PennDOT Announces New Bike/Ped Funding Opportunity

In 2013, Harrisburg passed a big transportation bill (Act 89). One of its primary benefits is the $80 million Multimodal Fund. This fun is a new opportunity for municipalities to seek funding for bike/ped projects such as striping new bike lanes, trails, bicycle parking at transit stops, sidewalk connections, and more.

On April 7th, a PennDOT press release announced that the fund was open for applications.

"PennDOT can make available $20 million in Fiscal Year 2014-15 to distribute to successful applicants. Eligible projects can cost between $100,000 and $3 million and they require a 30 percent match from local sources. PennDOT will evaluate the applications and make selections based on such criteria as safety benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency, and operational sustainability. Besides the $20 million in unrestricted funds to be distributed, PennDOT may award grants from the dedicated budget categories in the Multimodal fund for aviation, rail freight, ports and bicycle-pedestrian projects. The application period started today and closes on June 30."

So if you are a municipality, Council of Government, business or non-profit, now's the time to apply for this money! Act 89 dedicates $2 million of the Multimodal fund for bicycle-pedestrian projects. 

Eligible projects include: "A project which coordinates local land use with transportation assets to enhance existing communities, including but not limited to: sidewalk/crosswalk safety improvements, bicycle lanes/route designation, greenways.... and [a] project related to streetscape, lighting, sidewalk enhancement and pedestrian safety, including but not limited to: sidewalk connections, crosswalks, pedestrian and traffic signals, pedestrian signs, and lighting etc..and [a] project improving connectivity or utilization of existing transportation assets, including but not limited to: bicycle/shared markings, bicycle parking at transit stops..."

Important details: the local 30% match must be cash (not in-kind) and applications must include a municipal resolutiton requesting the grant.  PennDOT's fund is separate from the Multimodal Transportation Fund being administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

PennDOT's Multimodal Fund guidance and application can be downloaded here.

Support Our D.C. Lobbying by Calling Your Reps and Senators Today

Today Alex, John, Sarah, Megan, and Katie are joining two dozen other Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents and hundreds of people from around the country on Capitol Hill to speak with their elected officials about bicycling and walking. It's part of the National Bike Summit, and one of the many ways the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is working to improve the safety and accessibility of bicycling and walking in our region.

You can help today's efforts by calling your D.C. Senators and Representatives today and encouraging them to co-sponsor these three pro-bicycling bills:

1. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Act (HR 3494 | S 1708)
2. The Safe Streets Act (HR 2468 | S 2004)
3. The New Opportunities for Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Financing Act (HR 3978)

You can learn what the first two bills do in the graphics embedded below.  A factsheet for the third bill is here.

Contact info for your elected officials:

• Sen. Bob Casey (PA): DC Office: 202-224-6324
• Sen. Pat Toomey (PA): DC Office: 202-224-4254
• Sen. Cory Booker (NJ): DC Office: 202-224-3224
• Sen. Robert Menendez (NJ): DC Office: 202-224-4744
• Find the contact info for your U.S. Representative using this razzle dazzle fancy Internet website contraption machine.

Imagine sitting at home, pondering dinner, and feeling like you haven't ordered pizza in who-knows-how-long. Then simultaneously one friend shows up at your door suggesting you order some pizza, while another friend calls you on the phone asking if you'd like to order some pizza tonight.

That's the effect we're striving to have on our elected officials today. But replace "pizza" with "co-sponsoring legislation that makes bicycling safer in Pennsylvania and New Jersey."

Two fact sheets about bicycling in Pennsylvania and the bills to help it:

This is the document we're handing to PA and NJ Senators
and Representatives today in D.C. (click to embiggen)

And this is the second page of that document! (click to embiggen)

Support Alex, John, Sarah, Megan, Katie, and your neighbors and friends who are meeting today with lawmakers and their staffs.

Call your congressional offices and ask that your senators and representatives co-sponsor these three bills.

Sign Our Petition Supporting Trail Building in 2014

Have You Signed the Circuit Petition?

When complete, 50% of our region will live within 1 mile of a Circuit trail

More than 2,000 people have affixed their name to our petition calling for funding and supporting trails in our region. Will you join them? We especially need signatures from trail supporters in New Jersey.

