Center City Bike Lanes Here To Stay?
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Center City Bike Lanes Here To Stay?
Catherine Lucey
Looks like the bike lanes on Spruce and Pine streets in Center City may be staying.
Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Utilities Rina Cutler said that after temporarily trying out the bike lanes for about two months, she will recommend to Mayor Nutter that they become permanent.
The lanes run from 22nd to Front Street on Pine and from 22nd to 2nd Street on Spruce, leaving one lane for drivers. According to the streets department, the bike lanes have boosted bicycle ridership, with cycling up 65 percent during peak traffic hours. During those time periods, there are about 11 percent less cars and trucks on those streets, but at other times of day the volume is about the same.
Cutler said she’d like to see more city bike lanes, but hasn’t determined where yet.
The streets department was set to present this data tonight at a public meeting at the University of the Arts.
Comments (32)
Barbouze - you're insane. Almost NO streets in the City have lost traffic lanes converted to bike lanes. See page 4 - http://www.philaplanning.org/plans/bikewaypilot2009.pdf and you can see how sparse the lanes really are. And honestly, if they increase car congestion ... GOOD. The city needs more traffic calming measures and ways to promote people getting OUT of their cars and into mass transit or alternative transportation (like bikes). It's healthier and supports a greater traffic density overall. The culture of the car needs to end!— citylumberjack- "Fad" ... good one. Seriously, hilarious. For real though, what the motorists really want to say but won't..."I hate having to share the road with cyclists because it forces me to actually obey all traffic laws & that makes me bitter." Sorry people, bikes are here to stay, the sooner you can learn to work with it, the better it will be for all of us. I'd be remiss to not also say this: Cyclists- you (we) have equal responsibility to make this thing work. So don't abuse the privilege. Be as courteous and law abiding as you would expect (and rely on for your safety) motorists to be. We're all in this together people!— toph314
- Any problem that people have with the bike lanes or bikers are minuscule compared to the overall lack of courtesy and safety that is exhibited by drivers in general in Philadelphia. We pass all these laws and take all these initiatives but they are totally meaningless unless they are actually enforced. In a period of 4 hours yesterday, I was nearly run over twice in a marked cross walk by drivers on cell phone who ran a stop signs. I also was nearly hit by a SEPTA bus driver who ran a red light near city hall. If bikers are brave enough to risk riding the bike lanes on Spruce and Pine, then they should be allowed to do so. What this city really needs is a massive change in attitude. SLOW DOWN, take it easy on the streets, give people a break and enjoy life. Wouldn't things be so much better?— Philly City Dweller
- I have biked in the city for over 20 years. There has been at least a doubling of bikes in the last year or so. I am not happy about the crowding either. BUT, We all should be pleased that our city is more popular. When asked in polls about desirable places to live and work, certain factors keep showing up like pedestrian and bike access, trees and public transport. Look into the future. Are we going to add elevated roads. Underground roads? DO WE WANT GROWTH HERE???
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- Glad to hear they're here to stay. And more would be great as well. This puts us in league with the greatest cities in the world. Well done.— yamheard
- I think they need their own lanes. Many of them don't follow the traffic laws anyway, so they may as well have their own lanes so they are less likely to get hit.— MegArbo
- A fad? Really peacemaker?— mantua633
- its kinda tough to bike IN THE WINDY WET 30 DEGREE WEATHER!!!— theeman
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- it makes more sense to bike in a city anyways. save the cars for the suburbs. driving in cities: hard to park, more pollution, more pedestrians, traffic gridlock...Whats not to like about the alternative?— theeman
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- I drive those streets everyday for work and there is ALWAYS cars stopped/parked with blinkers in the bike lanes. It would be nice if the bike lanes were for the bikes.— phillypapers
- I bike in those lanes almost every day. And I observe stop signs, traffic lights, and all other rules governing vehicles. The more seriously we take cycling as a city, the more seriously cyclists will begin to think about bikes as vehicles. It may take a while, but eventually, it'll work.— harryleroy
- Great idea in a city that has a traffic congestion problem and a gestapo like parking authority hey why not make it harder on motorists that come into Philly to shop and spend money not to mention a 8 percent sales tax— bobg1812
- There should be Bike Lanes all over the city and the suburbs - to make it easier for cars and bikes to co-exist— phillydude
- I'm a pedestrian, and I think bikers are a bigger menace than drivers. At least I can see a car, but often those bikers who cut you off come out of nowhere...they really are a menace.— MBW
- So happy that the lanes are here to stay. I ride them everyday. I used to use Lombard and Chestnut. Never again.— F. Harry Stowe
- Make cycling more difficult and more cyclists will drive cars. When the traffic gets a lot worse, which it will, the drivers will wish they had the cyclists back.— A
- EVERYONE disrespects the law, drivers and bicyclists both. The city can't enforce the basic motor vehicle code as is.. This is just another smokescreen by city council to distract the voters. Fire all of city council and start fresh, its our only choice.— yawns
- I don' like the fact that the bikers disregard the stop signs and lights but the bike lane has not impacted the traffic patterns on those streets. I drive down those streets every day.— streetjustice
- At the end of the day, bikers deserve to be able to get around the city the same as everyone else. They need to do so though by following the same rules as everyone else (walkers and cars) - stopping at red lights and stop signs, going with the flow of traffic, signalling, yielding to pedestrians, etc. If the PPD would enforce the laws, and the laws were made to have teeth to them like significant fines and loss of riding privileges, then people will respond. To quote Rodney King, "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?"— ChahlieM
- Got to be kidding me. Each time I have been on those streets there are 8 cars to every one cyclist and multiple people per vehicle. This is totally slanted and inequitable analysis.— anodyne
- traffic is fine on those streets and I imagine a lot of those cyclists would otherwise be using other streets anyway. I'd be against doing that to other streets in cc but those two are fine. btw, bikers aren't banned from other streets, though many don't feel comfortable on the congested chestnut and walnut streets where walking is often faster than driving or biking.— dreinterests
- harris09 get a grip, traffic is not up on those streets. I drive them six times a day.— cuch
- The streets department numbers are based on study by the bicycle coalition - no bias there. I drive those streets and the congestion is definitely up for vehicles. And by the way, those bicyclists still don't obey the traffic laws or sometimes the bike lanes either. Why is it more important to get bikers to jobs on time and not those who drive. Also, I love seeing bikers clogging up traffic by riding up Lombard or Walnut instead of using Spruce - great idea.— harris09
- bicycles have been around for twice as long as cars. gasoline is getting more expensive every day. there are no other cross town bike lanes, but there are plenty of other cross town car lanes.— ambiguator
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Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns. E-mail tips to brennac@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
Follow Dave on Twitter.
Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
Follow Jan on Twitter
Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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