are several organizations that fill some of the voids in pedestrian and transit advocacy in PA in NJ.

The Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers
NJ Association of Rail Passengers
PenTrans
Phillywalks

What are your thoughts on a multimodal bicycle-pedestrian-transit organization for the region?

Bay Area MTC Manager May Be Picked For Transportation Secretary

President Elect Obama has not named a transportation secretary but it appears that our dream candidates-Rep. Earl Blumenaur, Rep. Jim Oberstar or NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan are not rising to the top of the rumor mill for that position.

A search on the internet suggests that Bay Area MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger may be in line for the job. The Bay Area MTC is the MPO for the region which makes Heminger the Bay Area counterpart to DVRPC's Barry Seymour.

Another candidate mentioned in the press is IL Rep Jerry Costello. Heminger and Costello seem to support multi-modal transportation initiatives, but I am not sure if they would share the vision of a Blumenaur or Sadik-Khan.

Update-More Confusion
Here is the AP list of candidates dated today:

• Jane Garvey, former head of Federal Aviation Administration.
• Mortimer Downey, former deputy transportation secretary.
• Former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt.
• Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Solving the PENNDOT Bike Ped Coordinator Crisis

Following up to an earlier post PENNDOT's Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator positions are in crisis. The 12,000 employee agency has reassigned the State position to planning and is currently vacant, while each district has assigned bike ped coordinator duties to a district employee as an extra task.
















The Bicycle Coalition expects PennDOT to fill the state position quickly as required by federal law.

Additionally we would like for PennDOT to consider alternatives to the district coordinators. A possibility that has been talked about for a long time is the option of two or three"circuit riders".
Fully qualified full time bike/ped coordinators who would divide their time in multiple districts.

"Double Dutch-Bicycling Jumps in Philadelphia" is Released

The path to urban sustainablity is paved by streets that accomodate all users, not just cars and trucks. We reported earlier that the the 2008 bicycle counts, conducted by Bicycle Coalition staff and volunteers at key intersections and the Schuylkill River bridges, found that bicycling increased 104% since 2005, or 35% per year.

Click here for the full 2008 Bike Count Report.












Amsterdam on the Schuylkill - Photo Kyle Gradinger

South Street Bridge to Close on December 8

Bicycling between Center City and West Philadelphia is about to change dramatically. The closing of the South Street Bridge will disrupt the commute pattern for nearly 1000 cyclists. The Bicycle Coalition is working behind the scenes to ensure that new traffic patterns are safe for bicyclists. Look for more bicycling detour information on the BCGP website in the coming days.



Philadelphia Ped Bike Coordinator Charles Carmalt looking over detour options with Breen Goodwin and John Boyle
Photo: Sarah Clark Stuart

Public Spaces, Public Life, A Presentation by Jan Gehl

For more than three decades Jan Gehl, a practicing Urban Design Consultant and Professor of Urban Design at the School of Architecture in Copenhagen, Denmark, has been part of an effort to create animated public spaces and to transform the roadways of Copenhagen into pedestrian and bicycle friendly streets, while still providing for the car. He has advised numerous other European cities, worked extensively in Melbourne, Australia and is now helping the City of New York create new public spaces, "shared streets" and bicycle strategies.

As Philadelphia explores similar initiatives what are the lessons from other world cities?










Friday, December 5, 2008
8:30 -11 AM
AIA Center
1218 Arch Street

Continental breakfast 8:30 AM
Program starts 9:15 AM

This event, sponsored by the Center City District, is open to the public. RSVP by December 1st to Carol Raffa at craffa@centercityphila.org or call 215.440.5500.

President Elect Obama's (Pre Election) Response To Transportation Issues Petition

The Transportation For America Coalition published a thank you letter from the Obama Campaign in response to a petition sent to both major Presidential Candidates before the last debate asking to keep America moving and creating new jobs by investing in our critical transportation system and infrastructure.

