Car-Free Biking: Register for TD Bank Bike Philly By Saturday and Save‏

Would you like to bike through the heart of Philadelphia surrounded by bicyclists instead of cars? Check out the four loops of TD Bank Bike Philly that range from laid-back family-friendly to a challenging 50-mile option.

Register by August 1 to get a discount on your entry and a free t-shirt. Your registration gets you a great ride on September 13 but it also supports the Bicycle Coalition's work to make your ride better in Southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware. See you on the (certified car-free) road!



PS If you already registered, thank you! Would you take a moment to tell a friend about TD Bank Bike Philly?

Collingswood Streets Focuses on Overturning Bicycle Ban

Closer to Center City by train than some of the neighborhoods on the Market Frankford El Collingswood, NJ has begun to distinguish itself from its Camden County neighbors by pushing forward with its community bike sharing program. Over the past few months a grass routes bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group Collingswood Streets has emerged with the goal of improving bicycling and walking within the borough of 17,000 residents.

But an old nagging problem has quickly emerged as a major barrier, a ban on students bicycling to school. Yep, schools districts can dictate what modes of travel are permitted to and from school and in New Jersey bike bans have thwarted SRTS efforts in several communities. Streetsblog's Lily Bernheimer recently headlined Collingswood's challenge on the Streetsblog Network.

Collingswood Streets activists held a preliminary meeting earlier this week to put together a campaign to overturn the ban. It turns out that the ban was put in place because a child was injured in a bicycle crash on their way to school. Attendees also talked about changing demographics in the community and how that affects attitudes towards bicycling. Several good ideas emerged from the first meeting and the seeds of a campaign have been planted.

Collingswood Streets is on the front lines of the livable streets movement in the suburbs. A successful campaign could prove to be a template toward chipping away at the bikes are dangerous and therefore should be abolished mindset.

If you would like to find out more about Collingswood Streets visit their website on the Livable Streets Network.


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Mark Newbie Elementary School nestled in a quiet neighborhood in Collingswood.

A First Look At the South Street Bridge

Last week the Streets Department rolled out three different design option for the towers on the new South Street Bridge.














To me the images look like major improvements over the first tower design, but what is of interest to me is the look of the street from the sidewalk. One through lane and a buffer, bike lanes and a wide sidewalk. This must be a dream right?

For details on the current tower designs and general information about the South Street Bridge go to http://potholes.phila.gov/southstreetbridge and click "Tower Design Options".

Schuylkill Trail arrest leads to bike chop shop

A bizarre twist to last weeks shooting. 15 to 20 bikes and an assortment of bike parts were found in the home of the 17 year old who allegedly assaulted and enraged the cyclist. The collection of mostly Mongoose bicycles suggest that many of the bikes were probably taken from other teenagers.

Police: Schuylkill Trail arrest leads to bike chop shop

Hard Court Bike Polo World Championship Fundraiser

Join Trophy Bike Garage and Philadelphia Brewing Company in helping raise money for the first Hardcourt Bicycle Polo World Championship! Chill at the bike shop, learn about bike polo, eat foods by A Full Plate Cafe and Home Slice Pizzeria, imbibe on brews by Philly Brewing Co, and buy raffle tickets for Velocity rims, Continental tyres, Bell helmets, Time pedals, a Brooks saddle, t-shirts, hats, socks and more! Free to attend, $10 Pint glasses, $1 raffle tickets.

When: Saturday August 1st 4PM
Where: Trophy Bike Garage 1040 N American St, Philadelphia


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Read the Full Article in the Philadelphia Cycle Examiner

Lower Merion police identify driver in hit-and-run

Lower Merion police have identified a 75-year-old woman they believe is responsible for a hit-and-run accident July 15 that injured a 13 Year Old boy on New Gulph and Morris Road in the township. The boy suffered from head injuries but is now recovering at home. The article on Philly.com also states that the woman may be charged causing an accident involving death or personal injury, and failure to render aid.

Read the full article in Philly.com

Doing the Right Thing--Converting Meter Poles into Bike Parking

The Philadelphia Parking Authority's ongoing effort to replace parking meters with kiosks to economize on its operating costs was covered earlier this month by Philadelphia Gay News and Associated Press. Although it may be a good economizing measure, one of the potential costly effects of removing meter poles is eliminating the de-facto bicycle parking they were providing. Given Philadelphia's current bike parking shortage, eliminating over 7000 meter poles poses a huge potential for making a bad situation much worse!

The Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities (MOTU) does appear to want to salvage the situation and hopefully, so does the Philadelphia Parking Authority. MOTU staff met last week with the Bicycle Coalition and Center City District to discuss where meter poles are most used as bicycle parking in Center City. Collectively, we identified which Center City streets experience high parking demand and agreed that all poles should be converted on those blocks, and for all other street blocks, we concurred that 3 poles per block side should be kept and converted. This comes to 1600 poles that ideally should be kept and converted into bike parking racks. The transportation and parking agencies of Baltimore and Los Angeles did work together to accomplish this and based on the costs they incurred (approximately $125-$175/pole) to retrofit a pole into a bike rack, converting 1600 poles would come to approximately in the range of $280,000.