Connecting the Circuit is one of our most critical and ambitious campaigns. We are a leading member of the Circuit Coalition, the group working to connect the Greater Philadelphia Region with a world-class network of biking and walking trails (the Circuit).

Imagine getting on your bike and being able to ride all day, uninterrupted, on dedicated car-free bicycle and pedestrian paths. Imagine biking from Bartram's Garden to Longwood Gardens, from Collingswood to Center City Philadelphia, or from the Perkiomen Trail to Pennypack Park. That's the vision of the Circuit - a 750 mile network of trails spanning 9 counties.

You could start here and end up in Haddonfield or Newtown, all without leaving dedicated trail.
Credit: Philly Love Notes

We want to build a green highway system, connecting our neighborhoods to jobs, to shopping centers, to parks and rivers, and to each other. In 2014 we will be holding critical meetings with regional funding sources, asking them to dedicate money to build miles and miles of trail. We want to show the depth and breath of popular support for trails, from every corner of the Greater Philadelphia Region.

If you support this vision, add your name to the petition. Thank you!

The Schuylkill River is Suffering a Title Drought

The Schuylkill may look fine, but it's hiding a deep pain: the pain of a 14-year title drought.

For the past twenty years, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has recognized one River of the Year. This recognition is done to raise awareness of the important recreational, ecological, and historical resources associated with the state’s rivers and streams. For the past four years, the recognition has been conferred upon the river that wins a popular vote.

The River of the Year is celebrated throughout the year. Events, coordinated with community groups, have included Sojourn paddling trips, a speaker series, clean up days, photography contests, and more. In addition, the Pennsylvania Organization of Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) coordinates the production and distribution of a free poster celebrating the river.

This year, the Schuylkill was nominated by three organizations: the Schuylkill River Development Corporation, Montgomery County Planning Commission, and the Schuylkill River Heritage Area (SRHA). SRHA has been selected as the point organization for the contest this year.

Last year, our beloved Schuylkill River lost the title to the Monongahela River by a hair: 146 votes (out of 25,450 ballots cast.) The Schuylkill hasn't been recognized since 1999. It's a title drought! Surely it deserves to be recognized again now that its water quality, and the aptly-titled Schuylkill River Trail have both improved so much over the past 14 years.

WE CAN"T LET THE SCHUYLKILL LOSE TWO YEARS IN A ROW!

Please vote for the Schuylkill River, early and often. The voting period is open until December 27th.

The nominees for River of the Year. 

Pennsylvania Transportation Bill Signed Into Law Today

Seated at table, left to right: Sen. John Rafferty, Governor Tom Corbett, Sen. John Wozniak, and PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch. Behind 3rd and 1st from right: our own Alex Doty, and Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Rina Culter.

In blustery cold Norristown this early afternoon, Gov. Corbett signed Pennsylvania's new transportation bill (this was the second of three signings today). It was a long, arduous, exasperating process to get to this point, but now we are here. Bicycling and walking projects have dedicated funding, are acknowledged as important parts of our state's transportation network, and projects that make our streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians have a better shot at funding. Say it with us: this is good news!

Thank you to everyone who spoke up for the importance of getting a comprehensive transportation bill passed. You can see more photos from the bill signing on our Facebook page.

A Dramatic Win for the Future of Biking and Walking in the Keystone State

As almost everyone now knows, there was high political drama this past week. The transportation funding bill that had been in the works for the past ten months failed twice on Monday, and then passed on the third try (104-95; click for roll call) on in the House Tuesday. It was a huge relief to see it get through the Senate on Wednesday (43-27), and again in the House for a concurrence vote on Thursday (113-85).  It is expected to be signed by the Governor next week.

Normally we don't traffic in Philly's most overexposed fictional native son,
but this time it feels appropriate.

Tremendous credit for this success goes to PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch, who worked diligently for several years to make the case for the nearly $2.4 billion package, and fought hard to keep the issue front and center even after the House was unable to agree on a bill to vote on in June and rejected a bill twice on Monday night.

