Philadelphia Bicycle Journal

Baby you can drive my car.

2026-06-03T14:19:23.041-04:00

Recently one of my least favorite days of the year, Bike to Work Day. Which is preceded by Bike to Work Month and Bike to Work Week. This is the one day out of the year where politicians and executives ride a bike to work, usually a bike on loan or a bike share bike. For a mile or two at the most, complete with a police escort and bottled water. There may even be a pitstop at the end where you will be feted with snacks, raffle prizes, awards, and tchotchkes. The people who do this once a year will pat themselves on the back for saving the environment.

The rest of the year, especially if you work in a corporate setting, bike commuters are viewed as a bunch of weirdos who ride in all kinds of weather and are smelly. Even though you take a shower or a sink bath. To say nothing of peoples views on cyclist wearing Lycra if they are nota competitive cyclist.

Just one I would like to see corporations whose employees have

easy access to bike

trails start a weekly or bi monthly bike train to truly

encourage employees to ride

bikes to work. Many companies have people who

coordinate car pools, van pools,

and shuttle buses that make pick ups at SEPTA light rail stations.

How hard would it

be to find some active bike commuters who would lead a bike train?

Philly Bike Action

2026-02-08T21:33:00.001-05:00

Philly Bike Action or as it as also known as, the PBA has achieved the kind of results that the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has been talking about for the last ten years.

The coalesced around a long term issue, parking on the bike lanes along Spruce and Pine St's. When Spruce and Pine were converted from two lanes with parking to one lane with parking and a bike lane in 2009. Mayor Michael Nutter made an unwritten, handshake deal that the people could park in the bike lanes if they were attending a religious service and in doing so he opened a can of worms. Spruce and Pine quickly became a chokepoint with cars and trucks in the bike lanes 24/7. Placing cyclists at risk for injury or death.

The PBA started by negotiating solutions with the religious institutions and most them were amenable. For those that did not the PBA came up with a unique solution in the form of civil disobedience, bike lane parties. After all how can you complain about a group of people who are holding a party without looking like a party pooper.

There next step was to start leveraging their goals by getting members who lived in various districts to attend RCO, Registered Community Organizations. RCO's are similar to to an HOA, the local community has a way to provide input on where they live. And like HOA's these meetings are rarely productive, sparsely attended, and dominated by a small minority whose agenda only benefits themselves and not the community. Its is a lot harder to ignore bicycle safety and infrastructure issues when a hundred or more people start attending meetings. The same principle has also been applied to Philadelphia City Council meetings. In both cases effective results have been achieved.

As an all volunteer organization the PBA relies on its community for many things and it reflects in how they operate. The teams that make up legal, public relations, project management, and other areas are often made up of individuals who work in those fields for a living. Solutions also come from those who have viable ideas, the willingness to create a plan, and follow through on it with the approval and resources of the PBA. Once example has been, bike lane clean ups.

Because Philadelphia has no effective street cleaning program nor will it ever. A lot of the debris that lands in the street gets pushed into the bike lanes by passing vehicles, including a lot of broken glass, leaves, and dirt. Making bikes lanes narrower, unsafe, and an eyesore in the neighborhood. Initially on their own and now working with local neighborhood groups. These cleanups have helped to improve neighborhood relations as cyclists are not viewed as someone just passing through.

The most unique unofficial partnership was the creation of the Laser Vision app. Laser Vision helps you report sidewalk, crosswalk, and bike lane parking obstructions directly to the Philadelphia Parking Authority's Mobility Access Violation form. This does not guaranty that the Philly Parking Authority will write a ticket. What it does do is create a heat map that the PPA can use to determine to best allocate its resources and identify revenue.

I don't know what the PBA has planed for the future. Given their successes I look forward to their next step.

Stop, Collaborate and Listen.

2026-01-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

With a second heavy snowfall in two weeks set to arrive this weekend I have seen social media posts asking about the conditions of roads, trails, and bike lanes through the region by people who commute by bike, Those conditions are best summed by a true wordsmith; a poet who did not know it, someone who rocked a mic like a vandal. "Ice, ice, baby".

Area trails get very little maintenance, bike lanes get blocked by snow plowed off the roads, and streets develop black ice. A recipe for broken bones. I know what it is like to wait in the cold for a bus that is running late or an unheated subway station. As someone who has broken several bones over the years and has multiple bolts, rods, and a staples the only thing I have to say is, don't do it. Depending on what you do for a living you may end up sitting at home for weeks or months waiting to heal with limited income and medical bills.

if at all possible just wait until the streets are clear and the snow immediately near them has melted. Give it a week or two and the weather will have made riding safer and saner.

Word to your mother

A Fox in the Henhouse

2024-11-13T16:52:00.004-05:00

For those of you who may not be familiar with recent events in Philadelphia. Following the death of Dr. Barbara Friedes who wass riding in in the bike lane along the 1800 block of Spruce St. at the hands of a drunk driver. The Philly Bike Action stepped up their bike lane parties, which they used as a way to keep cars from parking in the bike lane on Sunday's. Which has been going on since 2009. This has led to the elimination of this "privilege" by recent passing of a no stopping law by the City of Philadelphia. Which has led to pushback from individuals and Philadelphia RCO's in the forms of complaints about being excluded from the redesign to lawsuits.

But the most egregious and astounding example about how this is being addressed is coming from within the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, in the form of BCGP Board Member Jeff Braff. He is part of the Spruce & Pine St. Task Force, independent of the BCGP and the City of Philadelphia. Whose stated goal is to create an "alternative" and "independent design". In order to protect their privilege to park in bike lanes. While Mr. Braff has made it clear that he is doing this independently of the BCGP, that does not mean that his being a member of the BCGP board is a being ignored

Board members on non for-profits are often recruited for their stature within a community and their ability to bring large donations from individuals. These same board members also use this as way to polish their resumes while providing little if any results. The BCGP has only one choice to deal with this. Mr. Braff needs to be removed from the board immediately and his actions on the task force need to be disavowed by the BCGP. Otherwise any credibility that the BCGP has regarding its advocacy work is nothing more than a Potemkin Village.

Or to put as simply as possible, the phone call is coming from inside the house.

Why is infrastructure so difficult to create in Philadelphia?

