Photo of the Day - The South Street Bike Lane Goes Green

The Streets Department has begun applying green paint to the bike lanes on South Street between 27th and 33rd St. The first section is being done in front of Franklin Field.

Photo - Jim Kriebel

Volunteer At The Philly Bike Expo!

The Philly Bike Expo is coming up on October 29th and 30th: two days of everything bicycle at the 23rd Street Armory.

The Bike Expo is not free to attend, but they are looking for volunteers! See where we're going with this? Volunteers get in for free.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Expo, shoot an e-mail to Bina at: bina@bilenky.com or a "verbal e-mail" to her at 215-740-7068.

We are also looking for a few volunteers to help us man our table in the exhibition space. Send an e-mail to caroline@bicyclecoalition.org if you are so inclined. And don't worry - you aren't cheating on us or the Bike Expo if you volunteer for the other. We love you equally. (But we do wish you'd cut your hair. And maybe take us out to dinner once in a while? You've seemed a little distant recently. We don't want to push, because we don't want to be that bicycle coalition, but you know we're here if you want to talk about anything. You know that, right?)

Public Input Meeting for the Spring Garden Street Greenway

The Spring Garden Street Greenway is a new project that aims to transform the 2.2 mile crosstown arterial road. Currently the road is a four lane highway of fast moving traffic next to its well used bike lanes. The project aims to improve the corridor by calming traffic & making the route safer for bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles. It will also transform Spring Garden into a green street by managing stormwater more sustainably and putting Philadelphia on a national landmark trail route, the East Coast Greenway.

A public input meeting will be held to allow you to share your ideas and concerns about the project.

Spring Garden Street Greenway Public Input Meeting:
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Community College of Philadelphia
Lecture Hall C2-28, Center for Business & Industry
Corner of 18th and Callowhill Streets
6:30pm Refreshments
7:00pm Program Begin

Website - SpringGardenStreetGreenway.com

Important upcoming public meeting for anyone who cares about biking in West Philly

Do you care about bicycling in West Philly? The City's Planning Commission is holding two open houses in October in West Philly. At these meetings, they will introduce draft recommendations for improving biking and walking in West Philly. This is a chance for you to hear what the City is planning on doing in West Philly, and for the City to hear what residents think about it.

Tuesday, October 11
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Myers Recreation Center
5803 Kingsessing Avenue

Wednesday, October 12
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Fisher Fine Arts Library
Apse, 4th Floor
220 S. 34th Street

We think it's very important that people attend these public meetings. One of the biggest drivers for improved bicycling and walking infrastructure in West Philly (or any part of Philly) is an engaged population. A sparsely-attended public meeting gives the impression that residents don't care about innovative active transportation options.

We know that's not true. If you live in West Philly, please attend and bring your neighbors. We'll see you there.


Event flier. Click for larger version.

Green Bike Lanes Finally Coming to the South Street Bridge

Green Bike Lanes on the South Street Bridge will be here soon. Later this week, Streets Department crews will begin painting the bike lanes on the west end of South Street from 33rd St to Convention Ave. In October, crews will painting the bike lanes on the bridge. Work on the project is expected to be completed by the end of October (weather permitting).

Bicyclists should expect intermittent bike lane closures during the project.

Sunny Days on the South Street Bridge, reading a book and riding on green bike lanes.

8PM Closing Time for BF Bridge Walkway Begins on October 1

From the Delaware River Port Authority:

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BRIDGE FALL/WINTER WALKWAY HOURS

On Saturday, October 1, the Ben Franklin Bridge walkway will implement its fall and winter hours.

Walkway hours beginning Saturday will be 6am to 8pm. This schedule is expected to remain in effect through April 30th, 2012.

The South Walkway and the 5th Street Tunnel in Camden remain closed until further notice. Use the North Walkway and the 6th Street Tunnel as alternate routes.

Station Square Project Leaves Out Bicycle Transportation

How did it happen? Located between the University of Pennsylvania and Center City, the Station Square project (subject to renaming by UCD's contest) is transforming a parking area into public space in front of 30th Street Station. Great attention to detail was put in to encourage pedestrian traffic. But when it came to addressing the needs of bicyclists, Station Square fails to meet even the most basic needs of cyclists, such as the need for a low stress bike route around chaotic train station and additional bicycle parking.

The picture below shows the improvements being made; the plan was greatly scaled down due to the of unwillingness of state and local transportation officials to consider effective traffic calming on Market Street. Crossing the street will not be much easier than it is today, still Station Square offers new public space in an area starved for it.

But the lack of consideration for bikes is troubling. It will still be difficult to enter 30th Station from Market Street going westbound; you'll have to navigate through car traffic that is struggling to get onto the 76 and 676 ramps. (A bike signal would help give bikes a few seconds lead time). The new contraflow lane on S 30th St offered the promise of good access from Walnut and Chestnut Streets, unfortunately northbound cyclists who arrive at Market St have no legal way to cross it to access 30th Station's entrances.

The lack of consideration is not exclusive this project; walk your bike seems to be the trend in urban public right of ways such as the new Penn Park (on the bridge ramps.) Station Square leaves plenty of leeway of motor vehicles and a few design touches would have made this space a safe bikeway and bike parking location that wouldn't interfere with the pedestrian plaza feel of the site.

Everest/Antarctica Exploration Film Screening Saturday In Phoenixville

Those interested in serious mountain climbing or serious Antarctic expeditions (are there casual expeditions?) will be interested in an event happening Saturday, October 1st in Phoenixville. From Everest To Antarctica is a 4-fold documentary film screening followed by a charity dinner.

From 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM is the Everest portion of the event. Two documentaries, "The Conquest of Everest" and "The Fatal Game," followed by Q&A with host and Everest summiteer Paul Deegan.

From 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM is the Antarctica portion. Two documentaries will be shown, "South" and "Call of the White," followed by a video-feed Q&A with polar explorer Felicity Aston (who is featured in the "Call of the White").