What will this bill do for biking and walking? A lot. As the Secretary told advocates Monday night, "This is the biggest step forward for the bicycle and pedestrian modes of transportation in the history of Pennsylvania." The bill:

• Creates a multi-modal fund that grows from $30 to $144 million over a 5-year period, to which bicycle and pedestrian projects can apply for funding;
• Sets an annual minimum of $2 million of that fund to be spent on bicycle and pedestrian facilities;
• Makes it easier to use state transportation money for pedestrian safety projects, streetscaping & lighting;
• Explicitly states that Pennsylvania's comprehensive transportation system includes Pennsylvania's "numerous bicycle and pedestrian facilities," which will make it easier for bicycle/pedestrian projects to compete for highway funds.

A fiscal analysis of how the entire funding package will increase over the next five years is here.

The biking and walking community put its oar in the water to help secure this legislative success. With your help, we fought hard for biking and walking to be included in the bill and to receive a minimum-floor amount of the multi-modal fund. This success is a result of years of coalition work with the Keystone Transportation Funding Coalition and the health groups that collaborated on Walk Ride PA. 

Thank you to everyone who responded to our six "calls to action" over the past several months and to our partner Pennsylvania and national organizations for using their own networks to get the message out. In total, 3,371 actions were taken through our action center on this issue. Harrisburg heard loud and clear that Pennsylvanians want safer roads for biking and walking and are willing to use their voice to call for state investments in enhancing transportation choices.

If you want to celebrate the bill's signing, there will be three bill signing events, one real and two symbolic, happening on Monday:

• Live bill signing: State College, PA. Happening 9:30 AM at the VFW Post 9575 located along route 322, just west of the 322/144 intersection.
• Montgomery County. 12:30 PM, NEW LOCATION: St. Teresa of Avila, 1260 S. Trooper Road, Norristown, PA 19403
• Pittsburgh. Happening 4 PM by the Liberty Bridge.

PA Voting on Transportation Today - Speak Up For Biking, Walking, and Transit!

After more than a year of negotiation, stalling, and jockeying, the House Assembly is going to vote this week on a transportation bill, paving the way for the Senate to follow up and the Governor to sign a bill. The final product of this week's votes will determine if bicycling, walking, and public transit are part of Pennsylvania's future, or tossed out the back door like mopwater.

A metaphorical representation of PA transportation
without a proper funding bill.

The PA House is expected to consider, as soon as this afternoon, an amendment to HB 106 sponsored by Representative Micozzie (R-163). This amendment will create a $2.3 billion transportation funding bill that repairs our bridges, provides for public transit statewide, and for the first time ever recognizes and funds bicycling and walking.

It will be all too easy to strip bicycling and walking out of the bill as "frivolous expenditures nobody wants." House Assembly members need to hear from you that safe walking and biking are important. Tell your Representative to vote YES on Rep. Micozzie's amendment.

In the 21st century, transportation does not begin and end with highways. We need a comprehensive transportation bill that makes bicycling and walking in Pennsylvania safer and more accessible. Funding does that, and this is our best chance to get bicycling and walking respected and acknowledged in our state's transportation funding. The House may vote on Rep. Micozzie's amendment to HB106 as soon as this afternoon; e-mail or call your House Representative today and tell them to vote for the amendment!

Thank you for speaking up for biking and walking!

p.s If you want to call your legislator - use this handy site to find his/her contact information

A Refresher on Taking Your Bike on Regional Rail

In theory, taking your bike on regional transit opens up new travel opportunities. You can be more mobile on both ends of your train trip, and bike in otherwise inaccessible or inconvenient places. In practice, however, you have to manage byzantine rules regarding which trains will accommodate your bike, and when. You may also have to deal with train conductors who don't know the posted rules of their own transit system.

To deal with the former, here are the rules for our regional train systems. To deal with the latter, we recommend carrying a copy of the rules with you. Put it in your wallet or on your phone and refer to it in a friendly way if a dispute with a conductor arises.

On SEPTA
All rules are laid out in this handy 3-page PDF. For regional rail specifically:

• 2 bikes per car, stored in designated areas, allowed on all trains except:
• Weekday inbound trains arriving at a Center City Station btw 6:00 - 9:30 AM
• Weekday outbound trains leaving a Center City station btw 4:00 - 6:30 PM
• Center City stations are: University City, 30th Street, Suburban, Market East, and Temple University

On PATCO: PATCO allows bikes at all times.

