The Year in Cycling - 2015

Pope Francis

When the plans were released for Pope Francis’s visit to Philadelphia, they included closing five square miles of Center City to automotive traffic for three days. While many residents of Philadelphia left the area to avoid the crowds and the challenges of not having access to their vehicles.

For those of us who stayed we were rewarded with a unique experience. The chance to travel around Center City on foot, bicycle, skateboard or any other human powered vehicle. Other people had barbecues, parties, played games, or just hung out with their friends and neighbors. A day that was recognized as #PopenStreets.

The highlight of that weekend was the Pope Ride. Organized by Alexandria Schneider, she initially thought this would be her and a dozen friends riding around Center City. But as the numbers grew it the ride soon blossomed into a full scale event. With 3000 people participating the day of the ride.

Many people were heard to comment that this should happen every year. Including Mayor-Elect Jim Kenney. While some were very vocal that this would be a bad thing for the future of Philadelphia, the city of Philadelphia used to hold an annual Open Streets event. Once known as Super Sunday (http://bit.ly/1V5iEBX), in 1989 it had been held for 19 consecutive years. Presented as the “Biggest Block Party in the World”, Super Sunday had something for everyone. Live entertainment, animal rides, a job fair, sports demonstrations, movies, and enough food to feed all of Philadelphia. It would not be that difficult to recreate this again.

The City of Philadelphia shuts down ten miles of Broad St. for the Broad St. Marathon. As well as one mile of Broad St for the annual Mummers Parade. Why can’t we do the same thing for the benefit of every resident of Philadelphia?

Stu Bykofsky

Of course all of this positive energy was not without its naysayers and none was more vehement that Philly’s own Stu “old man yells at clouds” Bykofsky. As Stu went completely off the deep end in a column titled “Cyclists are never satisfied” (http://bit.ly/1Sa153Q). When he engaged in a personal attack on the Pope Ride’s organizer, Alexandra Schneider. One could almost see the spittle flying out of Stu’s mouth and hitting the screen of his computer. As he said the words he was typing out loud.

Stu Bykofsky’s attitude was summed up very succinctly by one person who posted a comment. “The amazing thing about Stu is that he only relates events in the world to his own experience, not to the greater world at large.”

That’s not to say that Stu does not have his moments. Every so often Stu tries to prove that riding a bike, for any reason, does nothing more than exercise his futility. This year Stu took a spin on Indego bike share to see if he could get to work faster on a bike (http://bit.ly/1QWzdj0).

According to Stu it takes him 16 minutes to walk 1 mile from his home to work. Which means he walks at 3.75 miles per hour, an astounding speed as the average walking speed is 3.1 mph. At 3.75 miles per hour he is practically jogging to work, especially when you consider that Stu is 74 years old and a lifelong smoker.

But on a Indego bike it was a whole different matter. Instead of riding one mile to work, Stu rode a two mile roundabout route. One that utilized bike lanes, the very same bike lanes that Mr. Bykofsky feels are unnecessary. It took him 21 minutes and 22 seconds to ride two miles at an average speed of 5.71 mph.

One person even replicated Stu’s route, including stopping at all red lights and stop signs, they got very different results. After riding the route 3 times it took an average of 13 minutes and 42 seconds. with an average speed of 10.63mph. Considering most cyclists ride at 10 to 15 miles per hour this, Mr. Bykofsky’s speed was baffling compared to his ability to jog to work.

#unblockbikelanes

2015 was the year we could safely say that the #unblockbikelanes concept was finished and done. No amount of data is going to change unwillingness to ticket cars parked in bike lanes. As well as the causal lack of respect that prevails in Philadelphia when this sign was placed in a contra flow bike lane. Giving cyclists the choice of riding into oncoming traffic or on the sidewalk.

In response, I proposed the concept of placing safety cones along bicycle lanes to create temporary barriers (http://bit.ly/1Sa2Myk). Regrettably no one was inspired to do that. However in New York City the Transformation Department (http://bit.ly/1QWzjXC) has instituted this concept with great success.

Media

Spoke Magazine started publication this year and has turned out to be a welcome addition to the cycling media. A print magazine, publishing on a quarterly basis, Spoke Magazine has consistently published well written articles on a diverse selection of topics. Normally most cycling media tends to bog down on articles about the technical minutiae of bicycles and components. Spoke Magazine has written about people, places, and infrastructure. Now that they have added a website you can access previous articles online.