2024-07-26T22:24:00.000-04:00

With the recent and preventable death of a cyclist one has to ask,. Why is it so difficult to get the type of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in Philadelphia that so many other American cities have. Well, seek and you shall find. This video on why it so hard to create effective infrastructure and who is working to change that can be seen here.

Philly Open Streets vs Philly Free Streets

2024-06-19T10:45:00.003-04:00

The transition from the Open Streets movement to the Philly Bike Ride has left some Philadelphians yearning for the inclusive and free spirit of the original events. The Philly Bike Ride, with its high ticket prices and limited availability, certainly doesn't capture the same community-oriented ethos. Fortunately, there is an alternative in the form of the Broad St/PBC ride organized by Alexandria Schneider.

Alexandria Schneider has a strong track record of organizing large and inclusive bike rides in Philadelphia, including notable events like The Pope Ride, Ride DNC, and Cycle en Couleur. Her new event, the Broad St/PBC ride, promises to bring back the spirit of community and inclusivity that many people appreciated in the Open Streets movement.

Here are the key details for those interested in participating in the Broad St/PBC ride:

Event Name: Broad St/PBC Ride
Organizer: Alexandria Schneider
Event Page: Broad St/PBC Ride on Facebook

This event seems to be a great alternative for those who miss the openness and accessibility of the Open Streets movement. It's a chance to participate in a community-driven, inclusive bike ride without the financial barriers imposed by the Philly Bike Ride. If you enjoy biking and want to be part of a welcoming and energetic community, this could be the perfect event for you.

Your Bicycle has been stolen, now what do I do?

2023-05-04T01:48:00.001-04:00

All too often you will see posts on social media from people who have had their bicycles stolen asking people to watch out for it. There are some steps you should take before and in the event of, after.

First take a picture of the bike and one with you in the background and the bike in the foreground. Store them in more than one place; your laptop, the cloud, and your phone. Next locate the frame number on your bike. If you turn the bicycle over and look in the spot where the pedals run through the frame (bottom bracket) you will see a serial number. Take a picture of it and add it to the pictures of the bicycle. This is proof that you own the bike.

Now fast forward to the future, your bike has been stolen, you go to the police, and they ask you what your bicycle looks like. Unfortunately your answer is “I don’t know, but it is the best bicycle in the world”. Fortunately you have pictures of the bike so you can provide them with them as part of the report.

Now for the serial number. The serial number is a unique identifier, so if the police recover your bike they will know who it actually belongs to.

The next steps you take are very important. First e-mail a copy of the report to every bike shop in town and the suburbs with a picture of the bike. While the thief may not bring the bike into a shop, whoever they sold it to may. As long as the shop has a copy of the police report, including the serial number, they will hold the bike as stolen property.

Another step is to register your bicycle with Bike Index, www.bikeindex.org, this is an on-line bicycle registry that anyone, including bike shops, can access to see if a bicycle has been stolen. One other option is to check Facebook and see if there is a “stolen bikes” page. These pages have crowdsourced bicycle recovery with thousands of members watching for it on the streets, Craigslist, and other online sales sites. In Philadelphia that page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/120319078000282.

Never post your serial number online, except for Bike Index and the police report you send to the bike shops. Bike thieves know about the social media pages and will watch them to see if their bike has been identified as stolen.

While I hope your bicycle is never stolen, I hope that this will leave you better prepared in the event that it does.

Free Bicycle Rides in Philly - 2023

2023-04-06T21:12:00.002-04:00

Full Moon Philly Ride - https://www.facebook.com/groups/156618137847919

Philly Bike Party - https://www.facebook.com/philliebikeparte

Garden State (NJ) Bike Party - https://www.facebook.com/williamstownbikeparty

Philly Critical Mass - https://www.facebook.com/groups/524459788213181

Philly Cranksgiving - https://www.facebook.com/cranksgivingphilly

Wednesday Night Rides - https://www.instagram.com/wednesdaynightrides/

Philly Tweed Ride - https://www.facebook.com/phillytweedride/

Philly Wanderers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/420796055246389

Neighborhood Bike Works (Bike Coop) https://neighborhoodbikeworks.org/bike-shop

Philly Pumptrack - https://www.phillypumptrack.org/

Black Girls Do Bike (For Women of Color) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlackGirlsDoBikePhiladelphia

Wednesday Night Ride - https://wednightrides.org/

I'm Tired

2018-11-29T22:18:00.002-05:00

I’m tired. Tired of the state of cycling advocacy in Philadelphia.

I’m tired of individuals and advocacy groups trying to take credit for the work of
others.

When individuals started holding memorial rides and placing ghost bikes
for cyclists who have been killed while riding. Only to have the Bicycle
Coalition of Greater Philadelphia ask them to step aside so they
can do it. Or when the BCGP tried to claim it played some sort of crucial
role in the lawsuit against the Marriott and ParkingOps and its resolution.

I’m tired of the Bicycle Coalition wasting its time on the trolls and troglodytes that

infest the media and the internet. The BCGP have wasted far to much time on

Stu Bykofsky, making lopsided deals that only benefit Mr. Bykofsky. But the true

insult to the cycling community was when the BCGP devoted an entire podcast to

the Twitter troll @ZeroVisionPhila. Giving him the chance to voice his unfounded

theories.

There are many individuals in Philadelphia who are making positive change

when it comes to infrastructure. Instead of featuring people like that, the BCGP

chose to engage in sophomoric hijinks.

I am tired of people in the media and on social media who promulgate the concept of a war on cars. Especially when it come to Philadelphia’s

grumpy old man, Stu Bykofsky.

Who has spent close to ten years promoting the myth that bike lanes create traffic

and that all cyclists break the law by running red lights and stop signs. Some

claim that this is merely an act and Stu is a great guy. My response to this is,

Stu Bykofsky is anti-bike and a narcissist. Who engages in extreme statements

like calling cyclists “pedalphiles” in order to manipulate people into giving him
what he does not deserve, credibility.

I’m tired of the groups who form on social media who want to play a role in cycling

advocacy. Yet stand by and do nothing more than talk, with very little action.

Some of the worst moments occur when they discuss if a public action should

be taken. If you have to ask the question, you already know the answer.