On NJ Transit:

• Bikes are allowed at all times on the RiverLINE and the Atlantic City Line
• The Northeast Corridor Line to New York has a complicated set of rules. 

Amtrak:

• You can only take a folding bike on Amtrak, although new baggage cars with bike racks are coming to long distance trains in 2014.

You can view SEPTA's bike and ride brochure below:

Harrisburg Update: Vote is Delayed but Some Consensus is Emerging

Regular readers of our blog know that we've been heavily involved in the Harrisburg debate around a transportation bill. Several times we've thought the state legislature was close to a vote, only to have the vote pushed back.

The latest news that emerged yesterday is both good and bad: the four legislative caucuses are actively negotiating (which is progress), but this means that no vote will happen before mid-November (another delay).

Your grandparents remind you to wipe your feet on the mat
and call your state representatives

Another delay is worrisome. However, while a very contentious issue (prevailing wage) is preventing a vote this week, at least the major players are at the table negotiating. Setting aside prevailing wage, we are encouraged that a consensus is emerging around the minimum level of funding required for an acceptable bill, and we think that that funding will include a dedicated fund for biking and walking. We are also optimistic that SEPTA will get an amount of money it can live with.

Thank you to the hundreds of people who have already contacted their PA State Reps about the importance to Pennsylvania's future of a well-funded, multi-modal (ie, all types of transportation, not just highways) transportation system. Like grandparents' advice, such sentiments can always be repeated. So we encourage you to contact your PA elected officials and remind them that a comprehensive transportation funding package is important for the entire commonwealth, and that transportation means trains, bikes, and sidewalks too.

Linda McGrane, Temple University Top 2013 National Bike Challenge

The Civil War analogy is just an
excuse to show great Civil War
facial hair on the blog

This year's National Bike Challenge wrapped up yesterday. The Challenge, an initiative of the League of American Bicyclists and Kimberly-Clark, pits brother against brother, workplace against workplace, city against city, in a brutal bicycling competition which some people refer to as "The Bicycling Contest of Northern Aggression." Ken Burns is making a 23-part documentary about it.

Not really. But it is a friendly national contest to log bicycling miles this summer. Participants got 20 points for each day they bicycled, and 1 point per mile. This encouraged bicycling more often and helped commuters hang with the weekend recreational cyclists. Here is a recap of how things shook out:

Nationally, Pennsylvania was the 8th most-bicycling state, while New Jersey finished at 39th. Some top results from our region:

Top 3 individual riders:
1. Linda McGrane (11,050 points) - 17th nationally
2. Daniel Oz (10,607 points) - 20th nationally
3. Frank Martin (10,429 points) - 22nd nationally

Top 3 teams:
1. Temple University (92,731 points) - 46,712 miles - 20th nationally
2. Philly Bike Club (89,197 points) - 65,305 miles  26th nationally
3. Toll Dodgers (66,618 points) - 29,851 miles - 63rd nationally

Top 4 workplaces
1. Temple University
2. Comcast
3. UPenn
4. Thomson Reuters (barely lost to UPenn, so we're recognizing them here)

You can view the full leaderboards at nationalbikechallenge.com. And thanks to everyone who logged their miles this summer!

Urgent! Tell Your PA House Rep to Support Transportation Funding

Pick your cliche: it's now or never; it's do-or-die time; time to cowboy up, give 110% percent, leave it all on the field and dance with the horse that brought you.

Early next week, the Pennsylvania House is going to vote on a transportation bill. This is Pennsylvania's best shot to adequately fund transportation, including bicycling and walking projects, for the foreseeable future. We must act now.

As you may recall, last spring the Senate passed SB 1, provided $2.5B in funding. That bill is the best bill we could expect out of this transportation debate, and we need the House to pass an identical bill at that same $2.5 billion funding level.

House members need to hear from you that this bill is critical to making Pennsylvania's roads safer and its economic well being. Tell them that their vote on this issue is critically important to you as their constituent. No matter their party, every House member should vote for this bill if they have Pennsylvania's best interests at heart.

