Philly Bike Action

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.

 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

 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?

 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.

Start at

Philly Open Streets vs Philly Free Streets

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.