City Councilman James Kenney and Councilman Frank DiCicco introduced bills on Thursday, November 19th to increase penalties for sidewalk riding, riding with headphones, riding bikes without a brake, and to mandate registration and bicycle license plates.
The Bicycle Coalition obtained copies of the bills from Council staff today. Click to download DiCicco's registration bill and DiCicco's comments and Councilman Kenney's increased penalties bill and no brake confiscation bill.
You can write and call Councilman Kenney (215) 686-3450, (215) 686-3451 and Councilman DiCicco (215) 686-3458, (215) 686-3459 directly and express your viewpoint about these bills. As stated in our press release, the Bicycle Coalition believes that to achieve better compliance with traffic laws equitable and consistent education and enforcement of current laws must be implemented.
The bills are not yet online, but their numbers are: 090828 (Kenney's), 090829 (Kenney's) and 090845 (DiCiccos). They will be posted on City Council's web later today. Search on the City Council legislation website.
This is the legacy blog of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. It is an archive of posts from 2003 to 2014. Making your ride better since 1972. https://www.bicyclecoalition.org
12 comments:
One of the problems with this bill is that if you do not reside in Philadelphia you don’t have to get a license plate. Which means that cyclists will still be perceived as breaking the law, even though they are not.
This is going to turn into a such a huge mess. Enforce the traffic laws that are already in place, but there is no need for this registration nonsense, increased penalties, or the confiscation bill.
I wholeheartedly agree with the fines for riding on the sidewalk, and riding against traffic (including 1-way streets).
I don't know enough about fixies to make a judgement on the no-breaks thing, and while I would never wear headphones while riding in traffic, cars have blaring radios in them.
As for licensing, I think it's going to turn into a giant mess. Make the database, but requiring an attached "plate" is ridiculous.
UPS and and FED EX (and other delivery)trucks will continue to terrorize the city and endanger bikers lives by operating as the usually do. Park their truck every block and deliver to buildings. This causes a back up of two to four blocks every time they stop, which causes bike to have to squeeze over into the other lane and try to not get run down by some scumbag in a car or SUV that can't wait to get to the next red light and sit there. This also causes people to block the box because the back up of two lanes cutting down to one results in a situation where the light turns green and no one can move. Drivers become angry and take out their frustration on bikers. Cops do NOTHING, because it "is not their job/problem, they are just collecting their fucking check and being lazy fucking worthless pigs. Serve and protect.... not in center city. Cabs, buses, and drivers have a free pass to drive in a way that endangers peoples live. Washington Ave, west of Broad street, bike lanes are full of illegally parked angled cars all day every day, as well as businesses operating in the bike lane. Chestnut, Walnut, Spruce, etc., in center city are illegal loading zones all day. People are so uneducated that half of them try to run bikers down because they think bikes are supposed to ride on the sidewalk , or think that bikes are only allowed to ride in a "bike lane" (read: illegal parking zone). A pedestrian dies being hit by a bike and douchebags like councilman Kinney want to start a war on bikers. Everyone cries that bikes ride on the sidewalks. That is because we are not safe riding in the street! Keep protecting the corporate interest and fuck the responsible people trying to ride a bike around the city and not contribute to the pollution of our air that we all have to breathe. Vehicle operators routinely switch lanes without looking or signaling, often while driving and talking on a cell phone, (distracted and blocked vision) or texting. Make the city safe for us to ride and we will stay off of the sidewalks. 38 bikers and pedestrians were killed by cars last year in Philadelphia. One person is killed by a biker and the whole world stops. Has anyone questioned whether this pedestrian was one of the many, many people who cross without looking, or stand with their toes on the very edge of the damn street, taking on phone, staring into space, texting, jaywalking, or any of a million other dumb ass things as bikers hug the edge of the lane to prevent being crushed to death by some obnoxious, oblivious asshole driver in a giant SUV that takes up the whole fucking lane, while trying to not get doored by random morons that open their door into the lane without looking? Boo-Hoo a pedestrian died. Excuse me if I don't have any tears left for the situation. Center City cops should get up off their fat lazy asses and do something to earn their check and enforce the laws regarding pedestrians, bikers, and drivers. If they are not willing then transfer them to the hood where I live and let them fight real crime.