Please:

1. Send this e-mail action letter to your House representative.
2. Call your House Representative's office and deliver the same message: you are counting on them to vote YES on comprehensive transportation funding.

In order to fulfill the promise of Senate Bill 1 and build, not bastardize, Pennsylvania's future, the House bill must provide $2.5 billion in annual transportation funding, which includes:

• $495 million designated for public transit (read: SEPTA);
• A robust multi-modal fund of $80-$150 million annually, to which bicycle and pedestrian projects can apply for funding; and
• At least $2 million minimum in the multi-modal fund for bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

This is a critically important moment in Pennsylvania for all forms of transportation. We need everyone to speak up for its importance. As Rina Cutler, Philadelphia's Deputy Mayor said this morning at a DVRPC board meeting: "We have one shot at this and no second chance." 

PA State Transportation Commission Wants to Hear From You

Tell the State of Pennsylvania where you want to ride or walk

As odd as it may sound in this time of fiscal uncertainty (what with Harrisburg deliberating whether or not to fund transportation at all), the State's Transportation Commission is seeking public comment as it develops its "Twelve Year Transportation Program."

The Commission has prepared a draft performance report, and the public comment period is open until October 7th.

This is a great opportunity to tell the Transportation Commission where you want improvements in biking and walking on any state road in Pennsylvania.

There are several ways to provide your input to the Transportation Commission:

First, you can take a one hour webinar on September 26th from 6-7pm.  Register to take the webinar here.

Second, you can take this public survey. You'll have an opportunity to indicate specifically where you want bicycle "paths" and trails.

Third, download this Project Feedback Form and fill it out with the name of a road or bridge where you want a bicycle or pedestrian "facility" (i.e. a bike lane, a crosswalk, a mid-block crossing) and e-mail it to Julie Harmantzis at RA-PennDOTSTC@pa.gov. Fill out a form for every project that you want to suggest.

Philadelphia's Bicycle Commuting Rate Rises Significantly In 2012 Census Data

The US Census Bureau has released the 2012 One Year American Community Survey figures. Amidst that whole heap o' data is information about bike commuting. The data confirms our anecdotal knowledge: bicycle commuting in Philadelphia is still increasing. Between 2011 and 2012, bicycle commuting rates in Philadelphia increased by 28%, from 1.8% to 2.3%.

See how Philadelphia compares to other notable cities in the chart below:

Philadelphia retains its title as the top bike commuting city among the country's ten largest cities. We actually increased our lead over number two Chicago. That may change, however, as Chicago launched a new bike share program called Divvy this year. After just 2.5 months of operation, that program is now the third most popular in the country. Combined with Chicago's aggressive construction of protected bike lanes, we expect the Windy City's bicycle commuting rate to continue to rise.

The news at the suburban county level for our area is not as rosy. Bike commuting levels remain stubbornly low, with all the PA counties each reporting just a 0.2% bicycle commute mode share. Our nearby New Jersey counties are more diverse. Gloucester County registered the lowest rate in the region, at 0.1% or one in a thousand, and zero female bike commuters. Only Mercer County, NJ reported a bicycle commute share that was above the national average of 0.64%.

The American Community Survey conducts its research via telephone surveys. They call residents and ask what his or her "primary mode of transportation" to work was the previous week. Biked to the bus? You're counted as a bus commuter. Biked two days a week and drove the other three? You're a vehicle commuter. If they happen to catch a county the week after terrible weather, bicycle rates can be under-reported. So this data is certainly not without its qualifications, but it's one of the best pictures we have at the moment of the state of bicycle commuting in the country.

Oh, and Portland? Their bicycle commuting rate fell fro 6.3% to 6.1%. Not that we're counting.

Be Part of the Circuit Commitment Campaign (There's Something Happening Here)

To appropriate Buffalo Springfield* (not the first time it's happened):

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
Until I read that blog post right here
A tellin' me to put my hand in the air

It's time we STOP, bikers, what's that sound
Everybody look what needs more funding

Okay, we lost it there at the end. But there IS something happening here, and if you enjoy bicycling, running, or walking on beautiful trails, this is a call for you to raise your hand just like these trail supporters did in June:

June's Circuit Caucs meetings from New Jersey (left) and Pennsylvania (right). Not shown: Muppet Circuit Caucus

We have begun the Circuit Commitment Campaign, the goal of which is to harness public support to secure funding for new trails in our region.

