What's Going On With The 10th Street Bike Lane?

We've been getting questions about the 10th street bike lane through Chinatown. Since the street was repaved, the bike lane has disappeared between Vine and Arch. Is it coming back for that stretch? The short answer is no.

10th Street looking north from Arch St. Taken on 9/27/2012

The 10th Street bike lane was a pilot program, and upon its conclusion the City of Philadelphia decided to remove the lane for this several-block stretch. They cited strong opposition to the lane from the Chinatown community and inconclusive traffic data showing the lane's impact on vehicle and bicycle behavior.

The City said they would put down sharrows (currently not yet installed) to remind vehicles that the street also carries bicycles. We have asked that the sharrows be green-backed in order to make them more visible. We have not yet received a definitive response to our request.

The bike lane remains north and south of Chinatown, and we will keep asking the City to make the connection between the lanes more clear. But we're glad the street is finally repaved - anyone who biked down 10th in the past year knows what a miserable experience that was.