At 5:30 PM is a five-course tasting dinner at Majolica restaurant with Paul Deegan, the proceeds of which are given to the Kopila Valley Children's Home & School in the Nepalese Himalaya.

Phoenixville being part of the regional trail network, we will have materials on the state of the Complete the Schuylkill River Trail Campaign on hand. The event takes place at the Colonial Theater (of The Blob fame). Tickets for the event are available online or at the door.

EMS Club Day Next Week: Great Chance To Volunteer Or Get EMS Gear

Eastern Mountain Sports' Club Day is happening Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1st (a two-day long Day, it seems).

We will have a table at the 34th Street EMS in University City on both days. Make a donation to the Bicycle Coalition in-store, and you will receive a coupon good for 15% off non-EMS brand gear or 20% off EMS-brand gear.

We are in need of volunteers to help us man the table. Want to help out? Do you love marinating in that peculiar EMS scent, a mixture of galvanized rubber, water-proof fabric, and quick-drying wool? Contact Caroline at caroline@bicyclecoalition.org to help out.

So. Thinking about getting a new backpack, or hiking boots, or a 16cm Black Diamond turbo express ice screw with bi-pedal reinforced magpie grommets? Swing by our table, support our work, and then go nuts. One coupon per person.

Better yet: we will be selling our trendy I BIKE PHL shirts at the table, and a shirt purchase will also net you an EMS coupon.

Help the Bicycle Coalition Keep Philly's First Bike Corral!

 What's not to like (love) about the new bike corral on Sydenham Street that was installed last week for Park(ing) Day?

We think it's pretty fabulous and are thrilled to see bikes parked in it all day, every day, since we collaborated with the Mayor's Office of Transportation to get the loan from Dero Bike Racks and installation by the Streets Department last week.

We're not alone in loving this rack. The Mayor's Office of Transportation, which wants feedback on the racks from the public, received this email last week.

My husband and I happened to walk past the bike corral at Walnut & Sydenham tonight and our jaws dropped . . it was just one of those moments where you get warm fuzzies and think "I love my city!" We are Center City residents and bike commuters who use the 22nd Street/Pine/Spruce bike lanes daily/year-round, and we work on Walnut Street near Rittenhouse, so we know the feeling of not being able to find enough bike parking. We love seeing new & innovative ideas coming from the Mayor's Office of Transportation and this is one that shows you don't need to break the city budget to create something useful. The public art factor cannot be ignored either - instead of a generic multi-bike rack, we get to see something creative & unique. Walnut Street plays daily host to many tourists, day trippers, and city residents and it is high time for some visible signals that Philly is a progressive, modern city that can balance the needs of all of it's residents (pedestrians, bikers, public transit, deliveries and drivers)! --Kelly Gibb

We couldn't agree more with Kelly. We want to make this rack permanent (although we're not sure of the exact location--that needs to be worked out with the Parking Authority). But, we need to raise $4500 to purchase the rack. We have one donation of $500 to start us off contributed by attorney Stuart Leon. If you are interested in making a donation to purchase this corral, please contact Mary Duffy, our Development Director at Mary@bicyclecoalition.org or click here to make an online donation. You don't need a Paypal Account to donate, just enter your donation amount and scroll down to where it says you can continue without a Paypal Account.

Help us Buy the Bike Corral!

p.s. If you want to give your own feedback on this rack and whether more should in installed in the future in Philadelphia, to the Mayor's Office of Transportation, please send an email to aaron.ritz@phila.gov

Open Houses for Northeast Bike/Ped Plan

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission is holding two open houses in late October to present recommendations for how to improve streets and sidewalks for bicyclists and pedestrians as part of the Phase 2 of the Ped/Bike Plan. This is a great opportunity to learn more about what is planned and give your feedback!

Tuesday, October 25
6:00 - 8:00 PM
CORA Services, Inc.
8540 Verree Road,
near Susquehanna Road


Wednesday, October 26
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Juniata Park Older Adult Center
1251 E. Sedgley Avenue,
near Kensington Avenue

Where to Bike Philadelphia Launch Party Rescheduled

The party and bike ride to celebrate the launch of the new guidebook Where to Bike Philadelphia is back on. Join fellow cyclists on Thursday, September 29th at Cadence Cycling in Manayunk for light snacks and cold beer.

Author Julie Lorch will be available to sign copies of Where to Bike Philadelphia after hosting a leisurely 30 minute ride along the Schuylkill River from downtown Philly to Manayunk. To join the ride, meet 5:30 pm at Lloyd Hall (1 Boathouse Row) on Kelly Drive.

Let's hope for better weather this time around! See you at Cadence on September 29th.

What does the City's Bike Plan Hold for West Philly?

The City's Planning Commission will be holding two Open Houses in October to roll out draft recommendations for improving biking and walking in West Philly. These recommendations were developed by the Planning Commission and their consultants after holding two public meetings a year ago. Please put these meetings on your calendar and come to one of them to check out what is being planned for West Philadelphia. Your feedback is needed and welcome! The two open houses are:

Tuesday, October 11
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Myers Recreation Center
5803 Kingsessing Avenue

Wednesday, October 12
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Fisher Fine Arts Library
Apse, 4th floor
220 South 34th Street

PedBikePlanFall2011Flyer.west.SW

Conceptual Trail Design for Manayunk Bridge - What do you think?

Board Reduced

Last Thursday (September 15th) Whitman, Requardt and Associates, LLP presented a concept design for the Manayunk Bridge that will connect the (soon to open) Cynwyd Trail over to Manayunk at a public meeting held in Ardmore. The Manayunk Bridge, an asset owned by SEPTA, spans both the City of Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township. The City received $1.3 million from PennDOT's Community Transportation Initiative in 2010 for constructing a trail and funds from the William Penn Foundation have been made available for its design.