You are the "public support" part of this equation. If you'd like to see the Schuylkill River Trail extended south, or bring the Chester Valley Trail into Lancaster County, or build the Delaware Heritage Trail in New Jersey (for example), here's what you can do:

• Sign the online Circuit petition and post it to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• Educate yourself on The Circuit and the campaign with this narrated presentation.
• Help our postcard campaign by distributing postcards to your church, favorite coffee shop, bike club, or other public space. E-mail us and we'll mail them to you.
• Add the Circuit take action button to your website and hyperlink it to the petition.
• Share this 400-word story about the campaign with your bicycle club, Friend of a Trail club, or outdoorsy listserv.

Background
In late June, trail supporters in Pennsylvania and New Jersey gathered together at two Circuit Caucus meetings to learn more about how they can help build the remaining 450 miles of The Circuit. At the meeting, we laid out the components of the Circuit Commitment campaign, which is working toward the goal of replenishing the region's trail fund with $10 million. We will be asking County officials who sit on the board of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to allocate $10 million toward trail planning, design and construction for trails in the nine counties that are part of The Circuit. We need to make the case to decision makers that there is widespread public support for trail funding.

So please - stop, bicyclists, hear this sound, everybody say why they love their trails. (*cue harmonica solo)

*UPDATE: this was originally cited as Dusty Springfield. This error is due in part to the blog editor (NM) being born in the 1980s. Sarah would not have gotten this wrong.

Women Bike PHL #11: In the Advocacy Trenches with Sarah Clark Stuart

Sarah Clark Stuart is the Policy Director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. She has been with the Bicycle Coalition since 2008.

How did you learn to ride a bike? What is your history with bicycling?
I learned by being let go down a hill by one of my cousins. I was between five and ten. I grew up in many places; Europe and in Washington DC, but I would spend summertime with relatives in Southeastern Connecticut, right on the water, and that's where I learned to bike. I recall smashing into a mailbox when I didn’t have a proper light when I was a teenager.

I went to Pomona College in California, and I had to have a bike to get around the big footprint of the Claremont Colleges. I lived off-campus and biked to and fro. After college, I always had a bike, but after grad school I moved to New York City and I never for a second thought of biking there, because not very many people biked in Manhattan in the mid-eighties. Once my husband and I moved down to Philadelphia in 1993, he bought me a bike and it seemed a lot more doable to bike around. Gradually I got used to riding in traffic, which was not where I was accustomed to riding before. But I didn't really consider myself a bicyclist; to me, bicyclists were either messengers or were people who did road cycling on weekends, and I was neither. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but for me, riding a bike was utilitarian. I was more interested in riding around to run errands and get back and forth between places, because I'm chronically behind schedule, and walking takes too long. Philadelphia is so easy to bike in.

Can you tell me how you got involved in the Schuylkill campaign? It was an epic fight that just concluded now with the building of the bridge. 
Yes, the connector bridge opened in October 2012. When we moved to Philly in 1993 and bought our house in the Logan Square neighborhood, we were told by our realtor that a park would be built down by the Schuylkill River, a few blocks away. Until the park was built in 2003, I crossed over the tracks with my dog and my babies on my back and walked around the scrubby and unlandscaped riverfront. I got interested in the issue when construction finally began because it was clear that no one had a good answer of how we were going to be able to get into the park once it was built. The first thing that was done on the construction site was the installation of a fence. A group of us who were neighbors in the Logan Square neighborhood started meeting and getting to know people in the Fitler Square neighborhood, and together we went to meet with the Streets Department, the Law department and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation to find out how to keep the crossings open at Race and Locust Streets. It was clear that we were going to have to take this on, because CSX was not interested in permitting pedestrian crossings over its freight lines.

We knew we had to wage a citizen action campaign, so we formed a campaign called Free Schuylkill River Park. This was 2004, and we created a blog, and my husband was able to set us up with a fairly new thing called an e-mail action service. We started to link from the blog to where you could send an e-mail, and we put the e-mail address for the head of CSX, the Mayor, City Council, anyone who we needed to convince to keep the crossings open. We also created an online petition and went down to the path to ask people to sign the petition. That helped us build up an email list.