L.A.'s meter hitches





The Mayor's Office of Transportation will be discussing the pole-to-bike rack conversion project with the Philadelphia Parking Authority this week. We're told that the City and PPA wants to do the right thing here, and we are hopeful it will work out. The PPA is spending $11 million on the pole-to-kiosk project. Given that $280,000 is approximately 4% of the project's budget, we think spending a relatively small amount of money to save and convert 1600 meter poles would make the PPA truly a parking agency for all vehicles, not just cars. Plus, recycling assets and retaining needed bicycle parking capacity is a worthwhile and necessary investment in green infrastructure for Philadelphia. Besides, it just makes common sense.

WNBR Coming to Philly

For those of you who find Bike Philly on September 13th to be too constrained here is an alternative ride that will be happening a week earlier.

Answering the Daily News "Earth To Philly Blog" question in March, organizers are putting together a Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride on September 6th, 2009.

But don't expect me to be there, I don't want to offend my fellow cyclists.

More Bicycles and Discharged Firearms

North Carolina Firefighter charged with shooting at bicyclist

ASHEVILLE — An Asheville firefighter charged with attempted first-degree murder after witnesses said he shot at a bicyclist, made his first appearance today in Buncombe County District Court.

Charles Alexander Diez, 42, apparently fired at the Asheville man after arguing with him about riding his bike on the busy road with his 3-year-old child in a bike seat behind him, Asheville Police Capt. Tim Splain said.

Read the Full Article Here

Judging from some of the sympathy for the shooter "reader" comments in the Asheville Citizen Times I have to wonder how many bicycle haters are ready to pull the trigger to assert their right to the road.

Police Seek Help from Park Users in Deadly Hit and Run

From CBS 3

Driver Sought In Fatal Kelly Drive Hit-Run
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―

Philadelphia Police are searching a driver in connection to a deadly hit and run on Kelly Drive this past weekend.

The accident happened at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday (July 25) on Kelly Drive just north of Fairmount Avenue. Brad Grogan, 48, had just left The Water Works Restaurant and was walking his girlfriend of 14 years home...

...Eyewitnesses described the striking vehicle as possibly being a dark-colored Jeep Wrangler with a roll bar. Anyone with information is urged to call the Accident Investigation Unit at 215-685-3180.



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Urban Cyclists Unite at the Arbol Cafe

Urban Cyclists Unite
Originally uploaded by Philly Bike Coalition

What: Learn all about Bicycling in Philadelphia including bike lanes bike sharing and the bicycle ambassadors. Also Movies and Music. Meet the Bicycle Ambassadors

Where - Arbol Cafe 209 Poplar St in Northern Liberties

When - Wednesday July 29th from 2 to 9 PM

Resolving the "Pedestrian Death Problem" in New Jersey

On Saturday evening former American Idol contestant Alexis Cohen was killed by a hit and run driver in Seaside Heights early Saturday Morning. The driver was apprehended and charged with several crimes including aggravated manslaughter. The death of a person of notoriety and the brutal circumstances of the crash has boosted New Jersey's latest pedestrian death into international headlines. The crash occurred just one week after Springfield, Delaware Co. resident Casey Feldman was killed crossing the street in Ocean City.

To date more than 90 pedestrians have been killed on NJ roads accounting for a nation leading 30% of all traffic fatalities. almost three times the national average. Googling NJ Pedestrian enforcement indicates that law enforcement has responded in some places with ticketing blitzes. However interviews with various government officials indicate that no one is quite sure how to effectively deal with the problem, with one official speculating that the economy was responsible for the increase.

Let's end the speculation and put together the facts. The stakeholders in New Jersey need to put their collective minds together to analyze and solve the problem at hand:

• Using police reports analyze a large sample of recent fatal pedestrian crashes with the Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (PBCAT). PBCAT is a software application designed to assist State and local pedestrian and bicycle coordinators, planners, and engineers in addressing pedestrian and bicyclist crash problems.
• Compile the actual investigative follow-up from the crashes - were charges filed, were other counter measures recommended or implemented?
• Condense the results into a report that breaks out the most common factors, outcomes and recommended countermeasures.
• Convene a pedestrian safety summit with NJ DOT, Traffic Safety, law enforcement, elected officals , pedestrian safety experts and transportation planners all at the table.
• The summit would then generate a list of recommendations and goals for the state and local governments to implement.
• Follow up with an evaluation of the process. Did the recommendations actually contribute to reducing pedestrian deaths?

The task seems onerous especially in these tight financial times, however if the process saves any lives in the future than the effort will pay for itself many times over.