Dear Friends,

I appreciate the opportunity to share a few thoughts with the members of Transportation for America about our nation’s transportation future. Thank you for sending me your petition, and for supporting investment in infrastructure.

You’ve hit on one of the central challenges facing America now – how to convert this moment of crisis into a moment of opportunity. And I think you’ve identified an important part of the answer as well. Our economy is slowing down, we need to stimulate it. Jobs are disappearing; we need to create new ones. At the same time, our infrastructure is crumbling and we need to rebuild it.

Now is the time to invest in our future and strengthen our core infrastructure. You said we must build to compete in the global economy and fix what’s broken, and I agree. I’ll put two million more Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges and transit systems – because it is time to build an American infrastructure for the 21st century. Early in this campaign, I had already proposed creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank, funded with $60 billion over 10 years, to expand and enhance, not replace, existing federal transportation investments. Now, with unemployment rising, these investments are even more important.

You said we need to invest in green technology, and I agree. I will invest $150 billion over the next decade in renewable sources of energy to create five million new, green jobs – jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced; jobs building solar panels and wind turbines and fuel- efficient cars; jobs that will help us end our dependence on oil from Middle East dictators.

I support Amtrak funding and the development of high-speed freight and passenger rail networks across the country. As you may know, I cosponsored the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act in the U.S. Senate, and supported the successful effort to get this important legislation to the President’s desk this year. And I’m pleased that the President signed this bill into law just last week. I will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. I’ve worked to improve transportation access to jobs for people with lower incomes since my time in the Illinois State Senate, and I will continue this work as President. And I will further promote transit by creating incentives for transit usage that are equal to the current incentives for driving.

As you know, all of these measures will have significant environmental and metropolitan planning advantages and help diversify our nation’s transportation infrastructure. Everyone benefits if we can leave our cars, walk, bicycle and access other transportation alternatives. I agree that we can stop wasteful spending and save Americans money, and as president, I will re- evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account.

I will build upon my efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks. And as president, I will work to provide states and local governments with the resources they need to address sprawl and create more livable communities.

I encourage you to look at my positions and record versus those of Senator McCain. He has consistently fought federal support for Amtrak, including a vote against the package containing the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act that even President Bush was willing to sign this week. For decades in the Senate and as Chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee, McCain opposed capital funding for Amtrak time and time again and wanted to dismantle Amtrak entirely.

My running mate Joe Biden and I will provide better leadership that supports the priorities of your members, and we hope to have your votes on November 4th. Thank you again for the opportunity to share these thoughts with the members of Transportation for America. Together, we can create the changes we seek.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

The timing to present this letter is a bit odd, perhaps the political nature of the second to last paragraph caused them to hold this letter back, but President Elect Obama has put some key promises forward, much of it absent from his campaign issues platform.

East Coast Greenway in Philadelphia

Two announcements about progress being made to construct the East Coast Greenway through Philadelphia.

Pennypack on the Delaware Extension -- Grand Opening on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 10am. Guest speakers are Mayor Michael Nutter and DCNR Commissioner Michael DiBenardinis. Hosted by Delaware River City Corporation and Fairmount Park

Center City Greenway -- Public Meetings hosted by Pennsylvania Environmental Council on Tuesday, November 18th 6pm (Penns Landing Hyatt on Columbus Boulevard) and Tuesday, December 2nd 6pm (AIA at 1218 Arch Street). Presentations will be made on 3alternative routes through Center City to connect the trail from the North Delaware to the Schuylkill River Trail. For more information, contact Spencer Finch sfinch@pecpa.org

$31 Million for the Chester Valley Trail!

Wow!

The 2009 Transportation Improvement Program has put a new dollar amount on the funding available for the Chester Valley Trail. $25 Million is committed to the Chester Valley Trail in Chester County and $6 Million is allocated to Montgomery County.

Construction on 2 segments may begin in 2009. In Chester County the segment west of Route 29 and in Montgomery County from the Chester County Line at Warner Rd to the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown. If all goes well there will be a continuous path from Norristown to Exton by the end of 2011.


