How to Keep the South Street Bridge Bike Lane Safe After CHOP Expansion

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has proposed a new building for Schuylkill Avenue with driveways that will connect to the South Street Bridge. We testified on the project at the April 1st Civic Design Review meeting and sent a letter to CHOP today that further clarifies our concerns about the impact of the driveways on the bike lane.

The two proposed driveways for the new CHOP office building seriously degrade the safety of the bike lane on the South Street Bridge. While it would be optimal if the project could be designed to require only one driveway, whether with one or two driveways we believe the safety of the bike lane can be restored by repositioning and protecting the bike lane.

The driveways onto the bridge came as a response to strong community desire, expressed at CHOP-held community meetings, that the project not create increased traffic on neighborhood streets. The second driveway was added to facilitate SEPTA buses reaching the site, as transit access is a priority and buses can't otherwise make the difficult turn from the bridge onto Schuylkill Avenue.

For bicyclists, adding one or two driveways creates additional turning conflicts, on a downhill, on the most bicycled bridge in Pennsylvania. Continuing the existing bike lane to the right of these new turning conflicts seriously degrades the safety of this bike lane.

To mitigate this danger, the bike lane should be:

• Repositioned to the left of the vehicles turning into the new driveways. 
• Protected from encroachment by vehicles crossing the bike lane to get to the right turn lane. 

This will require some sort of physical barrier to cars encroaching on the bike lane and also the creation of a right turn-only lane. There are design solutions in the NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide that can restore the bike lane to its present safety level, such as flexible bollards that can be removed during snow season. Other cities have used these solutions but Philadelphia has not yet tried them.

We have asked for the chance to meet with CHOP and the Streets Department to develop a solution that repositions the bike lane and protects it from right-turning traffic.

We made a word choice error in an earlier blog post by suggesting that CHOP had only recently shared plans for the new building with the Bicycle Coalition. In fact, CHOP’s designs have been publicly available but we only commented on them earlier this month.

Peter Grollman, CHOP’s Vice President for Government Affairs, Community Relations & Advocacy, serves on the Bicycle Coalition board.

Impact of CHOP Expansion Upon South Street Bridge on Meeting Agendas This Week

Recently news broke of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)'s plans to build a new building adjacent to the South Street Bridge on the east side of the river. The building will impact the bike lane and sidewalk on the bridge.

CHOP's proposed expansion at 700 Schuylkill Avenue is going to be reviewed at two public meetings this week. On Tuesday, April 1st at 1 pm, the project will undergo a Civic Design Review (CDR) at the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (1515 Arch Street). On Wednesday, April 2nd at 5:45 pm, CHOP will present to the South of South Neighborhood Association Zoning Committee at the Philadelphia School's new addition (2501 South Street, aka the new complex across 25th St from the liquor store).

We are concerned about how this project will impact bicycling and walking on the South Street Bridge. The South Street Bridge is the most biked and walked bridge in Pennsylvania, and bicycle and pedestrian safety must be prioritized in any changes that are proposed for the bridge and its bicycling and walking facilities.

Under the City's existing Complete Streets Policy, full consideration to the accommodation of the safety and convenience of all users must be made, and the safety of those traveling in the public right of way shall be prioritized. It goes without saying that "all users" includes bicyclists and pedestrians.

CHOP has already presented several versions of plans on its proposed impact to the bridge, and it is expected to announce new plans this week. We will review those plans and work with CHOP and the City's Streets Department to find a solution that provides the highest protection for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Disclosure: CHOP's Vice President for Government Affairs, Peter Grollman, serves on the Board of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Child Bike Helmet Giveaway In Haddington Neighborhood This Wednesday

Do you live in the Haddington section of Philadelphia and have a child who rides bicycles? You can pick up a free children's bike helmet and fitting this Wednesday as part of the Kohl's Injury Prevention Program.

 More information below:

Kohl's Injury Prevention Program at CHOP will be holding a free child's helmet giveaway and fitting at the Neighborhood Bike Works Haddington location. The event is in honor of NBW's Build-a-Bike program graduates and the ongoing partnership between Kohl's and CHOP.

Date: Wednesday, December 22nd
Time: 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Location: Neighborhood Bike Works - Haddington / 230 N. Salford Street, Philadelphia PA (near 60th & Vine)

Also if you're a fan of oversized checks (and who isn't?), Kohl's will be presenting CHOP with an oversized check for $637,125 to support the hospital's injury prevention programs.