A Bike Plan For Central Camden County

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has published a bicycle and multi-use trail master plan in cooperation with 10 municipalities in central Camden County: Berlin Township, Berlin Borough, Clementon, Gibbsboro, Hi-Nella, Laurel Springs, Lindenwold, Somerdale, Stratford and Voorhees.















The funding for this master plan was paid for with a Smart Growth grant form the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC). Implementation of the plan is dependent upon the the municipalities so it is very important for residents to press their elected officials to take action towards completing the recommendations in their respective communities.

We love the concept of multi-municipal bicycle plans since most bicycle trips are under 5 miles but often cross municipal lines. It's also a great opportunity for local municipalities to plan together with their neighbors, increasing the likelyhood of municipal buy-in. With New Jersey's and Pennsylvania's home rule government structure a strong suburban bicycle network can only be implemented by the municipalities working together.

Statement on Schuylkill River Trail Shooting

On Wednesday evening a bicyclist who claims to have been accosted by two teenagers allegedly fired shots at them as they were heading away from the scene near the ArcelorMittal Steel Plant between Norristown and Conshohocken. KYW Story - Times Herald

The trail is made safer if more people are using it. Its incidents like this that makes it important for the community to take steps to ensure that the trail is made as safe and inviting as possible.

We applaud the Montgomery County Sheriff and Norristown Police for stepping up patrols and to Montgomery County Parks and volunteers from the bicycling community for taking steps to build a positive relationship between trail users and Norristown residents. We hope ideas such as a community bike center similar to Neighborhood Bike Works takes hold and enables the young people of Norristown to take advantage of this wonderful resource in their own back yard.

Bicycle Ambassadors Grind Away At Abandoned Bikes

The Bicycle Ambassadors teamed up with the Streets Department today to remove thirty skeleton bikes from bike racks, fences and parking meters in Center City. Removing these bikes eliminated neighborhood eyesores while simultaneously opening up much needed bicycle parking spaces.

The Ambassadors zip-tie yellow laminated tags on damaged bicycles at least 7 days before removal, giving owners ample notice in case they wish to recover them. The locks are then cut away from the bikes which are then hauled by the Streets Department to Neighborhood Bike Works where the bikes or their usable parts are recycled.

Thanks to the Schuylkill River Development Corporation for providing the electric generator to get the job done quickly and safely. Look for the Ambassadors to continue removing skeleton bicycles throughout the summer.



Ambassador Chrystal Smith grinds down a bicycle lock with the Streets Department Truck in the Background. Slideshow

State Legislators Ride Philadelphia

DSC_2492
Originally uploaded by Philly Bike Coalition

Over 100 members and guests of the National Conference of State Legislators came out early this morning to ride up the Parkway to the Art Museum, over to Schuylkill River Trail and back to the Municipal Services Building on Locust Street. This ride is put on every year at this conference by Bike Texas , and Bicycle Coalition staff and Bicycle Ambassadors were on hand to provide support. Fuji Bikes donated 50 bikes for the ride, and Bike Texas drove 50 bikes across country for this event.

Traffic Tip - Riding Near Parked Cars

From time to time we will be posting tips to ride predictably and safely in traffic. For more quick tips we recommend that you visit the well written handouts on the Philadelphia Bicycle Ambassadors website -http://www.bicyclecoalition.org/content/ambassador-handouts

Riding Near Parked Cars
Don’t weave in and out of parked cars, because you’ll confuse drivers; ride in a
straight line. Ride at least 4 feet away so you don’t get hit if someone opens their door. On narrow low-moderate speed streets aligning your bike with the right tire track of automobiles is a good rule of thumb.









When riding in bike lanes next to parking orient your bike to the left side of the lane. The minimum bike lane width in Philadelphia is 5 feet wide and normally parked cars are about 1 foot in from the right hand stripe. If you feel unsafe in the bike lane then adjust your road position accordingly, regardless of the left hand stripe of the bike lane.










Always scan behind you for oncoming traffic before changing lanes including bike lanes.

Ivy Ridge Trail Cleanup On Tuesday

From the Friends of the Ivy Ridge Trail in Manayunk

Join us this Tuesday from 6pm - 8pm for a quick cleanup of Ivy Ridge Trail. Meet at Parker & Umbria Streets (Ivy Ridge Station) - we will clear brush, pickup trash, and mow a section of the trail we cleared earlier this spring.

Afterwards, let's catch up at Union Jack's.

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, August 22nd is our next major trail cleanup with Peter D'Amico and his rugby team. Food and drink afterwards.

SPREAD THE WORD: Send your friends, family and neighbors to Ivy Ridge Green to get street trees and to get involved in some other great local projects. http://www.ivyridgegreen.org

GET INVOLVED: We are always looking for help writing grants, organizing cleanups, and getting the word out. Lend a hand - let's get this thing built!