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An Open Letter to Councilman Green

Dear Councilman Green

I would like to correct an error that you have been making in your public statements this past week and on NBC 10's At Issue on Sunday.

You have been making statements disparaging the City’s "Bike Czar," which is a fictional position in City Government. The position that I believe you are referring to is a Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinator, which is one of five paid positions in the Department of Transportation and Utilities and is the only paid employee in City Government responsible for reducing bicycle and pedestrian injuries and deaths.

You have also stated that people would prefer libraries over a "Bike Czar". You may already aware that 46 people died in fires in Philadelphia in 2007, but did you know that 39 pedestrians and bicyclists also paid the ultimate price in that same time period? Did you know that bicycle and pedestrian traffic deaths account for one-third of the city’s traffic fatalities?

Children and the elderly have to cross dangerous roads to get to Philadelphia’s libraries. For example, many have to cross Roosevelt Blvd and Cottman Avenue to get to the Northeast Regional Branch, and Broad and Erie to get to the Nicetown Branch. Both intersections are among the top 5 in the entire state with the highest pedestrian crashes. Based on this information, I hope you will rethink your position and start supporting the Bicycle/Pedestrian position as one that will improve public health and increase safety; one that is worthy of serving all Philadelphians.

Sincerely,
John Boyle
BCGP Advocacy Director

A Bike Rack On Broad St

It has finally happened.

As part of the the Adopt A Rack project a bike rack appeared this morning on Broad St just south of Chestnut in front of the Land Title Building, home of the Bicycle Coalition.

Getting a bike rack on South Broad St has not been easy, in 1997 the defunct Avenue of Arts Inc. frowned on the first wave of 800 Center City bike racks and no racks were installed on the street (despite the presence of chaotic school racks in front of the UArts). Even when more racks were installed in 2006 city officials balked, placing the racks instead on adjacent side streets such as Spruce and Locust.

The Bicycle Coalition signed for or "adopted" the 100+ new racks in the Center City and Old City districts.


















Bicycle Ambassador Coordinator Breen Goodwin admires the first of many new bike racks that will adorn South Broad St.

Center City Parking Down

Read all about it in the Inquirer.

Bicycling Doubles Since 2005 - Triples since 1990

The BCGP will soon be releasing a report showing the phenomenal growth of bicycling in Central and West Philadelphia.

Bicycling has increased at a startling rate since 2005. Between 2005 and 2008, bicycling doubled at counted locations (including all Schuylkill bridges and two intersections). Bicycling increased 104%. Prior to 2005, bicycling was increasing at a slower pace, roughly 6.5% a year, and it took fifteen years for bicycling to increase 98% between 1990 and 2005. Since 1990, bicycling in Philadelphia has increased 300 percent.

The report concurs with recent findings in New York City where screenline counts on the East River Bridges is up 35% over 2007 and you may remember our Gas Free Fridays press release that show that this is a trend in many major cities.

Look for our official bike count report in the coming weeks.

Councilman Green Continues To Scapegoat the "Bike Czar"

Yesterday's Daily News once again reported that Councilman Bill Green continues to use the Pedestrian Bicycle Coordinator or as he calls it the "Bike Czar" and the Mayors Sustainability Office as scapegoats for closing Libraries due to the budget crisis.

Expect more jabs from Councilman Green who will probably be running the circuit at other library closing hearings. It is a clear attempt to start a populist drumbeat to pressure the administration to cut these positions.

























In the meantime you can communicate with Councilman Green via Hallwatch.org that:

• Scrapping the Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinator and the Office of Sustainability will not reopen libraries or fire stations.
• 37 Pedestrians and bicyclists died in Philadelphia 2007 and thousands were injured in vehicular crashes and there is no plan in place to reduce that number.
• Both positions offer the opportunity go after federal and state dollars that bring construction jobs into the city.
• Trails, green streets and an attitude towards a more sustainable future are important amenities to attract residents and "green collar" jobs in a globally competitive market.
  