On March 23rd Philly Pedals published an op-ed written by Michael McGettigan (http://bit.ly/1mgcym5) castigating the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia for being too much of an insider in local politics  and how they needed to “work on their advocacy a bit.” As a former two term board member of the BCGP Mr McGettigan called out the BCGP for  recent failures and poor judgment.

Sadly this bombshell seemed to be the end of any consistent publication of articles. An unfortunate state of affairs that I hope will be rectified.

The Manayunk Bridge

The Manayunk Bridge or as it is better known as The Bridge to Nowhere, was supposed to be the shining new jewel of the regional trail system. Connecting Manayunk and the Schuylkill River Trail to Lower Merion and the Cynwyd Heritage Trail. And it did, except for one slight problem.

Instead of categorizing the bridge as trail, it was classified as park. Limiting it only being open from sunrise to sunset. Which in reality is 8am to 6pm fall and winter and 8am to 9pm in the spring and summer. This of course assumes that the Lower Merion Parks Department opens the gates on time. Which has not always been the case.

The problem is that no lighting for the park or the bridge was part of the budget. While I understand the liability and safety issues of having people on the bridge and in the park at night. The reality is that the bridge will benefit people from Lower Merion on the weekend. Provided they don’t want a cup of coffee in the morning or enjoy an evening dinner. If you are a bike commuter or heading out for an early morning workout on the Schuylkill River Trail you are out of luck.

With a new Mayor in office who has made some degree of commitment towards pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure. Along with an interest in holding Open Streets events, we will see what happens in 2016.

Game Over

I thought I had seen it all when it came to #unblockbikelanes. Cars, trucks and the PPA unwilling to ticket them no matter how blatant or how long a vehicle had been sitting there. In some cases weeks could go by and a vehicle could go without a single ticket. But this picture took the prize.

What's wrong with this picture, I here you ask? It appears that some city agency has placed a directional sign for oncoming cars in a contra-flow bike lane. Forcing cyclists to ride illegally on the sidewalk or ride into on coming traffic.

At this point we should just call #unblockbikelanes what it is, a charade.To this I can only have one response.

Its time to stop playing a game that we have no chance of winning because the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia made deal with Philadelphia Parking Authority that was unenforceable. Its time to stop posting pictures under the #unblockbikelanes until the PPA management is prepared to enforce the parking laws as they are. As opposed to the selective enforcement they prefer.

Dear #unblockbikelanes

Dear #unblockbikelanes,

Its not me it’s you. At first our relationship was magical and full of promise. But then we started to have our ups and downs. I understand that the sole purpose of our relationship was to create a database of parking violation hotspots of cars parking in bike lanes. But what is the point in creating a database if you have no plans to use it to improve enforcement?

Actual enforcement has been a real problem, with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia stating that enforcement has been “mixed and inconsistent””. It's been most poignant when in the 2nd quarter of 2014  96% more tickets issued compared to 2013. However in the 3rd quarter 2014 20% fewer tickets than in 2013.

Posting to Twitter is a cumbersome process. You have to take a picture, add the address, and then post the tweet. Then to add to the frustration that if you want to see a map with all of the hotspots compiled in one spot you have to make one yourself. Or hope the PPA will do it, which will only happen when it benefits the PPA. So locations of hotspots is not readily available or easily accessed.

There is a better solution, Tow It,  http://towit.io/. Using the camera in your smartphone all it takes is one click and the App does all the work. It posts the picture, logs the location with your phone's built in GPS, and then adds the location to an open source map. A map that anyone can view through the Map It website, whether or not if they use the Tow It App. This means that the PPA can longer hide the data on hotspots behind a wall of bureaucracy. Anyone can see for themselves where the hotspots are.

Don’t think of this as breakup #unblockbikelanes. Instead we are just uncoupling.

Coneheads

SInce the inception of the #unblockbikelanes the campaign has been flawed. The PPA is using it to create a database and enforcement is “mixed and inconsistent”. As witnessed by the pictures in “We Are Not Amused” where the same car blocks a bike lane and a trolley stop for seven days without a single ticket being issued by the police or the PPA.

I feel it's time for some street theatre. I believe that the concept listed below is an effective solution to raise awareness. It could even be used to promote pedestrian crosswalks that have heavy traffic by having coneheads provide a temporary crossing guard service.