Mullica Hill Math Teacher Killed by SUV Driver in Vineland

From the Press of Atlantic City

VINELAND - Authorities have identified a teacher from Vineland as the bicyclist who died Wednesday when a sport utility vehicle ran him down on Mays Landing Road.

Vineland resident Rick Clendaniel, 42, taught math at Clearview Regional High School in Mullica Hill, Gloucester County.

Clendaniel was riding his bicycle on Mays Landing Road near Panther Road when an SUV driven by Jerome Byrd, 49, of Vineland, came up behind him and struck the bicycle, Vineland police Sgt. Vince Solazzo said Thursday. Byrd's vehicle then swerved off the road, hit a utility pole, split it in half, went airborne and hit some trees before coming to rest, police said...
--------------------------


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Streetview indicates that Mays Landing road has a very wide shoulder in this area, perhaps 8 feet. We certainly don't know the details but the violence of the crash and being hit from behind sounds like it could be a speeding, out of control vehicle.

We hope that the Vineland Police conduct a proper and thorough investigation. This is another example where a vulnerable user or safe passing law could be applied.

Tour De France Pedestrian Death - Can We Get Away From the Motorcycles?

Today's stage of the Tour De France saw a tragic incident in which a spectator was killed by a motorcycle police officer:

After the first results of the inquiry of the national police of Wittelsheim, the circumstances of the accident which occurred at Kilometer 38 of Stage 14 are the following:


A member of the Garde Republicain on a motorcycle was riding behind the breakaway group when he hit a 61-year old woman who crossed the street suddenly. After the crash, the motorcycle slid further and injured two other spectators.



The medical service of the Tour de France immediately took charge of the injured people before emergency personnel took over. Despite the intensive treatment, the 61-year-old spectator did not survive her injuries.



The two other victims of the accident are a 36-year-old who is suffering from neck pain, and a 61-year-old who has a broken leg. Both were transported to the hospital in Mulhouse.


Deeply affected by this tragic accident, the Gendarmerie, the Garde Republicain and the Tour de France organization offer their condolences to the families and friends of the victim and promise their full support to those who were injured.

-------------------------------------------------------

This fatal crash brings to light an element of professional bike racing that really bothers me -participants are easily outnumbered by motorcycle camera crews, road marshals, team vans, police and even shuttle buses. I wonder sometimes if the carbon footprint of a professional bike race rivals NASCAR.

Can't these pro races with their modern technology and ample budgets come up with a logistical plan that is safer, quieter and greener?




Check out the traffic after the peloton passes by in Barcelona.

Tell Councilman DiCicco You Support Center City Bike Lanes

The response to the news that the Nutter Administration is planning to install east-west bike lanes across Center City has been overwhelming. Over 180 thank you letters have been sent to Mayor Nutter. But, in addition to thanking Mayor Nutter, it would also be terrific for Councilman Frank DiCicco to hear from neighbors and others that they support the forthcoming lanes.

If you live in Councilman DiCicco's district or are very likely to use the bike lanes when installed, please send him a very short (two sentences is plenty) email message expressing your support. Please copy Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler on your message, and us at the Bicycle Coalition as well! Frank.Dicicco@phila.gov , rina.cutler@phila.gov and bike@bicyclecoalition.org

Thank you!

Bicycle Boulevard Design Guide Released

Bicycle boulevards take the shared roadway bike facility to a new level, creating an attractive, convenient, and comfortable cycling environment that is welcoming to cyclists of all ages and skill levels.

In essence, bicycle boulevards are low-volume and low-speed streets that have been optimized for bicycle travel through treatments such as traffic calming and traffic reduction, signage and pavement markings, and intersection crossing treatments. These treatments allow through movements for cyclists while discouraging similar through trips by nonlocal motorized traffic. Motor vehicle access to properties along the route is maintained.

Alta Planning has made available a design guide for Bicycle Boulevards available here as a 6MB pdf download, read all about it and send it to your favorite elected official, traffic engineer and planner.




Haven Avenue in Ocean City, NJ - The regions first bicycle boulevard.

13YO Struck in Lower Merion Hit and Run

Main Line Times

A hit-and-run driver struck a 12-year-old child riding his bike along Old Gulph Road in Bryn Mawr early Wednesday afternoon. The unidentified child was then flown to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with head trauma and possibly a broken leg.

Police said the child was riding westbound on Old Gulph Road just past Morris Road when a car headed in the same direction struck him from behind.

Police are now asking for the public's help in locating the car and driver. The vehicle is described as a tan Volvo station wagon with a shattered windshield and damage to the passenger side.

The driver was described as a white female in her 40's.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Lower Merion Police Department 610-649-1000.


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A Roundup of Comments For the Spruce-Pine Bike Lanes

We have over two hundred miles of bike lanes in the city - so who would have guessed that three miles of new bike lanes would create such passionate responses? Let's look at some of the outstanding comments that people have submitted to the various blogs and online articles.