I’m tired of people who think that if we inform and educate the general public

they will somehow accept cyclists as legitimate street users. It’s time to stop

asking the public politely and time to take public action on regular and consistent basis.

I’m tired.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

2018-07-03T13:38:00.000-04:00

Fairfield Inn at 261 S. 13th has been using the bicycle lane on 13th St

as part of its valet parking after construction in the area allowed it to

reopen. Unfortunately this practice forced cyclists into the streets on a

regular basis. Whatever discussions that occurred with the Fairfield

and ParkOps valet were fruitless and calling them out on public media

was pointless.

But then there came a paradigm shift in the form of Stuart Leon,

Bicycle Attorney. In the form of a court order requiring Fairfield Inn and

ParkOps valet to stay out of the bike lane. There were those who felt

the following pictures were bad optics. Handing a court order to a hourly

employee. Court orders should be served to company management,

but also to those employees who are most likely to be implement it.

You know what is bad optics? Cyclists getting injured or killed because of

blocked bike lanes. Especially in light of this;

Do you know does not work? Public shaming through social media

and in person protests. They depend on on a sense of responsibility on

the part business owners and if they have none nothing will change.

It won’t matter how many tickets customers or suppliers get or

how professionally anyone advocates for change. Unless there is a

direct impact to a company's profit margin, nothing will change.

What has to change are toothless statements on the part of the

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and its representatives.

For far too many years we have seen attempts by the BCGP to educate

and work the system from the inside. The results of which have led to

greater difficulty in getting new bike lanes installed, faded bike lanes

repainted, and safety issues unaddressed.

That change will come in the form of court orders, when and where

they can be applied. I hope that what Stuart Leon achieved becomes the first of many.

If I Die Before I Wake

2018-06-30T18:42:00.000-04:00

Just recently yet another cyclist has been killed at an intersection by a truck

making a right turn, or as it is more commonly known as, a right hook.

This can happen due any number of factors, driver not signaling for their turns,

failing to check their mirrors, and cyclists being in the trucks blindspot.

A local reporter posted a 15 second video clip showing the crushed and

mangled bicycle of the most recent victim being pulled out from under

the wheels of the truck. Some people felt that this was a violent image

and offensive to the friends and family. There was no body, blood, or

viscera in the video, just a mangled bike.

To those who believe this was violent and offensive imagery, let me

tell you what should be considered violent and offensive. Violent is

getting crushed under the wheels of a truck, knowing there is

nothing you can do. Offensive is when a family member has to

go to the morgue to identify their loved one's body or having to

post a Go Fund Me to cover the costs of the funeral.

I am in the process of instructing my friends and family that if I am killed

while riding my bike they should make what happened as political as

possible. Including a statement to the press with my mangled bike front and center for everyone to see. I don’t want a ghost bike, I want a

New Orleans style funeral procession through the streets with a

casket being towed by a bicycle.

All too often cycling advocates and individual cyclist in Philadelphia

have tried to work with the city to make positive changes only to rebuffed

by City Council. Or subject to city employees who spend more time

trying to create projects that resemble Potemkin villages, instead of

improvements with actual substance.

Personally I believe that anyone getting a non-commercial or

commercial license should have to watch a video with mangled bikes

and brief bios of the people who were killed on them. Along with an

actual bike ride or a training situation like this

It’s time to stop worrying about hurt feelings and to time focus on

cyclists not getting killed.

Philadelphia Social Rides - 2018

2018-03-31T18:42:00.000-04:00

With spring and the return of warm temperatures not that far off, people

will be dusting off their bicycles from there long winters hibernation.

For those of you looking for rides that are shorter, leisurely, and about

socializing this is the current list of social rides in Philadelphia.

Social rides in Philadelphia are often 10 to 15 miles long, with no drops,

often involve a final destination where you can eat, drink and

make new friends. Some of the rides listed are monthly,

while others are seasonal/annual.

Monthly

Philly Full Moon Bike Ride https://www.facebook.com/groups/156618137847919/

The Philly Full Moon Ride has been going strong since 2013. Each ride is

held on the full moon of every month, 12 months a year. This ride departs

from the Art Museum stairs and is a night ride.

Philly Bike Party - https://www.facebook.com/philliebikeparte/

This is the second iteration of the Philly Bike Party. The organizers have

been very consistent about holding monthly rides and usually work with

some kind of theme. Most of the rides depart from the Art Museum stairs

with occasional departures from The Porch at 30th St. Station and

Love Park. It is a night ride.

Taco Tuesday Ride PHL - https://www.facebook.com/tacoridephl/

Taco Tuesday is the newest ride to Philadelphia. A group of cyclists

attempted to revive the Midnight Pretzel Ride only to find that the

bakery had changed its hours. So they created the Taco Tuesday ride.

Held monthly the Taco Tuesday Ride goes to various restaurants to

eat tacos. This ride departs from the Art Museum stairs and is a night ride.

Night Cycle Philadelphia - https://www.facebook.com/phillybikeride/

A night ride that departs from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and final

stop at a local bar.

PMA Bike Ride - https://www.facebook.com/pmabikeride/

The PMA Bike Ride delivers pizza to those in need who may be

living on the streets.

Annual

Cycle Scene PHL - https://www.facebook.com/groups/cyclescenephl/

Cycle Scene PHL has brought many of the local rides together

to create a singular resource. It is also where you can find mass

rides planned by Alexandria Schnieder. Past rides organized by

Ms. Schnieder have included; The PopeRide, RideDNC, and

Cycle en Color. All of these rides have drawn over 1000 cyclists per ride.

Philly Tweed Ride - https://www.facebook.com/phillytweedride/

Attracting an average of 100 participants, the Philly Tweed Ride is a time

machine back to 1900’s in England. Tweed and vintage bikes abound,

along with modern takes on a period look. A ride through Philadelphia

with a stop for a picnic and post ride drinks and awards that include,

best dressed, best mustache, and best bike. Held in the fall,

this is a leisurely ride.

Philly Seersucker Vintage Ride & Social - https://www.facebook.com/PhillyDandQ/

The Seersucker Social is a springtime ride with a 1920’s American vibe.

Just like the Tweed Ride this a very well dressed crowd wearing vintage

and vintage looking clothing.

Change is hard, excuses are easy.

