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.
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