City adding bike lanes on 2 more streets

Bicyclists will soon have two north-south bike lanes to pedal through Center City, while opponents of the lanes will have two new streets to complain about.

Curbside lanes will be replaced on 10th Street from Spring Garden to Lombard, and on 13th Street from South Street to Spring Garden as part of a pilot project announced by the city yesterday.

"I ride my bike everywhere," said Raymond Liang, 58, who said he sometimes rides on the sidewalk for safety concerns. "That would be wonderful."

But as traffic crawled and some vehicles straddled both of 13th Street's narrow lanes heading toward Market yesterday, Steve Joslin, 41, couldn't fathom how the pilot program would work.

"The streets aren't wide enough," Joslin said. "You can't keep adding without taking something away."

There already are bike lanes on three east-west streets in the city.

The program is an effort to meet demands for extra bike lanes, control traffic, curb aggressive driving and create safe roads for everybody, said Rina Cutler, deputy mayor for transportation and utilities.

Cutler said the streets were selected because traffic counts show they can accommodate the change, because they are absent SEPTA bus routes and because parking can be left intact.

The program will be evaluated in six months for changes in vehicle speed, traffic delays, vehicle volume, bicyclists' behavior and community reaction.

"Give us a chance," Cutler said. "We're certainly willing to admit if we're wrong. We are trying to address the fact that cyclists are out there anyway in greater numbers, and we want to try to create a safe environment for them to be able to move around."

The city will also launch an education and enforcement campaign next week targeting pedestrians, reckless drivers and bikers who ride on sidewalks and run red lights.

Eight to 10 police officers will work five enforcement zones in Center City, said Capt. Alan Clark, of the Center City District. A biker caught speeding through a red light could get a $120 ticket - the same as for a car.

A public meeting will be held May 10 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Jefferson University's Alumni Hall to discuss the plans.