2018-03-19T17:08:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, March 17 the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia held a
Vision Zero Conference and I did not attend. I chose not to sit through yet
another conference listening to experts and activists talk about what should
be and could be. Or worse yet, politicians making empty promises or
excuses for why they have failed to take any action.

I was truly angry and frustrated with this paraphrased statement attributed to
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.

Change is hard, making excuses is easy and Mayor Kenney has really good one above.
When Kenney ran for the office he made two commitments that I was very impressed by,
“Stolen Sidewalks” and 30 miles of protected bike lanes.

In Philadelphia when buildings are being constructed or renovated the sidewalks are
often blocked off to pedestrian traffic with no safe alternative. For decades in
New York City this issue has been dealt with the creation of “sheds” scaffolding
running the length of the sidewalk with a roof on it to prevent construction debris
from falling on pedestrians. As part of Kenney’s campaign he committed to ending the
practice of stolen sidewalks. Two years later nothing has changed.

Kenney’s other campaign commitment was to build 30 miles of protected bike
lanes during his four year term. So far we only have two miles, along with multiple
attempts to install unprotected bike lanes shut down due to Councilmanic claims of
“neighborhood concerns”. Kenney’s announcement of two five block long protected
bike lanes along JFK Blvd. and Market St. should have been greeted with derisive
response of “this is the best you have to offer after two years??!!”

It does not matter how many posts on social media Mayor Kenney reads, his apology
for not making change as fast has have we wanted was misleading. Mayor Kenney
has deliberately withheld several million dollars in grants to improve bike lane safety,
claiming the money does not exist. He should be apologizing for deliberately refusing
to make changes, making him complicit.

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire #2

2018-02-09T15:46:00.003-05:00

With the start of a new year, it didn’t take long for Philadelphia City Councilwoman Janine Blackwell to create more lies about the protected bike lane on Chestnut St. In the February 2018 issue of Philadelphia Magazine, page 140, in an interview when asked “If I could have vetoed one piece of legislation, it would have been…” Responded with “the bike lanes on on Chestnut St. between 45th and 34. People feel different ways about it. You’ve lost a driving lane; there a parking issues. It’s a big problem. But the bikers love it.”

To say that I am shocked and surprised by this statement would be a lie on my part. Lets remember this is the same Councilwoman Blackwell who announced at the ribbon cutting for the Chestnut St. protected bike lane that the bike lane would now be considered a pilot test and subject to removal in 90 days. Although 90 days have passed, the threat still remains.

What I find appalling is the deafening silence in response to her statement. It was Councilwoman Blackwell who sponsored and signed the ordinance that led to the creation of the Chestnut St. Bike Lane. There are several players involved in this who seem to be enabling this lie.

First there is Philadelphia Magazine writer Victor Fiorilli and the magazines fact checkers who somehow failed to double check this statement. One would think that being media professionals that they would be capable of finding out Councilwoman Blackwell sponsored the ordinance for the creation of the Chestnut St. protected bike lane.

Then there is the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Not a single Tweet, post to social media or article on their blog. This failure to respond should come as no surprise. For years the BCGP has been trying to be political insiders which has led to failures including the #unblockbikelanes campaign and giving control of all new bike lane installation to Philadelphia City Council. While the paint on bike lanes in Philadelphia have faded away to nothing and new bike lanes have been blocked by Council members over “neighborhood concerns”. The BCGP has refused to organize any kind of protest or rally. Instead they are focusing their attention on the suburbs and “completing the circuit.

In between the statement by Councilwoman Blackwell, Philadelphia Magazine's failure to fact check their interview, and the silence from the BCGP it’s hard to say who the worst hypocrite is. Given the fact that we currently have a President who took office with the lie of having the largest attendance at his inauguration to his most recent lie of having the most viewers for his State of the Union. It is no surprise that Councilwoman Blackwell has not been called out for the liar that she is. At a time in American history when accountability is no longer part of doing your job.

My 2018 New Years Resolution

2017-12-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

Although it’s not the new year I have decided to announce my New Year’s resolution. Starting in 2018 I will no longer sign petitions, send e-mails to local government officials, or attend meetings regarding bicycle infrastructure. Over the years the cycling community in Philadelphia has been far to acquiescent in how infrastructure and policy is implemented.

In 2009, Philadelphia Mayor Nutter installed bike lanes. Since then I have watched one failure after another when it comes to any maintenance or expansion in the current cycling infrastructure. Even after the death of Emily Fredricks the city managed to botch repainting of parts of Spruce St.

In 2011 The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia gave Philadelphia City Council control over all new bike lanes in exchange for a nebulous Safe Streets bill. Which has led to Councilman Bill Greenlee blocking a bike lane on 22nd St due to “neighborhood concerns”. This Summer Councilman Kenyatta Johnson blocked a bike lane on Lombard St due to “neighborhood concerns”. On August 29, at the ribbon cutting for the protected bike lane on Chestnut St., Councilwoman Janine Blackwell announced that the lane may be removed due to, you guessed it………..”neighborhood concerns”.

It is time to create new solutions that don’t require the involvement of 5th Square and the BCGP with their failed and flawed methods. While 5th Square and the BCGP have made attempts to influence policy through the use of surveys, data, and asking people to send e-mails to local government officials. They have not affected the level of change needed in Philadelphia, let alone even basic maintenance of existing infrastructure.

So what will I support?

I will support rides, rallies, and protests. It’s time to stop asking nicely and time to start demanding. It’s time to make sure that our voices are heard in the public space and not hidden in meetings and backroom deals.

I will support an initiative like the one in London, England. In 2014 the city of London installed a series of bicycle superhighways and there was a serious backlash against them. Instead of trying to educate an uncaring public, a campaign was started to get the support business owners with an emphasis on CEO’s and Presidents. 180 companies signed on to this campaign. The kind of companies and executives who can influence city policy far more effectively than the average person can.

London Cycling Works: How savvy campaigning got 180 employers to support bike lanes from STREETFILMS on Vimeo.

These are my New Year’s resolutions.

So, now what?