I hope that someone will take this idea and run with it. Perhaps a joint effort between 5th Square and Spoke Magazine.

*****************************

Bike Lane Flash Mob

Coneheads will gather for 30 minutes at [INSERT LOCATION] and line the bike lane with awareness comes. Raising awareness of the bike lane and creating a safe passage for cyclists to promote Vision Zero.  At the end of 30 minutes we will gather our awareness cones and depart. Please do not block the sidewalk or entrances to nearby businesses and homes. Take a moment to consume mass quantities from a local business where we are gathered.

• Who are we? We are Coneheads. We have gathered to promote vehicle safety and Vision Zero.
• Where do we come from? We come from France.
• What colour and size should my cone be? Every cone is welcome, the prefered cone is a standard 28” orange cone.
• What is our purpose? Coneheads are creating public awareness of the bike lane to promote Vision Zero. Accessible bike lanes mean cyclists do not have to choose between riding in traffic or riding on the sidewalk. Which benefits pedestrians and drivers.
• Who is in charge? Introduce them to the Spokescone  and tell them what time we will be leaving at.
• What if someone tries to create a problem? Have everyone start recording with their cell phone cameras. Do not engage with anyone who is trying to confront us.

The four “M”’s of a bike lane liberation.

DON’T MESS WITH KIDS

DON’T MESS WITH COPS

DON’T MESS WITH MOTORIZED VEHICLES OR THE OCCUPANTS

DON’T MESS WITH OTHER CYCLISTS.

* DON’T MESS WITH LITTLE KIDS!! Parents are very protective of their children, especially if the parents are not around. NOTHING and I do mean nothing, says “please kick my ass” by saying something to a child that is not yours. Remember when a ten year old boy lied to his parents about getting hit by a stranger? We do not need this to happen.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150410_Cops__Son_story_leads_mom__friends_to_savagely_beat_homeless_man.html

* DON’T MESS WITH THE COPS!! IF the police ask us to leave, WE LEAVE. This is a peaceful, informational event. If you insist on debating the legality of what is happening and the police don’t like it, you are on your own. Nothing says love like having to call your significant other and ask them to post bail.

*DON’T MESS WITH MOTORIZED VEHICLES OR THE OCCUPANTS!! If someone insists on driving through or parking in a bike lane, let them. Remember they are driving a two ton vehicle that can cause injury. If someone yells something obnoxious  just wave back and let them drive away. Bottom line, if some wants to be a jerk let them. If you want to be a jerk than this is not the place for you.

*DON’T MESS WITH OTHER CYCLISTS!! Do not block the bike lane. If other cyclists ride through the lane, stay out of their way. Cheer them on from the sidewalk.

* STAY TOGETHER AT ALL TIMES. While ‘No force on earth can stop a hundred cyclists” might be true, there’s a lot of forces that can stop one or two cyclist. Not everyone likes people on bikes  and there are a people who would use this as an excuse to start trouble.

We are not Amused

Let’s face it the #unblockbikelanes effectiveness has been very limited and is a source of frustration for many cyclists who have watched and participated in this effort. Enforcement has been haphazard at best, as the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s own statistics have shown.

1st quarter - the same number of tickets were written in 2014 as 2013

2nd quarter 96% more tickets issued in 2014 vs 2013

3rd quarter - 20% fewer tickets issued in 2014 vs 2013

4th quarter - 40% more tickets issued in 2014 vs 2013

Inconsistent is the best description regarding the effectiveness of the PPA to follow through on the #unblockbikelanes. Something that is confirmed the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia’s own report. Which includes statements as:

"There does not appear to be a sustained effort to enforce parking regulations."

"Enforcement efforts before and after a concerted effort to address violators has been mixed and inconsistent."

Contrary to popular belief the PPA does not have a secret crime fighting lair, like a Batcave or a Fortress of Solitude, from which they dispatch agents ready to write tickets at a moments notice.

So in an attempt to placate the cycling community the PPA recently created an interactive map that is 6 months out of date. Along with stating their latest goals.

• Give citizens the opportunity to report blocked bike lanes via Twitter.​
• Compile relevant data highlighting the most problematic areas with blocked bike lanes in the city.
• Engage active voices within the Philadelphia community, in particular, The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.​

There is only one goal missing; enforcing existing parking regulations regarding bike lanes.