D&R Canal Trenton to Bordentown Update

RiverLINE seen from the Towpath
Originally uploaded by Philly Bike Coalition

Today was a great day to take photos of this new trail along the towpath. Currently the path is complete from Canal Blvd and Lamberton Rd down to the Crosswicks Creek. A bridge will be built soon, probably in 2009 which will connect the path to downtown Bordentown.

View Larger Map

Sadik-Khan for Transportation Secretary?

Streetsblog reported last week that New York City DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan may be considered for a position in Barack Obama's Department of Transportation, maybe as Secretary.

Considering what she has done for NYC since arriving in mid-2007, having her be a leader in national transportation policy would be incredible. If you have 11 minutes to watch this video summarizing how she has helped changed NYC's streetscape, watch it. It's amazing. We can only hope that some of this innovative and creative energy will emerge in Philadelphia.

Vote For Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure on Whitehouse2.Org

Whitehouse2.org is an online community for voting on what President-Elect Obama's first 100 days in office priorities should be. One of the priorities submitted is to improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

At post time it was ranked at number 146 with 17 endorsements. More votes will move it up on the priority list.

Vote for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure here:

http://whitehouse2.org/priorities/649-bicycle-and-pedestrian-infrastrucure

Shiny Red Racks on South Street

New bike racks began showing up last week on South Street east of Broad, red looks like the new color of South Street as there are also red street lamps and hardscaping being installed.

Bike Sharing in DC and Folding Helmets?

The WashCycle Blog is reporting encouraging numbers for DC's Smart Bike Program despite it's limited scope with nearly 1000 subscribers and 150 users per day.










An earlier WashCycle post discussed the inconvenience of carrying a helmet around to use the for bike sharing and pointed toward the availability of folding helmets. The StashKit folding helmet seems to be currently available for sale online through European retailers (I found only one) and sells for about $85 at the current exchange rate.

Perhaps a barrier for sale in the US may be a lack of CPSC certification of the helmets, Treehugger blog reports that the helmet has "Europe's CE certification but seems to lack the safety credentials for sale in the USA". That doesn't necessarily mean that this helmet is less functional than US brands . Making bike helmets portable is one step towards improving helmet compliance.

Netherlands - Women Cyclists More Vulnerable to Right Turning Trucks

The Dutch Expatriot News website Expatica reports on the vulnerability of female cyclists in Amsterdan to turning trucks because of their obedience to the law. Indeed the origin of the bike box was based on the observation that cyclists are safer when they get the head start over turning vehicles.

Women cyclists

De Volkskrant reports that lorry drivers are happy with the alarm systems and blind spot mirrors installed on their vehicles in order to prevent them running over cyclists. In an attempt to cut the number accidents involving cyclists and lorries, government made blind spot mirrors mandatory in 2003. According to de Volkskrant, some trucks also have alarm systems installed that warn pedestrians and cyclists that a vehicle is planning to make a right turn. ..

De Telegraaf reports that women cyclists are more frequently victims of blind spot accidents than their male counterparts. The paper interviews an Amsterdam police officer who says, "we can't prove it scientifically but that's what our officers on the street say. It's because women cyclists wait until the traffic lights turn green before cycling on. This means they start off at the same time as lorries and get run over. Most men run the red light so they're already gone by the time the lorry turns".

Cut Sustainability and Pedestrian/Bicycle Programs?

"Councilman Bill Green complained that Nutter was looking in the wrong places for savings, maintaining staffers to work on sustainability and bike programs while cutting fire services and library branches." Philadelphia Daily News, November 7, 2008

Let the budget cut wars begin. Councilman Green would be pennywise and pound foolish to argue that eliminating pedestrian/bicycle and sustainability positions and programs would be better for Philadelphia. The costs of the City’s current Sustainability and Pedestrian/Bicycle programs and positions are small compared to the funding and saved lives they have the potential to bring to Philadelphia. They are the City's best chance to make itself more sustainable and livable for all of its residents, they will bring in more revenue from federal and state energy efficiency and "active" transportation programs that up to now Philadelphia has not taken advantage of, and they are the only way the City will ever make its streets and intersections safer and cut down on bicycle and pedestrian traffic deaths.