It took two years but the City and CSX finally came to an agreement, which was that CSX would allow the two “at grade” crossings to remain open with gates and fencing, and the city would build a bridge in the vicinity of Locust Street to provide an “above grade” crossing. That was signed in 2007, and it took till 2012 to get the two crossings and bridge all done.

It must have been a pretty great day when that bridge opened!
It was a great day. I was very gratified, and pretty humbled too. It's awesome to have been part of making such an appealing piece of infrastructure possible.

I want to talk about Women Bike PHL, and how it fits into the greater narrative of bicycling advocacy. How does the advocacy that you do tie into making cycling more attractive to women?
I work both on getting trails connected and building out the trail network, The Circuit, and I also work on building the city's bike network. I think the more the city and region builds longer, connected, on-road and off-road networks that make people, especially women, feel safe, the more both men and women will want to use them. The safer the roads and trails appear to be, the more women will want to bike on them.

Harrisburg Fails On Transportation - And Where We Go Next

Political gridlock brings out
the color in Oliver's cheeks

It was quite the dramatic weekend in Harrisburg as legislative leaders wrangled about the state budget, transportation funding, liquor privatization, and public education. In the end, the state budget passed on time, but transportation funding was pushed back until the fall.

A Recap
So, what happened this weekend? We rallied to support the Senate transportation funding bill (Senate Bill 1) with other organizations like PA Walks and Bikes, Mission Readiness, the American Heart Association, and the 200+ organizations that comprise the Keystone Transportation Funding Coalition.

The Senate's bill included a robust multi-modal fund that adequately funded all modes of transportation. The House version was $300-$500 million below the Senate-passed version and threatened this multi-modal approach to transportation funding - including significantly less funds for bicycles, pedestrians, and public transportation.

In the end, the House could not generate the number of bi-partisan votes necessary to pass its own version of Senate Bill 1. Clearly, the transportation bill feel victim to the rural versus urban divide that defines Pennsylvania politics.

Silver Linings

Although we didn't get the bill we wanted, we accomplished a tremendous amount in this effort. Look how far we came:

Harrisburg Needs To Hear That You Value Bicycling And Walking

Oliver, captured moments after learning
the proposed House amendments would eliminate
funding for bicycling and walking projects

We predicted there would be opposition in Harrisburg to dedicating funding for bicycling and walking, and now we learn we were right.

The Pennsylvania Senate recently passed Senate Bill 1, a comprehensive, 21st century transportation funding solution for Pennsylvania. Given the choice, everyone would prefer Pennsylvania to exist in the 21st century, right?

Now Pennsylvania's House Transportation Committee is contemplating amendments to that bill. The proposed amendments strip out what the Senate had recommended for biking and walking.

The amendments completely eliminate dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects that make our communities safer.

These proposed amendments would also reduce the funds available for multi-modal projects and deal a huge blow to mass transit, leading to massive service cuts around the state.

These amendments would be very, very bad for Pennsylvania.

As a state we need to improve and diversify our transportation. We need to be able to get where we need to go safely. Bicycling and walking are active modes of transportation. 12% of all trips in Pennsylvania (not just Philly, but the whole state) occur on foot or on bike. But these House amendments want no dedicated funding for bicycling or pedestrian projects. 

If you care about Pennsylvania making us safer by funding bicycling and walking, please contact the House leadership and the Governor today!

• Tell them that you do not support the proposed House amendments to Senate Bill 1.
• Tell them that you support a final transportation funding package that invests adequate resources in a multi-modal transportation system that includes dedicated funding for all modes of transportation.
• Ask them to support a $2.5 billion transportation funding plan that would include a first-ever state investment in making our roads and communities safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Tell them why this is important.

Making roads and communities more conducive to active transportation options, like bicycling and walking, will reduce roadway crashes, reduce carbon emissions, help children and families build physical activity into their daily routines, and open Pennsylvania up to a larger share of the bicycle tourism industry - a $50 billion per year industry.

It's the 21st century, and we need a 21st century transportation funding bill.