The main goal of this design is to accommodate both passive and active users of the Bridge safely. The Bridge will be both a destination and a transportation corridor. Many different types of users will want to use the bridge for different purposes, ranging from cyclists using it as a commuting route to people wanting to enjoy the views while walking or sitting. Several media outlets reported on the meeting, including Main Line Times Trail Link or "Park in the Sky, the Roxborough-Manayunk Patch Residents Share Safety Concerns About Manayunk Bridge and Newsworks 'Exciting but daunting' Manayunk Bridge trail project continues on limited time frame

Scott Page Interface Studios introduced the project and was followed by Jeff Reigner of WRA LLP made the main presentation. They walked the audience through the following power point presentation and then showed a large board showing the proposed design and asked for comment.

The underlying premise of the design is that bicyclists and pedestrians would be have separate paths entering from either side of the bridge before the paths would narrow and funnel people into the Bridge's 500 feet long center. The center of the Bridge would be a large open space for more passive uses such as viewing, sitting and people moving around the bridge from one side to the other.

What do you think of this concept? Please take a few minutes to go through the power point and look over the aerial view of the trail design. Comments are still welcome and should be sent to jriegner@wrallp.com
Manayunk+15+September[1]

Help Penn State Evaluate Opinions On Active Commuting

As great as our Bike Philly and Commuter Challenge surveys are, we are bicycle advocates, not academics. We lack the scientific rigor of those who spend their time thinking about how best to get meaningful information out of people via 1-to-5 scales. Fortunately, there are smart people with lab coats and clipboards also interested in how and why people walk or bike to work.

Penn State's Department of Kinesiology is currently asking folks to fill out an online survey about their attitudes concerning walking, biking, or driving to work.  If you love surveys, or love the notion of accumulated data, fill 'er out! Anyone can take the survey, but if enough Philadelphia-area residents fill it out, the study could tell us some interesting things about ourselves.

Survey: https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5hjKcCo1pRROQcY
(The website says it takes 15 minutes, but I completed it in ten.)

Note: that is not a picture of a Penn State professor or Ph.D. candidate. But it is a picture of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and that is always a good thing.

Penn Park Is A Bicycling Destination, Not A Bicycling Park

Penn Park held its ribbon cutting with fanfare, free hot dogs, and speechifying in a dreary mist on Thursday, September 15th. We stopped by to check out the park that increases UPenn's green space by 20% (according to the Penn Alumni Relations Office). We took some photos, which are available here. Penn Park is a sleek and impressive addition to the neighborhood, but is a disappointment for anyone hoping to explore the West side of the Schuylkill via bicycle.

Built atop a reclaimed brownfield, Penn Park is attractive, filled with amenities, and sure to become a primary stop for undergraduate tour guides. Penn Park boasts tennis and softball facilities, plus two lighted turf fields with terrific views of the Center City skyline across the river. (The athletic facilities are only for Penn-affiliated users). Several grassy fields and a network of winding paths are available for public use. A handful of U-rack arrays are scattered around the park.

UPenn's promo literature says that the park will help connect the UPenn campus and Center City. It will help, but more needs to be done. The park doesn't improve walking or bicycling access across the Schuylkill River, Schuylkill Expressway, or the Amtrak train tracks. It only provides an incentive to do so. While the Park and new bridges help lay the groundwork for a connection between West Philly and Center City, additional work is needed. (More information on the Complete The Trail Campaign here, and information on the West Bank Connector here).

We were disappointed to see that Penn Park presents physical and regulatory barriers to bicycling. The park is currently accessible by three bridges: one coming off the Walnut Street Bridge, the Paley Bridge leading to the stadium to the west, and the Weave Bridge across the tracks to the south. Posted signs instruct bicyclists to walk their bikes on all three bridges, but bike riding is allowed on other park paths. A UPenn security officer at the opening confirmed this policy.

Strollers and little red wagons are, presumably, allowed on the bridge

Forcing bicyclists to dismount to enter the park disincentives riders from using the park as a thoroughfare. The bridges and paths appear to meet AASHTO design guidelines for a shared use path, and if that is the case, the decision is an arbitrary one. It is somewhat of a moot point, however, because the park's paths are too winding and (likely to be) crowded with pedestrians to make bicycle riding satisfying.

It should be noted, however, that the smooth paths and (currently) lush adjacent grass make Penn Park an excellent place to take a child learning how to ride a bicycle.

In all, UPenn has created a park to bicycle to, but not through.

Wrapping up our first Commuter Challenge

Our first-ever Commuter Challenge wrapped up at the end of August. Its conclusion was lost in the ruckus of Bike Philly preparations, but it should not go unnoticed.

The premise was simple: walk or bike to work! We created a free website in which you could log your miles, create or join workplace teams, and see how you stacked up against other Philly-area commuters.

Thousands of commuters took the Challenge, and from mid-May until the end of August they compiled some impressive numbers:

• 18,485 commutes taken by foot or by bike
• 149,281 miles traveled
• 7,314,800 calories burned by active commuting
• 146,296 pounds of CO2 emissions prevented (if the commutes had otherwise been taken by car)

Biking or walking to work provides wide-ranging benefits for the commuter and his or her employer. Morning exercise makes you more alert and energetic during the workday. It saves you money on transportation. It's environmentally-friendly. Studies have found that active employees are healthier employees, taking fewer sick days and using less health insurance (kind of a no-brainer study, frankly). Perhaps most importantly - it's fun!

We will be bringing the Commuter Challenge back next year. If you participated this summer, we'd love you to fill out a short survey on your experience. We want to know how it went and what you did and did not like, so we can make it better next year.

In the meantime, keep bicycling and walking to work!

Round One: TE supporters 1- TE opponents 0

Nearly 550 of you from PA, NJ and DE took action in response to our alert about Senator Coburn attempting to derail the transportation extension bill by offering an amendment to strip out the Transportation Enhancements. Many thanks to those of you who emailed your Senator! Senator Coburn felt some heat (over 50,000 emails and phones calls were made from around the country) and withdrew his amendment.