2017-12-04T14:32:00.000-05:00

Photo Credit - WoJo

On Tuesday, November 29, 2017, Emily Fredricks was killed while riding her bike. She was in a bike lane and had a green light when a Gold Medal Environmental garbage truck made a right hand turn and ran her over. A maneuver that is commonly referred to as a “right hook”, which often occurs when a driver fails to check for a cyclist on their right hand side and/or the cyclist is the vehicle's blind spot.

While other cyclists have been killed on the streets of Philadelphia something different happened this time, the Philadelphia cycling community coalesced and took action. 100 people participated in a human protected bike lane, a memorial bike ride was led by 75 cyclists, individuals went out and restriped parts of the Spruce St. bike lane, and transformed bike lane logos.

As cyclists in Philadelphia we face a molehill that has become a mountain when it comes to cycling infrastructure. Many of the bike lane markings that were installed during Mayor Nutter’s administration have faded away with no plans to maintain them.

In 2012 the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia allowed Philadelphia City Council to pass an ordinance that gave them final decision making authority over the installation of bicycle lanes, calling it “a bill we can live with”. In exchange for a Safe Streets bill that failed to benefit anyone. This bill resulted in Bill Greenlee and Kenyatta Johnson preventing bike lanes from being installed. As well as allowing Councilwoman Blackwell to declare the new Chestnut St protected bike lane a pilot and subject to being removed. All under the claims of “neighborhood concerns”. All without a single public meeting.

Then there is Mayor Jim Kenney. During his campaign he promised to install 30 miles of protected, now 2 years into his term of office there is no sign from the Mayor’s office of any plans. To make this possible Philadelphia received $550,000 in federal grants a year ago. Money that is being held hostage by Councilmen Darrell Clarke and Mark Squilla. A problem that has been compounded by oTIS, Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. Who after a year to develop a plan for protected bike lanes recently stated “ On Thursday afternoon, OTIS officials said they have yet to create a design or official proposal for protected bike lanes along the streets, and they did not guarantee that they would ever do so.” (LINK)

Then there is the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. For the past ten years the BCGP’s approach of working the system from the inside, education, and concentrating on long term goals has compounded these problems. While giving up their public advocacy chops, one of the more recent examples of this was when Councilman Kenyatta Johnson would not approve a bike lane on Lombard St. Johnson Made this decision by cherry picking emails that backed his claims of “neighborhood concerns” without a single public meeting. The BCGP’s response was nothing, no rallies or protests were held. This is just one such example over the years.

Then there was the BCGP’s summer “Bike Nice” campaign. In which posters were put up around Philadelphia chiding cyclists to wear helmets, ring bells, and stop at signs. A campaign that was designed to placate public perception about dangerous cyclists was nothing more than a slap in the face to cyclists. As it failed to address issues like cyclists using the lane and drivers parking in bike lanes.

There are signs that the reluctance to act in Philadelphia cycling advocates is changing. There are discussions about holding more rides to protest bike lanes blocked by cars and additional human protected bike lanes. There are rumors that the organizers of CycleScenePHL (LINK) are going to form a new cycling advocacy group, one that may be more focused on public actions.

So what can we as cyclists do to effect change in Philadelphia? We are going to have to do more than Tweet and post to social media. It means going to meetings at City Council and Civic Associations, getting on the board of Civic Associations, participating in future public actions like rides and human protected bike lanes, and if possible financial support of any advocacy group besides the BCGP.

We can be the force of change in Philadelphia, but we can’t sit back and count on the actions of a small group of individuals. Everyone must make an effort to participate to make a positive change for all.

The Final Countdown

2017-11-27T12:15:00.000-05:00

It was a rainy day on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 for the ribbon cutting of the new protected bike lane on Chestnut St and Philadelphia and City Councilwoman Janine Blackwell chose to rain on the ceremony. When she announced that the lane would operate for 90 day trial basis, which could result in the removal of the bike lane. The same lane Blackwell signed an ordinance to make it permanent

So where do we stand? Since that time the promised community meeting to get public input has not happened. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has engaged in another e-mail campaign, which failed to work with Councilman Kenyatta Johnson when he used councilmanic privilege to prevent a bike lane in his district. Otherwise, little if any, public pressure has been applied.

The process and design of the Chestnut St. protected bike lane was part of the problem. It took six years to get the lane installed and approved. So long that the community approval part of the process had to be repeated. In order to use the lane one has to cross from one side of Chestnut to the other. Not a safe process given the speed some people drive at on Chestnut. Then there is the problem of the traffic lanes narrowing from three lanes to two and no signs alerting drivers.

On Wednesday, November 29, 2017, 90 days will have passed and the final test will come. Thanks to a deal with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (https://philadelphiabicyclejournal.blogspot.com/2012/09/dancing-with-devil.html) , Philadelphia City Council has final approval on all bike lanes that remove parking or a lane of traffic. Which means that Councilwoman Blackwell has the ability to overturn her own ordinance that made the Chestnut St. bike lane permanent. It won’t matter how many e-mails Councilwoman Blackwell receives supporting the bike lane or what the BCGP’s study data reveals. All that will matter is Councilwoman Blackwell’s nebulous claims about lack of community support.

Bluster, Bluff, Lie

2017-10-23T19:51:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, October 17 Merilyn Jackson became the story, instead of her writing about it. For those you who are not familiar with Ms. Jackson’s work she is an occasional theatre and dance reviewer at the Philly Inquirer and other media outlets. You know the type, this who can do those who can’t review those who can do.

First came the bluff.

It all started with a single and now deleted tweet by self described “hyper liberal” Merilyn Jackson (https://twitter.com/Merilynjune).

A tweet taken by many in the cycling community as a threat to kill cyclists. When most people confronted with their own tweets they generally have the common sense to not make matters worse. Clearly this is not the case with hyper liberals, who use the same playbook as Donald Trump. Even when Ms. Jackson’s additional tweets about ageism and ableism were debunked with actual facts, she engaged in bluster.

The Bluster.

First off, if you are woman color you need not fear Ms. Jackson when she gets behind the wheel of her 2000 pound murder weapon.

Or how the poor are to lazy to work and therefore do not need cars.

It seems that Ms. Jackson doesn’t want to actually kill cyclists because her daughter is a “well known expert class mountain biker”.

If anyone can figure out who her daughter is let me know. I’m curious if this just another lie Ms. Jackson told to bolster credibility.