Comments range from fist pumping happy, to skeptical to cynical to under-impressed (“I want a Barcelona-style Ramblas”) …..But, so far, no one making a credible argument against them.
Now THAT’S change we can believe in. - ResIpsaLoquitur

This is great news for bikes and cars, actually, because there are already lots of people who bike around town, and now they’ll have a safer place to do it. Would be nice to have the bike lane raised, or some other kind of divide between it and the car traffic. What I would really like to see is a Barcelona-style Ramblas down Broad and Market streets, with traffic on the outside and a broad pedestrian mall with trees on the inside. – michjal

YES! I ride across town daily and can’t wait to use the new striped bike lanes! If the city is looking for increased cycle traffic on the new Spruce/Pine lanes they are going to see it. –Felecia

I live on Spruce.. Bike Lanes are a GOOD thing. We need MORE AND MORE AND MORE. Make it safier, and easier. You work in CC, or goto school at Temple/Jeff/Penn/Drexel.. its a NO BRAINER, biking is FASTE and CHEAPER than commuting. Dig it -CJ

This is absolutely excellent. I never dreamed it could happen this quickly. Everybody who bikes in or around CC should make a point of using these lanes to demonstrate the high volume & make sure the city doesn’t scrap them. -Niel

Finally some bike love! As a native Bostonian who is used to bike accommodation to the fullest it is nice to see some action happen in the right direction. Even just a couple streets will be great. That way the bikers know where to go to ride right and drivers know what streets to avoid. –John Shearer

Great news and great work! I'm sure there will be a (long) transition period, with vehicles still using the lane, parking, etc. But this is a huge step! -Jesse

I ride Spruce already, primarily because there are few buses and never that much traffic. Adding a bike lane here is perfect! –the3:00book

Yes! Yes! Yes! Finally! Everyone who is for this, I suggest writing Mayor Nutter and Deputy Cutler a quick thank you! I'm gonna. –Taggart

Well, all difficulties with double parkers and incorrect lane users aside: WOO HOO!!!!!!!!! Thank you Mayor Nutter and the BCGP! --caduceus

Is there any word on a south heading bike lane in the works? It's the only direction not represented and would help bikers to get safely across the city. –anonymous

This is not exactly SEPTA related, but it's transit related. And it's very good news. When I'm not riding SEPTA, I love riding my bicycle around town. So I was ecstatic to read on the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia's blog this week, that Philadelphia is putting in new bike lanes on Spruce and Pine Streets in Center City. Very cool, Philly, very cool. –Septawatch.com

It’s like this: The motorists of Philadelphia (and the motorists who come here from New Jersey) simply cannot be trusted. Even when their superego is trying like hell to drive around you and be all nice and Whole Foods about it, their ids — those raging, bloodthirsty, *&%ing ids — want to make fruit smoothies of your knees by pinning them to whatever’s between you and the curb, and if that is nothing, the curb will do just fine, thank you. And the only known cure for the problem is bike lanes. And you’re gonna get ‘em. On Spruce Street and on Pine Street. Before the summer is out. No, really. Well, probably, at any rate. At this point, I’d like to address the audience in a late 1970s park jam call-and-response: Somebody say PROGRESS! Somebody say SEXY! Somebody say SEXY PROGRESS! And ya don’t stop. -Philebrity

Of course, this is a plan that's been kicking around for some time and would definitely be a start to a more bike-friendly Center City. –CityPaper Clog

Today's excellent the article in the Inquirer by Sandy Bauers introduced the project to its general readership. As with anything newsmedia article that mentions the word bicycle the internet trolls immediately pounced cutting and pasting their last vile comment from any article the mentions a bicyclist being killed or maimed.

hahah. like people will actually obey this? cyclists are losers...can't wait to make some of these dorks hit the pavement. watch out for the SUV hippies. it's a hybrid if it's makes you feel better.

-dmbsaxon

ok cyclists can have spruce and pine then stay the hell off of race arch market chestnut walnut locust lombard south - ninghing

Oh yeah this is an ENLIGHTENED idea. ... Soon the shops will close because business has been killed and the hippies and liberals living in their urban paradise will have to ride their bikes to far flung places to shop. It will also make it harder for emergency vehicles delaying help to all just so bike riding dopes can get their way. Clue- streets were made for cars and trucks to move people and goods and promote commerce not bikes. Otherwise there would only be BIKE LANES! Doh!

- Captainden

What Can You Do?

1. Don't feed the trolls, post your support for bike lanes on Spruce and Pine here.
2. Tell Councilman Frank DiCicco and Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler that you support these bike lanes: send the Councilman an email at frank.dicicco@phila.gov and cc: rina.cutler@phila.gov (and us at bike@bicyclecoalition.org )
3. And don't forget to send a thank you note to the Mayor here.