A point driven home by these two posts on Twitter 7 days apart.

May 4, 2015

May 11, 2015

How does the PPA ignore this for seven days? There have been renewed Tweets about the failures and frustration of the #unblockbikelanes. Along with replies asking people to keep tweeting so more data can be compiled. It seems that all this data does is point out the PPA's unwillingness to do their job.

We need a solution that is more than a map full of pretty colors and outdated information. I'd like to  think the time is right for a Bike Lane Flash Mob. Where cyclist will gather at a specific bike lane for 30 minutes and everyone will bring an awareness cone to line the bike lane. Participants could call themselves Coneheads, say they come France, and consume mass quantities from nearby merchants. 

2014 - A year in review

Social Rides

The social ride scene in Philadelphia still mystifies me. There are several rides now with consistent schedules; Take Your Time Bike Rides, Philly Bike Party, and the Philly Full Moon Bike Ride. The question seems to be whether the ridership is going to grow? Take the Baltimore Bike Party; its first ride had 50 riders and within a few months it had grown to hundreds and in some cases thousands of riders. While this many riders creates its own specific challenges, it still leaves me wondering why Philadelphia residents and college students seem to be uninterested in any type of social ride.

Velodrome - Just another 6000 seat stadium

One announcement that drew some attention was the intent to build a velodrome in Philadelphia. A world class indoor  facility that could be used by Olympic athletes. There are two slight problems. First the developers behind this project have to raise 100 million dollars and they have pledged to do this with any government funding. Second, they will make it a profitable business.

As much as I would love to have an all weather velodrome in the heart Philadelphia. Lets face it a velodrome is never going to be profitable. Fortunately the developers have a back up plan. The velodrome will also be able to function as a 6000 seat concert venue. So is this really a group of altruistic developers who want to build a world class velodrome? Or this this just an attempt to open another 6000 seat arena? I’m not betting on altruism.

Mayors Bicycle Advocacy Board - All racing all the time

Mayor Nutter in attempt make Philadelphia bicycle friendly city created a Bicycle Advisory Board. The BAB team’s job is to find ways to promote cycling within Philadelphia to residents and businesses. While promoting cycling to the residents and business owners of Philadelphia all very well and good, the backgrounds members of the board say other wise and is more focused on the other goal; Their other goal is “to create, market, and promote national and international cycling races in Philadelphia to attract the finest and most highly-rated bicycle riders to compete in our City, including supporting and raising funds for the annual Philly Bicycling Classic.”

Eleven of the board members of are involved in racing and three in advocacy. The final BAB member is the most questionable of the group, Lisa Nutter, Mayor Nutter’s wife. It appears nepotism abounds in forming the BAB team. 

Given the high ratio of BAB members involved with racing and the utter lack of people representing the average cyclist in Philadelphia its is clear that the BAB’s primary mission will be promoting racing. Anything beyond racing I’ll wait to see how effective they really will be.

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia scores a trifecta
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has had a year to be thankful for. The Safe Streets bill has become an albatross around their neck equal to the story of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. This year the BCGP scored a trifecta.

1. Bicycle Lanes vs Bill Greenlee
Remember when the BCGP thought that giving the Philadelphia City Council final decision making authority for the installation of new bike lanes would not cause any problems? So did we. (http://tinyurl.com/o3q5ce2) It didn’t take long for Councilman At Large Bill Greenlee to decide that that would be no bike lane would be installed along 6 blocks of 22nd St. Why? Because he said so. And there is nothing that can be done to change this thanks to the BCGP’s agreement with the Philadelphia City Council.

2. #Unblockbikelanes = #QuestionableResults
Then there is the #unblockbikelanes. The idea was that people could tweet the Philadelphia Parking Authority cars that were parked in bike lanes. In return the PPA would step up ticketing of these vehicles. Unfortunately that has not be  en the case.

In the first quarter (http://tinyurl.com/njbns95) the PPA wrote close to same number of tickets on 2013 as in 2014. So the BCGP leaped into action and talked to the PPA and the number of tickets issued by 96% over 2013 in the second quarter (http://tinyurl.com/prddy25). Fortunately the PPA counterbalanced this offset by issuing 20% fewer tickets (http://tinyurl.com/qjrrywz) in the third quarter of 2014 compared to 2013. I expect the fourth quarter numbers to be equally dismal.