The Lie.

But need not worry at the end of the day Ms. Jackson issued a non-apology apology. You see it wasn’t her fault, it was her sassy mouth.

This is not Ms. Jackson’s first entree into the Trumpian world of denial and deflection. Take her reaction to an architectural review by Inga Saffron.

When Ms. Saffron pointed she was wrong.

Ms Jackson’s response was classic Trump deflection. She chose to double down and dig the hole that she was in even deeper.

There is a larger problem at work, how do you deal with someone who has an irrational belief like Ms. Jackson? Actual facts and studies have no influence, taking them for a bike ride is never going to change anything, neither will talking to them get past the world of denial they live in. Subjecting them to public ridicule or shame just makes them feel they are either a victim or, worse yet, taking a heroic stand.

I’m not sure what the answer is, but letting this sort of behavior go unchallenged is just as bad. The best answer I can think of is every person will have something that they feel works best for themselves and that is the choice they must make. I chose to write about it.

Guerillas in our Midst

2017-09-12T22:51:00.001-04:00

Throughout America there are cells of guerillas, plotting to throw off the constraints of government agencies. Working in secret, often anonymously in cities like New York City, Seattle, Portland Oregon, and Jersey City. These tactical urbanists are known as DOTr, Department of Transformation, and they are changing the way roads areperceived.

Operating in anonymous cell, some have funding from a supportive public. DOTr groups create protected bike lanes by placing traffic cones, planters, and toilet plungers on existing bike lanes and creating temporary bike lanes and crosswalks where none exist. The goal, is to push the city to work faster when it comes to improving safety on its streets.

Tactical urbanism does not involve people dressed like a SWAT team. Instead it consists of ordinary citizens who are tired of the slow pace or out right resistance of local government to make the lives of pedestrians and cyclists safer. While many of their installations are quickly removed by local government, all of them have inspired conversation. In some cases it has led to the creation of an officially approved permanent solution.

Now this concept has reached Philadelphia in the form of Safer Streets PHL. A group of urbanists, cyclists, and pedestrians have come together to address the decay and disrepair of Philadelphia's bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Their first action, on Thursday, August 24, was the creation of a temporary protected bike lane using toilet plungers as barricades. All though it only last a few hours during the morning, it started a conversation. One my favorite comments I found online was how people never realized how many cars drove in the bike lane until they saw broken plungers.

On September 8, Safer Streets PHL swept the protected Chestnut St. Bike Lane free of debris that had been left behind during construction. The type of things that can puncture tires and cause cyclists to lose their balance and crash. In the process they filled 9 trash bags.

I look forward to seeing what the future brings when it comes to Safer Streets PHL. A concept that I thought would never come to Philadelphia.

Caught Between a Rock and a Rock

2017-08-23T10:45:00.000-04:00

Randy LoBasso wears two hats in Philadelphia, he is the spokesperson for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and citizen journalist for Metro Newspaper. Where he writes columns about bicycling and infrastructure. In his most recent piece, “Philly Needs to Change its Street Safety Approval Process”, he bemoans the growing problem of Philadelphia’s City Council control over bike lanes.

You see in Philadelphia, City Council, not Civil Engineers, have the final authority as to whether or not a bicycle lane is installed. Any City Council member can stop a bicycle lane from being installed for any reason or no reason at all. This is often done by claiming “neighborhood concerns” or cherry picking which replies from community members are valid.

However Mr. LoBasso glosses over the key reason why this has happened with this statement, “It's time Council gives up this unneeded privilege it gave itself five years ago and leave street safety to the experts.” Philadelphia’s City Council didn’t wake up one day and engage in coup d'etat to take control of bicycle lane infrastructure, it was given to them by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia in May 2012. Which I wrote about in “Dancing with the Devil.”

In exchange for an ineffective Safe Streets Bill the BCGP agreed to let Philadelphia City Council pass a bill giving City Council final approval of bicycle lane infrastructure. The same bill that City Council tried to pass in 2011 and was stopped by the BCGP when they marshaled their forces against it.

So let’s face it everyone, while the Philadelphia City Council is the problem, they will never give up control over bicycle lanes. The root of the problem is the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. They are the ones that made this deal in the best interests of Philadelphia cyclists. A deal that continues to work against the needs of the Philadelphia cycling community. The only question that remains is when will the BCGP learn that Philadelphia City Council can not be trusted and how many more deals like this will be made before they do.

Not in my Country

2017-08-14T00:53:00.000-04:00

Throughout Trump’s political campaign he made every effort to vilify anyone who spoke out against and demonize any ethnic group to turn them into a threat to America and Americans embraced him. While he failed to admit that in doing so he was enabling and drawing the support of radical domestic terrorists, the groups they belong to, and their supporters. Then refusing to repudiate and separate himself from them in any meaningful way.

That has finally come to haunt us, in the form of Nazi rally in Charlottesville, VA. And make no mistake calling the people who organized and participated in the “Unite the Right” Nazi’s is the only thing they can be called. It had all the trappings of of Nazi rally; a torch lit night march, chants of “blood and soil”, an old Nazi slogan, and “Jews will no replace us”. To do call them alt-right or White nationalists down plays the enormity of what they did.

The “Unite the the Right” rally was planned and organized months in advance and included a speech by Richard Spencer, a pretender to Adolf Hitler’s legacy. As part of promoting the rally organizers and their supporters encouraged participants to bring pepper spray and anything else they needed to defend themselves. This event was considered so morally and ethically repugnant that AirBnB closed the accounts of anyone trying to find someplace to sleep if they were attending the rally, because it violated AirBnb’s anti-discrimination policy.

The rally’s organizer and participants are not the only bad actors involved here. In spite of months of advance planning by the city of Charlottesville, which included 1300 additional police officers and National Guard. Law enforcement failed to keep the Nazi’s separated from the counter protestors. Quite possibly a deliberate choice made on the part of the people in command. The only reports that anyone did anything to stop the mayhem appear to be on the part of New York state militia group who arrived heavily armed and broke up fights. A sad state of affairs when we have to rely on the questionable politics and motives of the militia movement. To say nothing of Trump’s mealy mouthed statement that failed to repudiate the Nazi’s for what they had done.