The Senate just passed the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012 (92-6), which now goes to President Obama for signature. This extends the SAFETEA-LU act until March 2012, which is going to make for a VERY interesting Bike Summit when the full reauthorization should be coming to a vote.
Senator Pat Toomey was one of the 6 who voted AGAINST extending the bill for six months. Why vote against a bill that makes no policy changes and incurs no additional cost? Senator Toomey's autoresponse to our emails said "Please be assured that I will keep your views about transportation funding in mind as work continues on the Fiscal Year 2012 budget process and a transportation reauthorization bill." Did Senator Toomey have your views in mind when he cast his no vote today? You Decide!

Send your Senator a thank you note for voting YES on the Transportation Extension bill. For those of you in PA, you can send Senator Toomey separate letter expressing your disappointment in him for voting NO. Click here to send a letter to both of your senators.

Making the Center City Bike Corrals Permanent (with a nod to Tinker Bell)

In Center City, transportation space is at a premium. There isn't enough car parking. There isn't enough bike parking. The streets and the sidewalks are narrow. To maximize the number of people who can get in and out of Center City, we need to get creative.

Here is an example of an unimaginative use of a parking space at the corner of Walnut & Sydenham St.

Here is our idea, on display beginning this morning and continuing until early November:

The difference? Increasing Center City parking capacity by 8-13 shoppers/workers/residents (depending on how many people ride in that Hummer. And let's be honest, Hummer owners these days are usually driving alone).

Stop by today and check out our two bike corrals (we've got tents up at both places, handing out literature and talking about bikes and bike parking). One at the above parking spot next to the Chipotle at Walnut & Sydenham St (Walnut between 15th and 16th). The other is atop subway grates on the East side of the 200 block of S. Broad Street.

These corrals securely hold 12-14 bikes each, increasing Center City's bike parking capacity at the cost of one car parking spot. For any local business with employees who commute by bike, or customers who arrive via bicycle, this is good for business. It also prevents creative but destructive bike parking solutions like the one below:

Check out more photos of our bike corrals on our Flickr site.

These installations are part of Park(ing) Day, but they will remain up until early November. Like them and want to see Philly adopt more progressive transportation solutions? Send an e-mail to aaron.ritz@phila.gov and let the City know! The more encouragement the Mayor's Office gets from bicycle-friendly residents and businesses, the more bicycling infrastructure we will see. (It's kind of like clapping to bring Tinker Bell back to life...but for belief in progressive transportation infrastructure. C'mon, everybody, clap!)

These racks are generously loaned to us for free from Dero Bike Racks and Saris Parking Systems, a division of Saris Cycling Group. We are looking for funds (several thousand dollars) to buy them and make them permanent. Contact sarah@bicyclecoalition.org if you can help keep them around post-November.

Bikes Only Park Here

Here's a photo of the awesome bike corral (or cycle stall) loaned to the Bicycle Coalition and City of Philadelphia by Dero Bike Rack Co. that the Streets Department installed yesterday for today's Park(ing) Day. It will be up for 6 weeks as a demonstration. Located at Sydenham and Walnut, come check it out! Fill up this bike corral and keep the bikes off trees on Walnut Street! There's also 6 beautiful ganged U racks in front of U of Arts on S. Broad Street loaned by Saris Racks. More to come later this morning.

If you like this kind of high quality, innovative bike parking and want more, or know of a business who might want to get one installed in front of their location, send a message to the Mayor's Office of Transportation at aaron.ritz@phila.gov

More info here

9/15 Manayunk Bridge Design Meeting Reminder

Don't forget! The Manayunk Bridge Design Meeting is tomorrow evening at 7PM at Lower Merion Township's offices in Ardmore. Several concepts for designing the trail and how it will accommodate both cyclists and pedestrians will be presented. Bicyclists should attend! This is the best opportunity to provide feedback and input on the trail's design.

Thursday, September 15, 2011
7pm
Lower Merion Township Board Room,
Ardmore, PA directions

Ben Franklin Bridge South Walkway Closing Postponed Until Thursday

For all those Cattle Chute fans out there - good things come to those who wait.

House Passes Clean Extension--Critical Senate Vote Expected Friday

Yesterday, the House voted unanimously to extend the transportation bill for 6 months along with an extension to the Federal Aviation Act. (This is exactly what Rep. Mica promised he would never do and doesn't fulfill his desire to cut transportation spending by 30%, which he proposed in his reauthorization bill.) The Senate apparently plans to do the same this coming Friday. The extension will allow everyone to continue to work on the reauthorization , which is now expected to occur in March 2012.

This all sounds pretty good, except for one thing, in the Senate, Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn is planning to file an amendment to cut Transportation Enhancements from the six-month extension any moment now.

That's why every bicycle/pedestrian organization blast out alerts yesterday for supporters of bike/ped funding to call their Senators. It's super important that Coburn's amendment fail, under any circumstances. If he wins, it makes fighting for bike/ped funding in the full reauthorization much more difficult.

So, if you haven't done so already, please contact your Senator and ask him to support Transportation Enhancements and to not support Senator Coburn's amendment to the extension of the Transportation Bill. Trails, bike lanes, racks on buses and safer intersections may not be important in Oklahoma, but we love them here in the Delaware Valley. Our Regional Trail Network has terrific momentum and Senator Coburn's amendment would pull the rug out from under it if it successfully yanks Transportation Enhancements. Remember, we're not asking for more money; just to preserve the funding that is already authorized and appropriated. BTW, yanking TE from this extension will do NOTHING for the deficit.

Send a letter today if you haven't already! You can edit the letter and tailor it in your own voice.

Guided Tour of the East Coast Greenway

This Saturday take a guided bike tour of the future East Coast Greenway route from Penns Landing to Marcus Hook, stopping at multiple riverfront events as well as green and historic sites including the Lazaretto, Chester Waterfront Park and the Marcus Hook Pirate Festival (Pirate Translation).

The tour is one way with an optional return via SEPTA Regional Rail.