Ask Your PA Representative To Vote For Bicycle And Pedestrian Funding

Last week, the PA Senate passed a comprehensive transportation funding bill (Senate Bill 1) that includes the FIRST-EVER dedicated funding for bicycles and pedestrians.

This money will fund projects that will make Pennsylvania roads and communities safer and more accessible for biking and walking.

Now the PA House must pass this $2.5 billion plan. We expect opposition to the bicycle and pedestrian funding portion of the bill, so we need to speak up for it! You can help in two ways:

1. Call your State Representative and tell them to "adequately fund transportation and include dedicated funding for bicycling and walking - as is found in Senate Bill 1." Feel free to elaborate on why biking and walking is important to you.
2. Send this e-mail action alert saying the same message.

This is a big opportunity to set a precedent of dedicated bicycle and pedestrian funding in Pennsylvania. We can make it happen if we speak up for it! Please take five minutes and take action today.

Update On PA State Funding For Bicycling And How You Can Help It Happen

The full Pennsylvania Senate is likely to vote today on its state transportation bill. The bill is expected to pass, and then head to the PA House of Representatives. There is much to like in this bill for bicyclists, but it faces a tough road in the House. So we are asking for engaged citizens to join us in Harrisburg next Tuesday for a rally to support this bill.

The Pennsylvania Senate's SB1 includes:

• A multi-modal fund of $80-$150 million annually, to which bicycle and pedestrian projects can apply for funding;
• An annual minimum of $2 million of that fund which will be spent on bicycle and pedestrian facilities;
• The broadening of this funding to include pedestrian safety projects, streetscape & lighting;
• A finding that describes Pennsylvania's comprehensive transportation system to include PA's "numerous bicycle and pedestrian facilities," which will make it easier for bicycle/pedestrian projects to compete for highway funds.

Senate Bill 1 now heads to the PA House of Representatives - where it will face an uphill climb. We need cyclists to support these efforts by encouraging their legislators to support funding bicycle and pedestrian investments!

You can show support in two ways:

1. Join us in Harrisburg on Tuesday, June 11th at 10:00 AM. We will be rallying on the steps of the Capitol building to thank the PA Senate for passing a transportation bill that includes bike and ped funding, and for continuing to advocate for making our roads and communities safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
2. Tell your legislator that you (and therefore, he or she) support dedicated funding for walking and biking pathways in the state. Click here to send an email to your state reps.

Take another step and get involved in the Walk And Ride PA campaign on Facebook www.facebook.com/walkandridepa and Twitter: www.twitter.com/walkandridepa.

Want New Bike Trails In Your County? Join the Circuit Commitment Campaign

On behalf of The Circuit Coalition, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia invites you to the launch of the Circuit Commitment Campaign.

We are bringing together trail enthusiasts and supporters like you for two informational sessions in June (one for PA, one for NJ). These caucus meetings are the kickoff to the Circuit Commitment Campaign.

The Circuit Commitment Campaign's goal is to replenish the DVRPC (Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission)'s Regional Trail Fund, which is a competitive grant program established by the William Penn Foundation in 2010. The fund is distributing nearly $10 million in our nine-county region, and is helping plan, design and build nearly 40 miles of trail.

This grant program, if continued, could have a major impact on our trails! So we need people like you, who want to see The Circuit's unfinished trails built, to encourage County Commissioners (in Pennsylvania) & Freeholders (in New Jersey) to allocate a second $10 million for the years 2014-2016. This money will continue the momentum of that first grant cycle, moving us closer to realizing the vision of a region connected by a world-class network of bike-ped trails: The Circuit.

Get involved in creating new trails for your community by attending your state's trail caucus!

The Pennsylvania Caucus
June 17th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Haverford Community, Recreation & Environmental Center
Register to attend here

New Jersey Caucus
June 19th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Camden County Boathouse
Register to attend here

We can get more trails like the Perkiomen Trail if we take action by speaking up for money to build them

The Pennsylvania Caucus meeting will provide an overview of the next set of Circuit trails currently under development in Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia Counties.

The New Jersey Caucus meeting will provide an overview of the next set of Circuit trails currently under development in Mercer, Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties.

At each meeting, we will also discuss the campaign goal and how you can help get this trail funding secured.