Philadelphia mayor's new budget includes big boost to traffic safety, bike lane protection
Mayor Cherelle Parker's proposed budget, released Thursday, included a major victory for Philadelphia street safety advocates.
Parker set aside $5 million for Vision Zero, Philadelphia's long-term traffic safety initiative, and an additional $5 million for concrete protection along Spruce and Pine streets, the city's two most popular bike lanes.
Currently, the bike lanes along Spruce and Pine mostly consist of green and white paint, which designates the cyclist lane from the vehicle lane. Some of the intersections also have flexible white posts that stand about 3 feet tall.
The mayor's new budget includes funding to add concrete protection to the Spruce and Pine bike lanes, a project some cycling advocates say will save lives.
Jessie Amadio has been fighting for safer bike lanes in Philadelphia for years. Her message, along with other members of Philly Bike Action, became more urgent last summer when Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Dr. Barbara Friedes was killed by a drunk driver while riding her bike in the Spruce bike lane.
"To have the city kind of step up and say we also want to make sure that the concrete protection for Spruce and Pine is fully funded no matter what the situation is with federal grants, it's just phenomenal," Amadio said.
Last year, advocates criticized Parker's commitment to traffic safety and insisted on more funding for Vision Zero and concrete barriers for bike lanes. On Thursday, they received both.
"Every Philadelphian deserves to travel safety throughout our city and return home safe and unharmed," Parker said during her address to Philadelphia City Council.
The timeline and design of the bike lane project are unclear. Some possible ideas could include concrete curbs or large planters. City council still has to approve the mayor's proposed budget.
Nicole Brunet with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia spent Thursday afternoon dissecting the budget and trying to determine which line item applies to which project.
"There's a lot more in front of us, but having the money ahead of time — that was the biggest obstacle, so that's exciting," Brunet said.
Some neighbors and business owners have resisted concrete protection along the bike lanes, saying it would make it impossible to quickly load up children and senior residents or drop off groceries. Others say it would make it harder for emergency vehicles to pull over.
Investigation finds drivers parking in bike lanes
For months, CBS News Philadelphia has reported on efforts to make biking and bike lanes safer in the city. After over a decade, a church in Center City decided to stop using a city-issued permit that allowed churchgoers to park in bike lanes for Sunday services. Several other houses of worship have also stopped using those permits.
Advocates have said, and our investigation found, that obstructions in the bike lanes — whether from delivery trucks, ride-hail vehicles, or residents making quick stops — divert bicyclists into the street, where they risk getting hit by a driver or a suddenly opened car door.
Over the summer, the deadliest time for cyclists, CBS News Philadelphia observed several obstructions in bike lanes along Spruce Street, which currently has just painted lines as the only separation between traveling cars and the bike lane.
Most signs in the city say "no parking" rather than "no stopping," which means drivers can legally block the lane for up to 20 minutes before being ticketed.
Some residents along Spruce Street said they need to park there, at least temporarily, to drop off items or unload groceries.
Still, our investigation found numerous cars parked for more than 20 minutes and up to 75 minutes with no driver inside.
After our investigation, Council President Kenyatta Johnson introduced the "Get Out The Bike Lane" bill.
The legislation proposed increasing fines for parking or stopping in bike lanes. In Center City and University City, the fines would go from $75 to $125, and in other parts of the city, they would go from $50 to $75. Johnson's bill also proposed changing many signs along bike lanes to read "no stopping." The bill passed the following month.