No one is in favor of cutting fire services or library branches, but cutting the Mayor Nutter’s nascent effort to transform Philadelphia into a sustainable and livable city at the knees won't save much money, won't make the City's streets safer, will doom the City’s chances of getting new federal or state funding, and will undoubtedly eliminate any chance of Philadelphia making any headway towards becoming the “greenest city in America.”

Bicycle Tie Downs For SEPTA Trains. YES!

David W. Casper, Assistant Chief Engineer of SEPTA's New Vehicle Programs Department confirmed that bicycle tie downs will be included in the wheelchair access area of the new Silverliner V rail cars. Delivery of the first rail cars are expected in October of 2009 with 20 rail cars delivered every month until 2011.

Bike to the Polls

There are lots of reasons besides the Presidential election to bike to the polls and vote today. Besides the obvious transportation statement decisions to build trails and stripe bike lanes are done at the county and local levels. Unlike the presidential candidates lots of local officials are running on transportation and land use issues. Taking 20 or 30 minutes to Google state and local candidate positions on transportation before going to the polls is a very good idea. Sample Search

And don't forget to study your sample ballot and ballot questions. Some towns in the PA suburbs have open space bonds which could lead to trail development and the City of Philadelphia has the consolidation of the Fairmount Park Commission and the Department of Recreation.

The League of Women Voters Smartvoter website is a one stop shop for voter information for everyone, but for Philadelphia voters the Committee of Seventy website provides the comprehensive source of voting information.

And finally - post your bike or bikes parked at a polling station to the Bike to the Polls Flickr Group

Quantifying the Economic Impact of Bicycling In Philadelphia

Bicycling with it's recreational stigma has a hard time getting it's fair share of attention, the economic impacts seem small when compared to things like bridge tolls and gasoline taxes, yet those revenue sources go to the enormous costs of maintaining a system being beaten down by 1/2-to 40 ton vehicles. Bicycles in the words of Portland Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator Roger Geller are a "Cheap Date". Portland's economic impact of the bicycle industry is in the neighborhood of $63 Million.

So what is the economic impact of bicycling and the bicycle industry? Here is how Portland divided up the pie, listed underneath are our local qualifying businesses

Tours, Rides, Races, and Events
Commerce Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship
The American Cancer Society Ride
Tour of PA
Bike Philly
Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby

Professional Services
Messengers (Time Cycle and A1, Heaven Sent and others)
Delivery Services - Pedal Co-Op
Advocacy and Community Outreach -BCGP, Neighborhood Bike Works and non-profits with trail or transportation projects (Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Schuylkill River Development Corp. Delaware River City Corporation).
Pedicabs - Chariots of Philly
Consultants, Planners, Engineers, Construction - Campbell Thomas, Kise Straw Kolodner, Wallace Roberts and Todd, Pennoni and Associates etc. Various paving and construction contractors.

Manufacturing and Distribution
Bicycle Distributors and Manufacturers - ASI
Frame Builders - Philly Cargo Cycles and Bilenky
Bicycle Accessories - R.E. Load Bags
Electric Assist - Kronosport

Retail
Bike Shops - 30+ on Google Maps
Bicycle Rental - Philadelphia Bicycle Tours, Lloyd Hall Bike Shack
Restaurant delivery - many in Center City and Lee's Hoagies in University City

Did we miss anyone? And what about our suburban economic engines such Sweetskinz (Bala Cynwyd), Steve Spindler Cartography (Jenkintown), Downtube Bicycles (Bensalem) and the many nearby bike shops.

The exact impact would take a full study to find out the final number but I think there is no doubt that bicycling in the region provides millions of dollars.