The permit for the rally was protected by the ACLU when the city of Charlottesville tried to move the event to a different park. As a Jew and an American. I have never been able to fully support the ACLU since 1978, when the ACLU protected the rights of the American Nazi Party to march through Skokie, IL. At that time Skokie, IL had the largest population of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel. While these repugnant groups have the same protection under the Constitution as all Americans that does not mean I approve of their right to do so.

After WWII, a war in which all Americans united to stop the Nazi’s, the phrase “Never Forget” was heard throughout the Jewish community around the world. During college I went to school with several students whose families immigrated from Ireland and Italy in the 1890’s. In the same way members of my own family immigrated from Eastern Europe and Germany during the 1890’s All seeking to live in a country that allowed people to pursue their dreams and aspirations of a better life for themselves and their children.

During spring break some of these students would take trips to Italy and Ireland and visit family that still lived there and reconnect with their heritage. When I asked one of my grandmothers, whose family had immigrated from Poland, about this subject her response was chilling. From the 1890’s to 1939 letters were routinely exchanged and there were trips to Poland. She told me that “in 1939 the letters stopped and no one has heard anything from them since.”

What happened in Charlottesville should be considered an early warning sign of what could happen in America if Nazi’s, their enablers, and supporters are not met with “Fire and Fury”. Marches like this should be stopped in their tracks by counter demonstrators with linked arms to create human barricades to prevent these types of marches and rallies from moving forwards. Counter protesters who instead of chanting should respond with deafening silence. If the Nazi’s respond with violence, then they should be met with a level of violence that sends a message to any future rallies that they march at their own risk.

I know there will be trolls, Nazi supporters, and enablers who will label me as a liberal and say that liberals are supposed to tolerate everyone. To that I say, I hate Nazi’s whether they call themselves the alt-right or something less conspicous. I hate anyone who hates someone because their race, religion, country of origin, gender, and sexual identity.

And to anyone who says otherwise I only have one response, THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN IN MY COUNTRY.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

2017-08-11T17:16:00.000-04:00

It seems that yet again when it comes to bicycle infrastructure in Philadelphia we have been we have been subjected to the Machiavellian manipulations of yet another duplicitous member of Philadelphia’s City Council. This time it was Councilman Kenyatta Johnson when he wrote a letter against the creation of a protected bicycle lane on Lombard St. That letter will put an end to any attempt at restarting this project, ever.

Keep in mind that the “protected lane” was going to be nothing more than plastic delineator posts and as‏ @bikemamadelphia on Twitter stated; “Flexi-posts are like the press on nails of bike infrastructure”. Easy to install and equally easy for cars to tear them off the road.

So how did we arrive at this situation? Part of this was the process that Councilman Johnson and his office used to make sure they got the results they wanted. First they solicited opinions from the public on this matter and then further narrowed the field by only counting those comments from people within his district. Which resulted in 100 phone calls and e-mails being counted, 80 were against and 20 were in favor of the bike lane. Seems pretty cut and dried, at least on the surface. The problem is that the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia submitted 217 comments they collected; 91 were within Councilman Johnson’s district and 87 of those were in support of a protected bike lane. So now it was 80 against and 107 in favor of the protected bike lane. Not so cut and dried any more.

So how were these additional pro bike lane comments ignored? Simple, according Councilman Johnson’s Communication Director; “The ones reported to me were “direct comments,” explained Johnson’s communications director, Kaitlyn Manasterski. The 80 percent opposed were “among the immediate neighbors who contacted us.” This is the equivalent of overturning the results of an election, by disqualifying absentee ballots because they were mailed in and not submitted in person.

This brings us back to a larger issue, that being the bad deal the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia made with Philadelphia City Council a few years ago. The one where in exchange for a safe streets bill the BCGP agreed to let members of the City Council have the ability to veto any new bike lanes. Without cause or reason. This is not the first time this deal has bit cyclists in the ass and it won’t be the last.

I wish I could say I was completely surprised by how this played out. I saw Councilman Johnson’s multiple appearances at various meetings for the Schuylkill River Trail Watch. He made a lot of promises and did not deliver on any of them.

At the end of the day it is clear to me that Councilman Johnson and his staff had predetermined agenda when it came to the protected bicycle lane on Lombard St.

They rigged the public opinion process to get a result they wanted. The used Councilmanic privilege to ensure that any future attempt to reopen this conversation will never happen. At the end of the day Councilman Johnson has strengthened my opinion that Philadelphia’s City Council is nothing more than a Council of Con Men.

Schuylkill River Trail Safety Alert - July 26, 2017

2017-07-26T16:46:00.000-04:00

Safety Alert 7/26/2017

Good afternoon All,

Town Watch Integrated Services (TWIS) wants to alert you to 2 incidents that happened on the Schuylkill river trail.

Occurred on 7/19/17 - on the trail near Race St. a group of teens muscled away a bike from someone:
Occurred on 7/23 - two teens snatched an IPhone and ear buds from a jogger on the trail near 25^th St.

We ask for you all to be safe when using the trail and remember report anything that you observe that is suspicious behavior to you. You are all the eyes and ears of the trail.

I would also ask again that you patrol in pairs and let us know when you your using the trail so we can continue to coordinate your activity. Remember if its suspicious report it to 311 and TWIS.

Thank You for your vigilance & cooperation

** If you know of someone who wishes to volunteer as a Town Watch member contact me at nick.schmanek@phila.gov

License to Fail

2017-07-25T17:10:00.000-04:00

It seems that every so often people insist that cyclists need to be licensed and insured, like car drivers and their vehicles. This sort of thinking is often an emotional response when car drivers feel threatened by a change in or enforcement of existing laws. With 5th Squares recent lawsuit to have the city enforce existing laws regarding parking on the Broad St. median has brought this issue to the attention of the usual collection of kooks.

Usually this consists of small groups of individuals who claim that cyclists are the most dangerous vehicles on the road. Why? Because they said so. Even video evidence that shows car drivers are statistically more likely to do so is dismissed with unsubstantiated claims of how cyclists run red lights and stop signs. So I thought it was time to delve into this matter and see how past attempts to license cyclists has worked.