DRPA Extends Bridge Walkway Hours For XPN Festival

Want a reason to bike to Camden?

The Delaware River Port Authority has extended the hours of the beautiful SOUTH walkway of the Ben Franklin Bridge to accommodate the late performances for the Xponential Festival in Wiggins Park on the Camden Waterfront.

From Friday July 24 to Sunday July 26th the bridge walkway will be open until 11PM.

For their part WXPN is also encouraging attendees to arrive by bike.

Help the earth stay green and save your green by taking your bike to the festival.
Bike racks are available outside the festival, to provide a safe place for cyclist to store their equipment. While the Walt Whitman Bridge does not offer a bike path, you can use the North Walkway on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (walkway hours are weather permitting), from 6am to 9pm (May through September).


Want another reason to bike to Camden?

It's very inexpensive.

Round Trip Costs:
Driving tolls plus parking - $14 a carload+congestion
Riverlink Ferry - $6 per person
PATCO to City Hall Station and a walk - $2.70 per person add $2.40 for a SEPTA transfer
Bicycle over the Ben Franklin Bridge - Priceless!!!!

Coming Soon - Bike Lanes for Spruce and Pine

Our January 10th post - Dreaming of a bike friendly Spruce and Pine presented a long talked about 'what if' scenario, especially in light of the Bicycle Coalition's documentation that bicycling in Philadelphia doubled between 2005 and 2008. Thanks to the pro-bicycle Nutter Administration, the City of Philadelphia has adopted this vision and is planning to make it a reality. Not sometime in the future, but this summer!

Our understanding is that a one way buffered bike lane will be installed in both Spruce and Pine Streets along most of their lengths, made possible by the dropping of a travel lane. Clearly, when implemented, it will be the most significant bicycle friendly improvement in busy Center City since the opening of Schuylkill River Park Trail and street level crossings in 2003. It will also be the City's first (but we hope for additional ones north of Market St.) "river to river and east-west connector" set of bicycle friendly streets.

The reduction of travel (for motor vehicles) lanes may be a concern to some, however more road space does not necessarily mean smoother traffic flow. Delivery vehicles, utility trucks and double parkers already cause Spruce and Pine to function as weaving single lane streets. A great example of less is more would be the closing of Broadway in Manhattan, which actually improved north south traffic flow by eliminating Broadway's angled cross street interference.




6 foot bike lanes with 2 foot buffers on Spruce and Pine Streets will finally make the concept of a Center City bikeway a reality.

The project, overseen by the Mayor's Office of Transportation and carried out by the Streets Department, will be a simple and inexpensive line painting operation; construction could begin as soon as August. Over the next 9 months or so the streets will be evaluated, and if the lanes are proven to be beneficial, then permanent striping will be added when the streets are repaved in 2010.
Read more about this in Sandy Bauer's piece in 07/15/09 edition of Inquirer

Tour de France in Philly?

Mais Oui! Tomorrow is Fairmount's annual celebration of French independence. Come and visit the Bicycle Ambassadors at this year's Bastille Day celebration!

Register your ~4-8 year olds in the Tricycle Tour de France, prizes from LifeSport, Fairmount Art Center and Franklin Square for all pre-registered kids, and best French-decorated bikes – Bring your own tricycle, bike or big wheel.

Eastern State Penitentiary

Saturday, July 11th

2-6 PM

For a complete list of the days events please visit the Bastille Day website.

Mercer County's Bicycle Master Planning Kicks Off

Mercer County has submitted and received approval from NJDOT for planning assistance to create county bicycle master plan.

The larger part of the project will be the development of a county bicycle and master plan, it has not been determined yet if the plan will have a pedestrian component. In addition, a consultant was retained to do a feasibility analysis of the bikeway proposal for Route 546 popular bicycle route which stretches across the County.

Free Bicycle and Pedestrian planning assistance to counties and municipalities is one the major factors as to why New Jersey has received a high Bicycle Friendly State ranking. The implementation of the program is determined by the enthusiasm and support of the municipal government who must apply directly to the DOT for planning assistance. In comparison Pennsylvania governments are pretty much left to their own devices to design and implement such plans.

Zipcar Looking for Participants in Low Car Diet

Zipcar has issued a challenge: for 30 days, put down your keys, dust off your bike, trike or roller skates and find out what the Zipcar way of life is all about. Last year, 300 folks across North America turned in their car keys for a month as part of the 2008 Zipcar Low-Car Diet. And, in addition to cutting congestion, they also walked 85% more, biked 136% more and decreased their miles driven by 71%. Pretty impressive, eh? Starting July 15, a new crop of participants from all Zipcar cities worldwide* will begin the 2009 Low-Car Diet: one full month of living without a primary car.