Date: Saturday, September 17th
Start time: 10:00 AM
Location: Penn's Landing adjacent to the USS Olympia
Contact: Scott Maits (215) 758-4751; cityactivist1@yahoo.com
Cost: Free

The Philadelphia Lazaretto on the Waterfront in Tinicum Township

Volunteer with us this Friday and impress your urban planner friends

Friday is Park(ing) Day, whereon individuals, organizations, and businesses can transform a street parking space into something far less dull. We are pretty pump'd to be installing two bike parking corrals in Center City. One will be located at the corner of Walnut & Sydenham, the other on the sidewalk of the 200 block of S. Broad Street.

More information to come on this, but we're in need of a couple of volunteers to help us man/woman tables/tents at both sites. We will be at these locations from 8 AM - 4 PM. We are looking for volunteers who can spare 2-3 hours during that window.

You will be assisting a Bicycle Coalition staff member do the following:

• Hand out our Bike Parking Guide and other literature to folks on the sidewalk
• Answer questions about the awesome bicycle corral they see before them
• Be friendly and excited about bicycling 

Sound like you? Want to help the Bicycle Coalition and impress your urban planner friends with your participation in Park(ing) Day? Shoot us an e-mail to ben@bicyclecoalition.org and we'll get you set up. There's a Bike Philly or I Bike PHL t-shirt in it to sweeten the pot.

Urgent! If You Bike and Vote-Contact Your Senator Today

This year, less than 2% of Federal transportation funds ($700 million) will be spent on bicycling and walking. In 2012, that figure might be a big fat zero. In the next few days, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) will ask Congress to eliminate a vital bike/ped funding source. Please contact your Senators TODAY and let them know you support continued funding for biking and walking.

Of the federal transportation funding delivered to our five-county PA region, 1.4% comes through the Transportation Enhancement Program. The four nearby New Jersey counties receive 0.52% of their federal transportation dollars through the Transportation Enhancement Program. These percentages seem small, but they have been the primary funding source for bike lanes, trails, bike racks on buses, bike education, etc. Sen. Coburn wants to eliminate the Transportation Enhancement Program entirely from the bill that will extend the current transportation bill for four months. If he wins this week, Transportation Enhancements would be in serious trouble when Congress takes up a new Transportation Bill later this year.

This is lamentable, short-sighted policy. It isn't safe or smart. It isn't good for the economy or the environment. It is bad healthy policy and bad transportation policy. But it may happen because many Congressmen don't think bicycling matters.

This isn't even a deficit-cutting project. Congress won't save the money, they simply won't spend it on bicycling. There is no sensible rationale for the proposed cut. Bicycling projects create more jobs per dollar than highway-only projects. In our region, 19% of traffic fatalities are bicyclists or pedestrians, a number likely to rise if this money disappears. Transportation Enhancement funding was instrumental in the creation of valuable trails like the Chester Valley Trail, the Perkiomen Trail, the Schuylkill River Trail on Schuylkill Banks, our Bicycle Ambassador program, and Doylestown's Bike and Hike Network. Yet members of Congress think it prudent to move us backwards to a 1950's, highway-only mindset, as if oil embargoes, increased congestion, the obesity epidemic, and climate change have not happened.

We expect the Senate to move first, so we are asking you to contact your Senator and urge them to support continued funding for biking and walking. Don't let Congress take away this vital investment program for smart, sustainable, safe transportation choices.

Please take action today and send an email to your Senator. Every email counts!

Ben Franklin Bridge South Walkway Closure

On Wednesday, September 14, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge south walkway is temporarily closing because of work being done on the bridge. The north walkway will be open for pedestrians and cyclists. Walkway hours are 6am to 9pm daily. The south walkway will remain closed until further notice.

On Sunday, September 18, the south walkway will be the location of an annual charity event staged by "City of Hope" to raise money for research and treatment of Breast Cancer. Only those involved in the charity event will be allowed access to the south walkway. The north walkway will be open for everyone else.

Those using the walkway should be advised the Fifth Street pedestrian tunnel is closed in Camden. Alternates include the Sixth Street pedestrian tunnel or the Third Street underbridge sidewalk.


View North Walkway Alternate Routes to Downtown Camden in a larger map

Manayunk Bridge Design Meeting, Thursday, Sept 15

Important Design Meeting on the Manayunk Bridge
Thursday, September 15, 2011
7pm
Lower Merion Township Board Room,
Ardmore, PA directions

As reported back in June on this blog, one of the critical gaps in the Regional Trail Network and a key segment of the Complete the Trail campaign is the Manayunk Bridge, which will link up the Cynwyd Trail (opening on September 24th) to the Schuylkill River Trail's Tow Path and on-road trail on Main and Umbria Streets.

Many stakeholders have prioritized building this highly visible trail segment. The City of Philadelphia, SEPTA, Lower Merion Township, Philadelphia's Parks and Recreation Dept., Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and several non-profits including the William Penn Foundation, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Schuylkill Project and Manayunk Dev. Corp and Pennsylvania Environmental Council have all been working hard to help build this trail segment under a tight deadline set by PennDOT's Community Transportation Initiative, which made a $1.3 M grant to the City of Philadelphia for construction of the trail.

No doubt, this project packs a lot in. It will connect two riverfront communities (Lower Merion Township and Manayunk) that each want and need a bike/ped connection to each other; open up an inactive railroad asset to the public and provide spectacular views of the Schuylkill River and Manayunk; and provide a new and important transportation option for students, employers and employees who live and work in LMT or Manayunk/Roxborough. Lastly, it will add considerable value to both the soon-to-be-open Cynywd Heritage Trail and the Schuylkill River Trail by connecting them. Ultimately, the trail will continue to the Ivy Ridge Station and hopefully, to Shawmont where it will connect with the paved portion of the Schuylkill River Trail.

The public's input on the design is welcome and invited. Please come to the Thursday, Sept. 15th meeting in Ardmore!

See You Sunday at Bike Philly!

We can't wait to see you tomorrow morning at Bike Philly!

The 10-20-35 mile routes are open and not affected by flooding.

