Ride With Us to GLOW in FDR Park this Thursday

The Fairmount Park Conservancy works to support, build, and grow the Fairmount Park system. They are stalwart allies in our work to expand our parks and green spaces. Their big gala, GLOW in the Park, is happening this Thursday at the Boathouse in FDR Park.

Food trucks, drinks, fire dancers, at the historic FDR Park boathouse? Count us in!

We are leading a group bike ride to the event Thursday evening. Interested in biking down with friends, or looking for a casual group ride to get your urban bicycling feet wet? Get a ticket and join us! The event will feature bike valet parking.

Bike Ride to GLOW in the Park at FDR Park Boathouse
Meet up: NW Corner of Rittenhouse Square Park
Time: 5:30 pm (leaving promptly 5:45 PM)
No RSVP needed for the ride - just be there before 5:45! 
HELMET required, LIGHTS encouraged

Don't have a ticket yet? Grab one online. Your ticket supports the Fairmount Park system while giving you access to all sorts of event awesomeness:

• Free food truck fare
• Open bar
• Fire dancers and other entertainment
• $50-level 1-year membership to the Fairmount Park Conservancy (see benefits here)

The Down Side of Crowdsourcing - Google "Bicycling" Layer Gets Fuzzy

Perhaps the greatest and under-appreciated accomplishment of Google Bike Directions is that is has created the most comprehensive mapping database of bicycle facilities in North America. Thousands of miles of bike lanes and tens of thousands of miles of shared use paths have been mapped by bike enthusiasts from all over who reported bike facilities through the "report a problem" function or in Google Mapmaker. Google Maps and its updated satellite imagery has also enabled the BCGP and its partners to create the regional trail map website.

But we have noticed lately that the crowdsourced effort has become a victim of its own success. A lack of criteria that defines usable bike facilities in the "bicycling layer" is diluting its original purpose

Calling Bike Rental Operators: Fairmount Park Seeks You!

Philadelphia's Park and Recreation Department has issued a bid package for a bicycle rental program in the Park.  They are seeking letters of interest from experienced bicycle operators by November 1st.  The package includes a letter from Fairmount Park System Executive Director Mark Focht describing what the Department is looking for, a map of possible bike rental locations and bicycle/pedestrian traffic data at three Park locations.

Lloyd Hall Cafe Contract out for Bid

Philadelphia's Department of Parks and Recreation has posted a Request for Proposals for managing the Lloyd Hall Cafe.  Mandatory pre-proposal meeting and tour is scheduled for August 3rd and proposals are due August 27th.

More Opportunities to stop for a bite along Kelley Drive

Right on the heels of the good news about Bathey House and Cedars House, we learned today that Cosmic Catering has a lease to open several food carts along Kelly Drive. This weekend, they will be at the parking lot below the Girard Avenue Bridge.  Check it out!  If anyone gets a photo this weekend, please send it to us and we'll post it on the blog in future posts.

New amenities in Wissahickon & on SRT good for cyclists

As reported in today's Inquirer, two new cafes have opened in Fairmount Park to comfort tired, hungry and thirsty bicylists, hikers, and runners.  This is a welcome development, considering that the Lloyd Hall cafe has been closed all summer. Kudos to the many different folks involved in making these two eateries possible, including Phila's Dept. of Park and Recreation and the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust.

In East Falls, situated under Roosevelt Boulevard along  Kelly Drive is Trolley Car Cafe at the Bathey.  According to Destination Schuylkill River:
 "The historical structure, once a bath house, was rehabbed to accommodate the eatery, while also providing amenities to trail users including bicycle rentals, restrooms and an interactive gateway exhibit. What's more is that there is a convenient low-cost public parking lot (50 cents an hour!) located right there which makes East Falls a great jumping off point."

At the top of Wissahickon Park is the recently opened Cedars House.  Geared towards runners, it's a great spot for mountain bikers to stop in to grab a bite.

Note: each eatery has BATHROOMS (for customers only) and the Bathey House has Bike Rentals by Valley Forge Bicycles!

2010 Fairmount Park Mountain Bike Permits Available

From the Fairmount Park Commission

All mountain bike and equestrian trail users over the age of sixteen (16) are required to have a permit on the upper trails of Wissahickon Valley Park and Pennypack Park.

Users are encouraged to obtain a permit for all other Parks. Permits are required when using: bicycles, horses, carriages, horse-drawn vehicles and other non-motorized, wheeled vehicles.

Fee - The cost for permit registration is $20.00 for non-residents of the City of Philadelphia. A minimum $20.00 donation to support the trail program is requested from Philadelphia residents.

Volunteer opportunities are available almost every Saturday and Sunday, and regularly during the week. Contact our volunteer coordinators for the Wissahickon at 215-685-0120 and 215-685-0119 for the Pennypack.

Trail users found in noncompliance are subject to a $25.00 fine.

Visit www.fairmountpark.org for more information.

The Online Permit Application is here.

Note: A permit is not required to use Forbidden Drive or the park's paved trails.

A Tale of Two Park Systems

Philadelphia Police have warned joggers in Fairmount Park not to travel alone. That because of two apparently unrelated rapes have occurred in the past two weeks. As Special Victims Unit Captain John Darby states in the Inquirer - "We encourage people to use the park areas, But we're asking folks to use a buddy system."

But don't expect the Philadelphia Police or Fairmount Park Rangers to provide a greater presence on the parks extensive trail network, they can't. Once upon a time Fairmount Park had its own enforcement arm the "Fairmount Park Guard" which numbered over 500 in the early 70's. The guard was subsequently disbanded and was replaced by 18 Park Rangers and it's own Police District the 92nd. Last year the 92nd was dismantled. Coverage is now provided by the 14th, 16th and 19th Districts. To confuse things further MLK and Kelly Drives are assigned to PPD's Highway Unit, but the adjacent paths fall within the other Police Districts. What a mess.














Fairmount Park Guard All Night Bike Patrol Circa 1916 - fairmountpark.org

Meanwhile - Montgomery County Parks, Sheriff's Department and the Norristown Police have all stepped up patrols to curtail simple assaults and harrassment that has occurred on the Schuylkill River Trail. The quiet on the list serves and lack of reported incidents on trailreporter.com suggest that this strategy has been a success. Neighborhood Bike Works is also raising money to establish a chapter in Norristown. Come next June we may have to deal with the problem again but I have no doubt that they will be prepared.

It's not really fair, especially with the City's budget crisis to compare Fairmount Park to Montgomery County Parks. 50 years of systemic disinvestment has taken its toll. In the last year and a half the Mayor, City Council and groups such as Friends of Philadelphia Parks have dramatically changed the way we manage the park system. The Park reform to-do list is very long but finding some way to reconstitute the 92nd District enriched with bike patrols would be a great start.

Some Thoughtful Construction Detours

We have been focusing on the reckless consumption of bicycle and pedestrian space by some construction crews but these two sites on MLK Drive show that it can be done right.

At the Westbank Greenway construction site a cattle chute passageway at the MLK Drive Bridge over the Schuylkill. The protusion also seems to calm the traffic albeit only slightly.



This construction site at the Fish Ladder and Dam on MLK was blocked a few days ago. The construction crew moved the fence back to accommodate trail users. Thanks to the Fairmount Park Staff for keeping things open.