Zipcar will be selecting 30 participants in each Zipcar metro to take part in the 2009 Low-Car Diet. Zipcar and its partners (including the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Fuji Bikes and Breezer Bikes) are committed to providing all participants with the necessary tools for creating transportation nirvana, including transit passes, bike rentals, discounts at local retailers, and, of course, a 1-year Zipcar membership with $200 in driving credit to get started.

There will be a number of applicants for only 30 spaces, and Zipcar would like to make sure they're the best. If you think you'd like to try an unconventional diet just fill out this short survey.

A Video About Neighborhood Bike Works

Parking Meters - An Endangered Species In Center City

Your Bike Parking is in imminent danger:

From PGN:

In July, the Philadelphia Parking Authority will install multi-space meters throughout Center City that will offer patrons numerous payment options and aim to free up more parking spaces.

Two or three computerized meters will be installed on each block in the “core” of Center City — from Fourth to 20th streets and Arch to Locust — where patrons can pay for the amount of time they need and then receive a printed ticket to display on their dashboards. The new meters will accept coins, dollar bills, credit cards and PPA Smart Cards.

The $11-million project will be completed in this area of Center City by the end of July and will be implemented next in University City and the rest of Center City by February.

BCGP, City Officials, the Center City District and the Parking Authority are scrambling to come up with a solution, with hard to find funding being crucial for the conversion of parking meters to the Toronto Style "post and ring bike racks".

But it seems inevitable that the speed of the parking meter changeover will at least result in a short term crisis on blocks without sufficient bike racks. Some blocks like the 600 block of Walnut St are already devoid of bike parking spaces with a row of headless meters.

Let the BCGP and the City know if the parking meter conversion is affecting your ability to park your bike. This will help prioritize where bike parking is needed most.




Decapitated Meters next to Independence Hall

From Philadelphia Bicycle News

Toronto Post and Ring Racks converted from meter poles.

What can you buy for $22 Million?

The Complete the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) campaign is working to raise public awareness about the need for federal, state and local dollars to complete the SRT in the Greater Philadelphia region. There are nine trail segments that need funding in order to complete the trail, and together the total construction cost is estimated to be approximately $22 million.


Is $22 million a lot of money to build 4.75 miles of trail? In comparison to a sampling of some other transportation projects that have been submitted to Congress for consideration for federal transportation funds or are receiving federal stimulus funds, Completing the Schuylkill River Trail in the greater Philadelphia region is a bargain.

• $115 Million to enhance the streetscape of Broad Street (submitted to Congressman Brady by the Center City Collaborative as a 2010 Appropriation request)
• $90.4 Million to reconstruct and widen Route 202 between Route 30 and North Valley Road (submitted to Congressman Gerlach by the Town of Malvern)
• $31 Million for an I-95 Interchange at Cottman-Princeton (a City of Philadelphia project with PennDOT Stimulus funding)
• $21.4 Million to build a parking garage (submitted to Congressman Fattah by the Free Library of Philadelphia)

Thank You Bike Freedom Valley Volunteers

Thank You Freedom Valley Volunteers!

Although the sky was dreary and drizzly our Freedom Valley Volunteers make sunshine with their smiles and their efforts to make this Freedom Valley great. We couldn’t have Bike Freedom Valley without all our great volunteers.

Before the day event started we had volunteers preparing everything ahead of time.; Thanks to: Matt Anastasi, David Bennett, Paul Minick, Al Porter, Barry Wolff, and the Bicycle Coalition staff. Thanks to the Bicycle Ambassadors who did a myriad of tasks, from: setup and teardown, route direction and signage, hospitality and even mechanical support. The newest team at the Bicycle Coalition was a well oiled machine.

Our route markers persevered through endless days of rainy weather and numerous trips to finish because of the weather. There intrepid volunteers were: Charles Carmalt, Jeffrey Kochanowicz, Dominic Zuppo, Michael Broennle and Susan Dannenberg.

Our set up volunteers came very early and our cleanup volunteers stayed very late. Thank You: Noel Abejo, Jim Laurino, John Siemiarowski, Kimberly Murphy, Omar Sinanan, and Thomas Taggart.

Our registration volunteers were cheerful, accurate and speedy. Thanks to: Carol Nitzburg, Sue Shubert, Sarah Clark Stuart, Tom Benson, Patrick O’Bannon, Pat Perry, Barry Wolff, and Jeff Bakely.

Our rest stop and Finish Line Volunteers had really long days and served our riders welll and with good cheer. They are: David Bennett, Claudia Crane, Paul Droesch, Terry Myers, Dave Ryan, Donna Brown, Jerrilynn Donaldson, Nick Manta, Maureen Gartland, Pat Perry, Ron Stern, Jeff Hartman, Stacy Plattenberger.

Our traffic directors who were not limited to the Bicycle Ambassadors helped our riders go the right way: Mary Texidor, Dan Gold, D. Mike Smith, Ed Henckels, Christine Martha, Charlotte Chatfield.