Online registration ends at 5pm today (Saturday).

If you are already registered, you can pick up your wrist band Sunday morning starting at 6:30am or register using cash or credit card at Eakins Oval

Be sure to arrive no later than 7:30am to get in line.

Here's the webpage on route information and map

Miss Rockaway Armada Procession Today in Kensington

The other bicycle event happening this weekend, besides the Bicycle Coalition's Family Fun Fest being put on at Eakins Oval this afternoon and Bike Philly tomorrow morning, is the Miss Rockaway Armada Procession (#2) in Kensington.

The Miss Rockaway Armada is a group of performers and artists from across the country, including members of other artist collectives such as the Toy Shop Collective, Visual Resistance, The Amateurs, The Floating Neutrinos, among many others. The Philadelphia Art Alliance is sponsoring this project called, Let Me Tell You About A Dream I Had, in three components.

The first component was a flotilla for the traveling aspect of the exhibition, which had an outdoor launch along the Schuylkill River in late August and exhibition at the Schuylkill River Park Trail on Aug. 22-23. This was followed by traveling the flotilla through the streets to Clark Park in University City on Sept. 3rd and today, they are processing to the local artist collective Flux Space in Kensington. The culmination of the construction and these performances will evolve into the final component, which will be the exhibition in the Philadelphia Art Alliance building on September 30.

Specifically for the parades, the collective will work with Spiral Q Puppet Theater and FLUX Space to reach the residents who are served by these organizations directly in their neighborhoods. At each event, various improvisational performances will take place, including Shadow Puppet theater events and musical performances.

Today's MRA Parade begins at York and Front Streets at 5 p.m. and ends at FLUXSpace at 6:30 with performances at 3000 Hope Street.

If you're going to join the MRA Parade, there's no better way to continue celebrating bicycling in Philadelphia then to join us at Bike Philly. Registration ends today at 5pm, but you can also register day of tomorrow between 6:30-7:30 am.

Bike Philly Registration Volunteers Still Needed - and you can ride, too!

You riding with us on Sunday? You can volunteer at our registration and *still* ride, no problem. We need a few good men and women to help us get folks registered on Sunday morning, starting at around 6:30. There's a free t-shirt in it, and the pride of knowing you helped the Bicycle Coalition on it's biggest day of the year!

And best of all, registration volunteers can still ride when Bike Philly rolls at 8:00 am!

Interested parties, please directly email Caroline Heffernan at caroline@bicyclecoalition.org. She will get back to you with details.

Tomorrow's Family Fest Is All Healthy Systems Go!

Family Fest is happening this Saturday at Eakins Oval! The event, put on by our Safe Routes Philly educational program and CHOP, brings together more than a dozen organizations, companies and agencies involved in keeping Philly families healthy and active.

Current forecasts predict little or no chance of rain during the hours of Family Fest, so attend with confidence!

Below is the schedule of events for the day. More information about each activity can be found here.

Bike Rodeo for Kids
11:30 – 3:00 PM
*last full round starts at 2 PM

Fitness Class Schedule
12:00 PM
H30 interval class with Weston Fitness
Yoga with Sweat Fitness
Pumping Rubber with LifeSport Fitness

12:45 PM
H30 interval class with Weston Fitness

1:00 PM
Sculpt with Sweat Fitness

1:30 PM
H30 interval class with Weston Fitness

2:00 PM
Interval class with Sweat Fitness
Yoga with One Yoga Philly

Other exciting happenings...

• Balancing, Bikes, and Balloons with Kyle the Jester.
• BMX tricks with Brett from Advanced Sports.
• Bike Blenders: Smoothies and homemade paper.
• Whole Foods cooking demos and taste tests.
• Free snacks from Vita Coco and LaraBar.
• AFoot!: A Family Friendly treasure hunt (part of the Philly Fringe Festival).
• Hoola Hooping and Jump Roping.
• Trauma Prevention Resources.
• Posture Screening and Chair massages.
• Nutrition Education from Eat. Right. Now.
• Raffles for exciting prizes!
• Bike Philly rider packet pickup from 11:00 - 3:00 pm.

Bike Philly is ON!

Bike Philly is still happening this Sunday! 

Bike Philly has always been a rain or shine ride. We have been closely monitoring the route conditions and our three routes (10, 20, and 35-miles) do not take riders along any roads hampered by water, mud, or displaced and disoriented livestock. 

See you Sunday!

Route Flooding Cancels Scenic Schuylkill Century

The following is an announcement from the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia:

After long, hard discussion, our Century Committee and members of BCP's Board this afternoon made the decision to cancel Saturday's Scenic Schuylkill Century. The decision was made due to our inability to assure our riders of a reasonably safe, well-marked route (major re-routing would have been required) in light of the unprecedented rain and flooding in recent days with forecasts of rain and continued flood stage waters on the Schuylkill River (our route hugs the river for the first and last 10 miles) and other areas through Saturday. The decision was difficult, but safety trumps other considerations. If you registered for the ride, we will be contacting you with more information.

PS Family Fest and Bike Philly will go on as scheduled this weekend.

Update on 10th Street Bike Lane thru Chinatown

Here's a quick update from the Mayor's Office of Transportation about the 10th Street bikelane. They have met with some Chinatown business owners and briefed them on the specifics of the pilot program. They prepared a two page, bi-lingual handout and distributed it to businesses along 10th Street north of Market Street. The installation will begin after PennDOT's streetscaping project is finished in early October.

Here are the conditions of the pilot.

• No parking will be removed
• Loading and Unloading will be allowed
• The Pilot program will last 3-6 months

10th Street Bike Lane Pilot Description in Chinese and English

p.s. If you want to encourage Chinatown businesses to support the bike lanes, mention that you use them to get to their store/restaurant.

Bicycle Coalition's Landline Phone Number

People have had trouble getting through on our 215-242-9253 landline phone number. If you have questions about Bike Philly and want to reach a live person, call (267) 639- 2541

Where to Bike Philadelphia Launch Party Postponed

Due to this week's ongoing flooding of Manayunk and East Falls, the Where to Bike Philadelphia Guide bike ride and launch party scheduled for tonight at Cadence Cycling in Manayunk has been postponed.