Some have even joked that the #unblockbikelanes is some sort of bizarre drinking game. This is yet another example the BCGP negotiating a deal that lacks any protection if either party fails to uphold the agreement.

3. Getting less bang for the buck 
The final element of the trifecta was the $100,000 (http://tinyurl.com/kkp6xa5) spent to create ten artistic bike racks of questionable value. Lets hope that in 2015 the BCGP will be willing to raise half that for ordinary bikes racks of real benefit.

Protect and Serve

When it comes to the #unblockbikelanes and the Philadelphia Police Department they have a unique relationship. There is the WaWa at 22nd St. & Lombard where the bike lane is treated as an active loading zone, which encourages civilians to park in the bike lane as well. At 13th St. & Arch you can expect the bike lane to be blocked by six police cars on a daily basis, due to its proximity to the courthouse. This one is particularly frustrating as there is a gated lot for police parking on one side of the street and a public parking garage on the other.

Over the Labor Day weekend the Philadelphia Police Department had to add insult to injury at the bike lane on Spruce St. between 38th & 39th. Traffic cones were placed along Spruce St. between 38th and 39th, creating a buffered bike lane. To keep people from using the bike lane as quick parking for the WaWa and other restaurants on that block. This didn’t stop the PPD from repeatedly parking in the lane to block access to it, as confirmed by this Twitter thread.

Now I get it, on duty police officers need their breaks and an opportunity to eat just like everyone else. They also need to stay close to to their vehicles, but to deliberately block a buffered bike lane means a cyclist can’t go around the offending vehicle and get back into the bike lane. They have to ride the length of the street putting themselves at risk and impeding the flow of traffic.

So what is the solution? I don’t think the the PPD will have the same sense of humor as the Philadelphia Parking Authority did when Kid Hazo ticketed one of their vehicles.

Even some kind of polite form letter may not work, people get very touchy when you a lay a finger on their car. Its really going to take a change of the internal culture of the PPD. A good start would be with buffered bike lanes and 13th St. & Arch.

#unblockbikelanes is working

Since the creation of the #unblockbikelanes hashtag by the Philadelphia Parking Authority I have been highly skeptical that the PPA was going to follow through on ticketing cars parked in bike lanes. Lets face it the PPA twitter responses of “we’ve added it to our list” does not give you the impression that they are doing anything.

So I did some research, the PPA has risen to the challenge and is taking enforcement of cars parked in bike lanes seriously.

Total number of tickets issued

April, May, & June 2013 - 242

April, May, & June 2014 - 475

This is a 96% increase over the past year.

With the largest increase in tickets at three locations.

Street	2013 Tickets	2014 Tickets	Percentage increase
Spruce St. 1400 - 2300	127	252	98%
Pine St. 300 - 2100	62	91	46%
N. 13th St. 99-100	3	63	2000%
Total	192	406	111%

This is a good start, one that I hope will continue to be growing trend. There are some larger issues that will take time as it is going to involve a change in culture and tradition. The two most challenging will be churches that use bike lanes as parking on Sundays, especially the ones that have made arrangements with commercial parking lots. Or the issue police officers using the bike lane at 13th St by the court house.

I would like to suggest that during one the annual bicycle enforcement sweeps of the PPA to host a bike lane liberation complete with a brigade of clowns, as inspired by New York City’s Times Up. A fun, non-threatening piece of street theater that could be created by local cyclists. Along with a police escort to encourage recalcitrant car drivers to move their vehicle and a PPA agent to ticket unoccupied cars.

#Unblock Bike Lanes - Petro's Bread Distributers

Want to see what happens when a truck from Petro's Bread Distributers blocks a bike lane? 



Thanks a lot Petro's, keep on trucking.

**(The footage above was filmed by someone else. To contact the owner of the footage please click though to the Youtube link in the bottom right corner of the video)

It could be worse

During this weeks salute to #unblockbikelanes we have showcased some of the amusing and questionable aspects of this campaign.  But no matter how bad you think things might be its could be worse, you could be living in São Paulo, Brazil.

Yes, that is a cinderblock wall erected overnight on a bike path for no reason whatsoever. São Paulo Metro claimed that this was merely a renovation to the existing barrier that runs parallel to the path. Click there to see for yourself. 