Thanks to all the Stationary SAG, SAG Drivers, and SAG Bicyclists. In addition to Philly Car Share, Keswick Cycle, REI, Danzeisen and Quigley (D&Q), Guy’s Bicycles, Chariots of Philly, Neighborhood Bikeworks, and the Exton and West Chester Bicycle Center, we had volunteers: James Smith, Terry Myers, Paul Des Rocher, Barry Wolff, Jeffrey Kochanowicz, Frank Jackson, Paul Minick, and Woody Kotch.

You were all wonderful and if I missed anyone please let me know so I can thank you personally.

Jill Minick
jill@bicyclecoalition.org

Send Us Your Bike Parade Photos

What is more patriotic that dressing up you bike in the Red White Blue? Declare your independence from foreign oil.

Upload your photos to your Flickr account and add your photos to this group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bikeparades/














Riverton's 4th of July Parade 2008

Philadelphia Applies For Bike Parking Station Funding

The July Edition of Philadelphia's Greenworks Newsletter lists a Bike Parking Station as one of the proposed recipients of Philadelphia's $14 Million Dollar allocation of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Block Grants.

Other Projects Proposed Include:

• Install LED Traffic Lights
• Create a loan fund for energy efficient tenant improvements at commercial buildings
• Retrofit municipal buildings
• Incentivize recycling
• Create a bike parking station
• Train L&I employees on green building
• Investigating a Sustainable Energy Authority
• Implement and evaluate Greenworks Philadelphia

We don't have any details on the bike parking project. One question that we have is whether or not the bike station proposal is a full service facility (similar to the Union Station project in Washington DC) or an in-street bike parking corral.

BCGP's Sarah Clark Stuart Appointed to the Parks and Rec Commission

Sarah Clark Stuart was among the 200+ applicants, from that list 25 finalists were selected by City Council for consideration with the Mayor appointing the 9 Commissioners. 6 Ex-Officio City department administrators members round out the 15 member Commission.


Photo Rob Stuart

Appointed

Nancy Goldenberg (Chair)
Debra Wolf Goldstein
Jeffrey Hackett
Alexander "Pete" Hoskins
Anthony Langford
Leslie Anne Miller
Carol Rice
Carlos Rodriguez
Sarah Clark Stuart

Ex-officio members

Bernie Brunwasser – Water Commissioner
Barbara Capozzi, Esq. – Designee of Council President Anna C. Verna
Michael DiBerardinis – Parks and Recreation Commissioner
Alan Greenberger – Executive Director, Philadelphia City Planning Commission
Joan Schlotterbeck – Public Property Commissioner
Clarena Tolson – Streets Commissioner

The Mayor's Press Release is here on Philly Clout.


Congratulations Sarah!

Follow Us on Twitter

It's true, we are now officially Twits. A Twit is defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as a "silly annoying person".

We don't post the "silly annoying" details of what we had for lunch, only what we think would be interesting, useful information for our followers. http://twitter.com/bcgp

By the way - "Looking forward to getting a Gyro from the Falafel King http://tinyurl.com/kng-falafel"

Climate Ride's Michael Proulx Visits the BCGP

One of the first office guests was Michael Proulx who is riding 5005 miles around the country on his bicycle to promote the Climate Ride. You can follow him on his blog - http://www.5005miles.blogspot.com/



From ClimateRide.org - Brita Climate Ride 2009 is the first multi-day bicycle ride where your pedal strokes help raise money and awareness for meaningful climate change and renewable energy legislation! This transformative event is ideal for anyone who believes that change is possible and that America can take the lead in a green economy.

September 26–30th, 2009, the Climate Riders will pedal 300 miles from New York City to the nation’s Capitol in Washington D.C. in five days. Proceeds from the ride will benefit Focus the Nation, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and Clean Air – Cool Planet.

Mayfair: Two Children Killed By Trucks In Two Days

Monday and Tuesday were bad days for pedestrian safety in Mayfair. At 4pm on Monday 12 Year Old Albert Tallez was running or on a skateboard going north on Cottage Street when he he was struck by a tractor-trailer traveling east on Cottman Avenue. Yesterday at 6pm a 7 Year Old girl was hit by a pick-up truck in the 2900 block of Unruh Street.

Cottman Avenue is a particularly dangerous street for pedestrians, it is Northeast Philadelphia's sprawling Main St. The road is 4 lanes wide and is a through route from Abington to the Tacony Palmyra Bridge. In 2006 a Nun was killed by a hit and run driver angering the local civic organization enough for them to purchase a "Your Speed" driver feedback sign.

Chances are that little will be done to analyze why 2 children died this week, crash compare that to the countermeasures taken for the DC Metro Crash that killed 9 people last week. The NTSB won't be pulling out the black boxes of that tractor trailer or pickup truck, retraining drivers or making recommendations to prevent deaths in the future.


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