Author Julie Lorch and Cadence hope to reschedule the party for Thursday, September 29th

You can purchase book online at Amazon and at area bike shops.

NJ Future Gives NJDOT Complete Streets Implementation an Incomplete.

NJ Future, a statewide planning advocacy organization, has just completed a report examining progress made in the state since the implementation of its 2009 Complete Streets Policy. From the report:

"Overall, the Department has made good progress implementing its Complete Streets policy to date, but because of the lack of completed projects carried out under the program, it is impossible to make a definitive statement about how the policy has affected projects on the ground. Successful implementation of Complete Streets is about more than creating new review processes or establishing checklists; it requires changing the institutional philosophy of how the Department thinks about roads..."

The study looked at several current and recently completed construction projects in South Jersey. Technically none of them are required to comply with the policy since they were in the pipeline well before 2009, but the state has modified its design process to give complete streets treatments a higher priority. The result has been a mixed bag for sidewalks, signals and crosswalks. Bike lanes, however, are noticeably absent.

The report cites the exemption of resurfacing projects, which can create miles of bike lanes in a hurry, as a major flaw in the policy. It also notes that the state controls only 10% of the roads and that an effective complete streets policy needs to include the entire roadway network in order to create measurable system-wide improvements.

Go to the report.

Curb cuts and pedestrian signals but no sidewalks on US 130 in Cinnaminson, cited as the most dangerous road for pedestrians in the state.

Think Bike Lanes Are Good For Philly Businesses? Mayor Nutter Wants To Know!

The City is currently running a video contest for Philadelphia business owners. The question posed is, "Why is Philadelphia a Smart City or a Smart Choice for your business?"

The contest asks interested Philadelphia business owners to make a 30-second video answering that question. Post it to Youtube and enter the contest online. Some (all?) of the videos end up on the contest website, and the winner will receive special recognition and a visit from Mayor Nutter. The contest runs through September 22nd.

Are you a bike-friendly business owner? Make a video and help the cause!

We feel that the more bicycle-friendly Philadelphia becomes, the Smartier and Choicier it becomes:

• Making it easier to bike to work, to school, to the store or to the park improves our quality of life and makes Philadelphia a more attractive city.
• For businesses, improved bicycling infrastructure can be a lure bringing talent to the city (or keeping it here).
• Active employees are healthier employees.
• For many businesses, bicyclists are not only customers but more frequent customers. Bicyclists don't pay for parking, can park in a wider variety of locations, and are more likely to incidentally stop at a business along their route than car drivers.

So we're putting out a two-pronged call:

• Are you a business owner who values the bike lane outside your business, or the bike parking which allows your employees (or yourself) to bike to work? Make a video!
• Would you like to help us (the Bicycle Coalition) make a video of our own? We could use a hand with filming and video editing. Send an e-mail to nicholas@bicyclecoalition.org if you are interested.

Juniata Pumptrack Public Meeting September 15th

The newly merged Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department (PPR) has teamed up with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP), local mountain bikers, BMXers, Advanced Sports Inc, Neighborhood Bike Works, and Bicycle Therapy to launch the Philly Pumptrack project; the city’s first ever, public pumptrack.

Pumptracks are one of the fastest-growing attractions in biking and are small in scale and can be enjoyed by cyclists of all ages and skill levels. A pumptrack can be placed in a small footprint, requires little maintenance, is fun and teaches riders essential riding skills while building fitness, all in a low-risk environment. A pumptrack in Philadelphia will provide a place for urban youth and adults, close to their homes, where they can ride bikes in safe numbers and in mixed-age groups. The Philadelphia Pumptrack will be a venue where riding and spectating can be a community affair.

A proposed location for a new pumptrack is at the Ferko Playground in the Juniata neighborhood. Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez is hosting a public meeting on September 15th at the Juniata Park Older Adult Center, which is approximately six blocks from the playground. This meeting will help determine whether to advance efforts to build a pumptrack at this location or move onto another site.

Meeting Date: Thursday, September 15
Meeting Time: 7:00 P.M.
Meeting Location: Juniata Park Older Adult Center, 1251 E. Sedgley Avenue (intersection of "L" Street & E. Sedgley Avenue)

book launch party tomorrow

ABC in Philadelphia has a nice video on their website about bicycling in Philadelphia and Julie Lorch's new book, which we've mentioned here before (thanks for the kind words, Julie!). The launch party for her guide to cycling in Philadelphia is happening tomorrow:

Launch Party for "Where To Bike: Philadelphia" by Julie Lorch
Thursday September 8th
6 to 8 PM
Cadence Cycling and Multisport
4323 Main St, Manayunk

Speaking of bicycling in Philadelphia, registration is still open for Bike Philly this Sunday! Ride 10 or 20 closed-to-cars miles through Philadelphia, or challenge yourself with a beautiful 35-mile ride out into the suburbs. The forecast seems to be saying the rain will stop for Sunday morning, so grab your jaunty bicycling gloves and join us!

Video from 6ABC below (original story here):

Bike Philly Packet Pick Up Locations

Bike Philly Packet Pick-up Locations

Thank you to all of you who have pre registered for Sunday's Bike Philly! We HIGHLY recommend that you stop by one of our Packet Pick up locations this week to avoid the hassle and lines of checking in on Sunday morning. (For those of you who haven't registered yet; you still can register and pick up your packet before Sunday!)

Notes on the process:

• Bring your rider confirmation receipt to receive your packet.
• If picking up a packet for a friend, you must have their receipt as well.
• Check your registration to make sure you did not opt to receive your packet in the mail.
• Your packet will not be available for pick up the same day you registered online unless you registered before 11:00 am.

Packet Pickup Dates, Times, and Locations:

Tuesday, September 6
BCGP Offices
1500 Walnut St., Lobby
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Hours: 9am-5pm

Notes about specific location: Absolutely no bikes are to be allowed in the building. No exceptions.