#unblockbikelanes #3

You just can't make things like this up and yes that is a bike lane they are parked in.

https://twitter.com/atibamanii123/status/457627717072986112/photo/1

#unblockbikelanes #2

Having just updated the map with reports of vehicles parked in bike lanes. One car owner displayed a wonderful sense of irony. This person parked across the street from local bike shop, Bicycle Therapy.

https://twitter.com/jakekthompson/status/456919709880156160/photo/1

To view the map of vehicles parked in bike lanes click here.

#unblockbikelanes #1

As the number of tweets to #unblockbikelanes grows, from time to time I'll be featuring some of the more egregious examples.

Take this car, for three weeks this car has been parked at 21st & Spring Garden.

If you see this car in the same spot post more Tweets to #unblockbikelanes. Lets see how long it takes to for the PPA to do more than monitor the situation. A picture of the car with a parking ticket(s) would be even better.

Go # yourself

In December the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia rolled out a new initiative, #unblockbikelanes. A Twitter hash-tag where people could report vehicles parked in bike lanes. But this is only being used to gather information to determine locations that are problem areas. Enforcement is still a ways off. 

While you can search for the #unblockbikelanes hash-tag, its hard to get a sense of where the problem areas are. So to that end I have created a Google map to track the reported locations. 

There are some criteria that I have used delivery; vehicles like UPS, Fed-Ex and similar delivery services are excluded because they are parked for a very short period of time The same goes for PPA vehicles and emergency vehicles that are doing their job. However police vehicles parked for nothing more than getting coffee should be setting an example for the rest of the public. Parking in bike lanes on Sundays along Spruce and Pine streets is not going to change so just tale the lane and if the cars honk, to bad for them. 

So what do you need to do? Take picture of the vehicle (you don't need the license plate),  Then post the picture and the location to Twitter using the #unblockbikelanes hash tag. With warm weather not that far off lets make sure that from now to September this hast tag is flooded with pictures vehicles parked in bike lanes. It will be harder for the PPA to avoid implementing an enforcement plan by next year. There will be a copy of the map embedded on the Philadelphia Bicycle Journal's Facebook page so you can watch for updates. 
Black Pins = Police car
White pins = commercial or private vehicles
Blue pins = Multiple vehicles in one spot

2013 Philly bike scene in review

Philly Bike Party – After a one year absence the Philly Bike Party resurfaced for a Halloween ride. I understand that the organizers have had a busy 12 months with college, graduation, jobs, and planning the Philly Naked Bike Ride. I would like to challenge them to hold a ride once per quarter in 2014 to show that this group is more than a capricious flight of fantasy.

PPD Bike theft sting – One of the funnier and at the same time depressing moments was the Philadelphia Police Department's attempt to reduce bike thief. Instead of equipping an expensive bait bike with a GPS tracker and motion sensor and locking with an easily cut lock. So they could track thieves back to their homes and recover more bikes. They left an unlocked bike and arrested the first person who took it, not really a sting, more like entrapment.

On the other hand its hard to take the Philadelphia Police Department's efforts seriously when their own bikes get stolen. 

#unblockbikelanes - Recently the Philadelphia Parking Authority has begun to take the steps towards dealing with vehicles that park in the bike lanes. They created a Twitter hashtag, #unblockbikelanes, as a way to crowd source a database of problem locations throughout the city. There is only one minor problem, the launch for this undertaking was announced in the middle of December. So for the next three months the fewest number of cyclists will be riding due to the weather. I can only hope that there is a relaunching of this program in April to remind everyone. When more cyclists will be riding and more eyes will be on the street so this initiative succeeds. More importantly will be to see how long before the PPA starts cracking down on this problem.

Philly Full Moon Ride – With rides planned to coincide with the full moon of every month. The organizers of the Philly Full Moon Ride have been made a consistent effort to hold monthly rides since they first appeared on the scene. The fall and winter rides have been moved to an early start time something that allows for more ride time and makes them more accessible to people in 9 to 5 jobs who have to get up early in the morning. A practice that I hope will continue into the warmer weather.

Philadelphia Kidical Mass – One of the best success stories of the year has been Philly Kidical Mass. Created by Dena Driscoll and Marni Duffy as a way for families with children to enjoy child friendly group rides with other families. Each ride is a few miles long, using a combination of bike lanes of side streets, and finishes at a local playground. Philly Kidical Mass has quickly become the local source for cycling with children and cargo bikes; which have become the minivan for the urban cyclist.