I have to agree with dennis on this foolheartedly. The problem here is not going to be solved by engaging in an open assault against the bikers of the city. Philadelphia is not a safe city for cyclists. The roads are narrow with little to no shoulder, the drivers are batshit insane, and the few bike lanes that we even have are littered with potholes and are frequently disregarded as anything more than passing lanes for people in cars.
Cyclists riding on sidewalks is the result of their frequent inability to safely bike anywhere else in our city. Instead burning more bridges and alienating even more of the city's youth (hello love park), council members should instead be directing their focus on making the city more bike friendly. follow models of cities like portland or denver, where city biking is easy, relaxed, and SAFE.
It's really going to suck when we all say, "told ya so"... fucking idiots, really.
Bikers are taxpayers and voters too. We need to increase awareness through education and to raise money to lobby politicians. More bikes = less traffic and congestion. also... More bikes = more young professionals living in center city. The quality of life that biking to work offers is highly appealing to young doctors, teachers,students, business people, and lawyers choosing a city in which to work. The tax rolls and housing market will benefit immensely if we can make this town more safe for bikers. Try talking to police and UPS drivers instead of flinging insults. Try to convert them to biking too. The more bikers there are in the city, the better it is for car owners..... more parking, less congestion... safer neighborhoods.
When talking to people stress that making this town safe for bikers is in their best interest.
Are low income families going to be able to pay these fines and register their bikes. Those families whos mothers and fathers work in EVERY kitchen of EVERY restaurant in our city. They use a bicycle to get to work, how will this effect them? They don't speak english why would they register their bike?
I own 14 bikes, will I be required to register all of them?
Give us better bike lanes, _NOT_ next to cars who never respect our space and things would be different. Ever been to Amsterdam?
How is it that Europeans always get it right, Americans have to Fuck it all up? We should have all stayed in Europe and left the Indians alone. Happy Thanksgiving! Where are all those Indians anyway? Oh yeah the Europeans killed them! Enough said!!!
stop kissing city halls ass, bicycle coalition-- we all know how absolutely absurd this is. i've never heard of anything as ridiculous as confiscating someones bike for not having a "brake" because uhm.. i have a braking method, you just can't see it...
To Emily - Please clarify how the BCGP is "kissing City Hall's Ass". If you have read any of the subsequent posts on this blog you would see that we are clearly opposed to the legislation.
In my mind, this amounts to criminalization of cycling in Philly. Cyclists already have enough stacked against them: ignorant and aggressive drivers, poorly maintained streets, antagonistic police. Philly city government are barking up the wrong tree here. Let's help cyclists with what they need, not slap them with putative fines that will discourage them from riding. There's a movement towards cycling in this city. Don't get in the way.
Call City Council, tell them not to introduce the new bills. Keep your ears out for the hearing. Let's be there to make some noise.
Paul Walker
Firehouse Bicycles
215 727 9692
Illegally parked cars and trucks, vehicles not using turn signals, erratic drivers of BUSES, SUV'S, cars, and TRUCKS; these are just a few of the safety issues facing bicycists. The SMOG too.
APPROACHING intersections? How's a cyclist to compete with the general flow of traffic and stop at every red light to safely negotiate the streets? Stopping at red lights is unrealistic and is actually unsafe.
Every major street in the city should have a clearly marked red bike lane. How's a biker not to ride on the sidewalk? It's totally unrealistic. Let the police use their judgement in issuing tickets to those who are unruly and messing up the whole works.
Fact is Philadelphia is behind the times in bicycle safety and traffic issues.
The bicycle coalition states properly that "consistent and equitable education" is necessary for these traffic and safety issues regarding the bicyclist. And using the "existing laws" are necessary until improvements can be made elsewhere.
Bicyclists are "premiere pioneers" in regards to the much larger problems of global warming and it is wrong to blame them for a few bad apples. These laws are only going to inhibit bicycle safety and not deter the much larger current traffic problems this city posesses.
I would hope that city council understand the issues here and forget about registrations and bicycle licenses and tickets and penalties and new laws and focus on the larger issues of traffic in general protecting pedestrian and bicyclists alike.
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