Wednesday, September 7
EMS University City
3401 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Hours: 4pm-6:30pm

EMS Haverford
525 West Lancaster Ave
Haverford, PA 19041
Hours: 4pm-6:30pm

Thursday, September 8
REI Conshohocken
200 W. Ridge Pike, St 115
Conshohocken, PA 19428
Hours: 4pm-6:30pm

REI Marlton
501 Route 73 South
Marlton, NJ 08053
Hours: 4pm-6:30pm

Friday, September 9
Zipcar
218 S. 12th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Hours: 9am-6:30pm

Saturday, September 10
Safe Routes Philly Family Phest
2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway (Eakins Oval)
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Hours: 11am-3pm

September 11
Bike Philly
2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway (Eakins Oval)
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Hours: 6:30am-7:30am

Note: If it does not say that your rider packet will be mailed, then you should expect to come to one of the packet pickups.

Not too late to volunteer for Bike Philly

Just as the title says - it's not too late to volunteer for Bike Philly! Bike Philly rolls a week from tomorrow, September 11th, and it's a great opportunity to get in some quality volunteerin' and help make bicycling better in the Philadelphia region.

Check out the volunteer page of our Bike Philly site for information on the various ways you can help out.

Or go straight to the source, and contact Caroline at (215) 242-9253 ext. 307 or via magic electron-driven letters at caroline@bicyclecoalition.org.

We're at the Fringe Festival bar this weekend

The Philadelphia Live Arts & Philly Fringe Festival starts tonight.  If you're checking out the Fringe Bar this weekend, happening this year at the RUBA Club at 416 Green St, you will see some familiar faces: us!

Tonight, our grant-funded educational rhythmic stylist Emily Boerner will be rapping about bicycle safety as part of the Fringe Bar's eclectic Variety Sampler cabaret.

Friday, Sept 2nd
Festival Variety Sampler - featuring 
upstairs at the RUBA Club
10:30pm - 11:15 pm

Tomorrow night, our jack of all trades Ben Cromie adds another jack to his trade kit as he hosts Fringe-themed Quizzo.

Saturday, Sept 3rd
The Brothers Cromie present Quizzo: Fringe at Fifteen
downstairs at the RUBA Club
10:30 pm

You can pick up our street-famous I Bike PHL t-shirts, Bike Philly registrations, and Bicycle Coalition memberships at the Fringe bar both nights.  If you play your cards right, you might even get to share a drink with our staff (although they are notoriously hard to impress, and don't even think about using, "So I have nothing against bike lanes, but..." as your ice breaker).

Statewide Transportation Commission Holds Philadelphia Public Hearing

Every couple of years, PennDOT asks the public for input on the Commonwealth's transportation projects and policies. Over the summer, the new Corbett Administration's State Transportation Commission has been holding hearings to gather public comment on PennDOT's 2013 Twelve Year Transportation Program Update. The Commission is holding its last hearing for the South East PA region at the offices of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission on Friday, September 16th. (6th and Arch Street, 8th Floor) at 10am.

The State Transportation Commission is made up of legislators and Pennsylvania residents appointed by Governor Corbett.

The Commission sets policy direction with respect to the development of the Commonwealth’s Twelve Year Transportation Program. The Twelve Year Transportation Program is biennially adopted by the Commission as the blueprint for improving Pennsylvania’s transportation system. This program is then submitted to the Governor, the General Assembly and the Secretary of Transportation. Decisions regarding how available transportation funds are to be used for a variety of proposed rail, roadway, bridge, transit, pedalcycle (motorcycle and bicycle), pedestrian, and airport improvement projects are made through the transportation planning and programming process.

This is an important opportunity to praise PennDOT for what it is doing right and propose how it can improve some of its policies to facilitate better bicycle/pedestrian projects. You can testify on the state's transportation policies, how transportation funding is allocated, or about any particular transportation project(s). Anyone is welcome to testify at the September 16th hearing. Here is a "guidance" document on the State's Twelve Year Program.

If you are interested in testifying at Friday's hearing, you must fill out an "abstract form" and email it to RA-PennDOTSTC@state.pa.us by September 9th. Unfortunately, there is no directly web link to PennDOT's "abstract form."

So, please follow PennDOT's instructions on how finding the "abstract form" to fill out in order to testify.

All individuals wishing to submit an abstract electronically can do so by accessing the Department’s website at http://www.dot.state.pa.us. Click on the “Public Participation 2013 Program Update” button on the lower-right hand side on the screen. When the next webpage opens, select the “2013 Transportation Project Abstract Form Electronic Submission” link (on the left) to access the guidelines and electronic form.

You can also submit written testimony by September 30th by emailing it to: RA-PennDOTSTC@state.pa.us or mailing it to: Mr. Nolan Ritchie, Executive Secretary State Transportation Commission PO Box 3633 Harrisburg, PA 17105-3633

The Bicycle Coalition will testify at this hearing on state funding for bicycle/pedestrian projects for Philadelphia and the surrounding suburban counties.

All Bike Philly Rider Packets Have Been Mailed!

Are you an obsessive mail checker? I am. I love the mail.

If you also love the mail, as in, you clicked the box and asked us to mail you your rider packet when you registered, rest assured, we mailed it. As of this afternoon all packets are IN THE MAIL.

Now, one of the things that I am conflicted about when it comes to mail, is the federal holiday. It's nice being off of work for the day, but there is not going to be anything delivered to me on Monday, which is Labor Day. Bummer. Including rider packets.

So, look, if you haven't gotten your packet by next Wednesday, then maybe then you can worry. No need to call us and see if we've mailed your rider packet.

For those of you who didn't ask us to mail it: there's packet pick up. Check it out, here:

http://www.bicyclecoalition.org/content/pre-ride-packet-pick

And for those of you who haven't registered at all:

CLICK HERE for BIKE PHILLY REGISTRATION.