The lack of bicycle insurance similar to car insurance is easily answered. A bicycle can easily be insured for its replacement cost through a standard renters or homeowners insurance. And let’s face it, just how much damage other than a dent can a bicycle do to a car in a collision.

There is the economic feasibility of offering bicycle insurance similar to car insurance. Since the cost of replacing a damaged bicycle is far lower than that of a car, it would not be cost effective for insurance companies to create policies. Given the very low premiums they would have to charge. The bottom line is that if insurance companies thought they could profit from this they would have offered this type of insurance for cyclists a long time ago.

So now we are going to explore the reasons why licensing bicycles and their operators has never worked.

There are three reasons why bicycle licensing fails.

1. The challenge of licensing children, since they ride bikes too

2. The difficulty of keeping a database complete and current

3. Licensing in and of itself does not change the behavior of cyclists or motor vehicle operators who are disobeying traffic laws.

Let’s start with number 1; The of licensing children, given that they ride bikes too. How old does one have to be to have a license? What about people who don’t live in Philadelphia, but do ride their bikes in the city or tourists. Will they be required to get a bicycle license?

Then there is issue number 2; The difficulty in keeping a database complete and current. You are going to have to hire people to create and maintain a rather large database. Combined with the cost of doing so. Computer servers, employees, office space, and the materials needed to create a physical license all cost money and that is going to have to come from somewhere. A number of cities have tried this and failed due to cost and manpower. Seattle, WA is a particular poignant example of how this is not as easy as it sounds.

San Diego, CA: (2012) “The city’s Fire Rescue and Police departments reported the licensing program has drawn virtually no revenue for any city department over the last three years.” (1)

Long Beach, CA: (2011)The cost to administer the bicycle license program greatly exceeded its revenue. (2)

Los Angeles, CA: (2008)“Currently LAPD lacks the resources in staffing and funding to implement and maintain the program in the manner it was designed. A lack of fiscal procedures exist to purchase and distribute licenses to the public, monitor and maintain the citywide database, and an overall lack of personnel to properly implement the program. (3)

San Jose, CA: (2008) An audit revealed that in 2008–2009 the city collected $636 in bike license fees.“ Program was cancelled in 2013 (4)

Seattle, WA: (2008) Seattle has over 500,000 bicycles in the city and found maintenance of the project difficult due to the required cost of record keeping and police manpower required to maintain the program.

Houston, TX: (2008) “About 100 were actually registered. Since people move around so much, even those who registered their bikes had outdated data, and finding the owners if the bike was stolen and recovered was usually impossible.” (5)

Ottawa, Canada: Ottawa estimated that a bicycle registration program would cost $100,000 a year but only bring in $40,000 in revenue. (6)

Number 3, is something we see in the news every week; Licensing in and of itself does not change the behaviour of cyclists who are disobeying traffic laws. How many times do we read about or see on TV hit and runs where the driver is never caught? Or even when they are caught it does nothing to reduce the chances of it happening again.

At the end of the day I do not need a license for a police officer to write me a ticket as a cyclist. Any more than pedestrians need a walking license to be ticketed for jaywalking. If cyclists truly are the law breakers that some would believe, riding through the streets of Philadelphia with reckless abandon. Then the most effective solution is actual enforcement on the part of the police. Until that happens in a manner that involves equal enforcement and education of all vehicle operators then it will be business as usual in Philadelphia.

An interview with Alexandria Schneider; Queen of Philly's Mass Rides

2017-07-17T17:07:00.000-04:00

On September 26 & 27, 2015 Pope Francis came to Philadelphia as part of the World Meeting of Families, which included an outdoor mass on September 27. In order to facilitate an estimated 1 million pedestrians ability to move freely, a 4.7 square mile area of Philadelphia was closed to motor vehicles. It was announced months in advance so everyone could prepare.

About two months before that weekend an event appeared on Facebook, the PopeRide on Saturday, September 26. The PopeRide was going to follow a route through the the closed section of Philadelphia to celebrate car free streets. Organized by Alexandria Schneider, she thought that this ride was going to be her and a few dozen friends.

On the day of the ride 1500 people had signed up on Facebook and the belief was a third to half would show up. However on Saturday morning more and more people started showing up, far more than anticipated. The final count was 3000 participants. Since then, not a summer has gone by where Ms. Schneider has not held a large scale ride through the streets of Philadelphia. This year is no different.

Ms Schneider took a few moments out of her schedule to give an interview for the Philadelphia Bicycle Journal.

Prior to the PopeRide had you ever done anything like this before?

Nope! I'd biked with friends, but that was it.

What was your reaction at the PopeRide when you found out 3000 people showed up?

Honestly, I was exhausted from the ride the night before, but when I got the call saying that 3000 people were at the start line, I went straight to a MASSIVE adrenaline high and didn't come down until about 8PM that night!

What was your inspiration for this ride (Cycle en Couleur)?

For this ride? Maria and I had been talking about good-naturedly teasing Diner en Blanc for a while, but I was stuck on single-color rides. Roulante en Rouge came and went, Bike in Blue was a flop, but then Maria brought up Cycle en Colour, and it stuck!

How much time does it take to put together a ride like this?

It depends on a few factors, but generally a week or so to kick around and firm up the ride concept with co-organizers, maybe an hour or two to draw up the route, and then a few hours a week in the lead-up weeks for prep, like pulling materials together, and promoting.

What are some of the key things you have to plan for when creating large scale rides?

The biggest thing is "location, location, location". You need to find a starting location that's big enough for a potentially huge group, make a route that's fun and has nice views but has enough safe street space for a bike mass, and find an ending location that gives people space to stay if they want to, but can leave easily.

When you're not planning a ride what else do you do?

My day job is in IT, and when I'm not doing that or riding, I love baking, shooting sports, cooking, gaming, and listening to music.

Every time you hold a ride you have perfect weather and a massive turn out. What is your secret? Do you make an offering to Taranis, God of the wheel and if you do, what is it? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taranis)

Well, I've had one ride that didn't have those, Byko's Safe Bike Ride, but that wasn't supposed to be massive. But either way, I legitimately have no clue. I DO obsessively refresh Weather Underground and yell at the sky beforehand though. I also don't say the word for that thing that falls from the sky during a storm before a ride. For theatre folks, I treat it like you treat the name of The Scottish Play :P