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.

Your Bicycle has been stolen, now what do I do?

 All too often you will see posts on social media from people who have had their bicycles stolen asking people to watch out for it. There are some steps you should take before and in the event of, after.

First take a picture of the bike and one with you in the background and the bike in the foreground. Store them in more than one place; your laptop, the cloud, and your phone. Next locate the frame number on your bike. If you turn the bicycle over and look in the spot where the pedals run through the frame (bottom bracket) you will see a serial number. Take a picture of it and add it to the pictures of the bicycle. This is proof that you own the bike. 

Now fast forward to the future, your bike has been stolen,  you go to the police, and they ask you what your bicycle looks like. Unfortunately your answer is “I don’t know, but it is the best bicycle in the world”. Fortunately you have pictures of the bike so you can provide them with them as part of the report. 

Now for the serial number. The serial number is a unique identifier, so if the police recover your bike they will know who it actually belongs to. 

The next steps you take are very important. First e-mail a copy of the report to every bike shop in town and the suburbs with a picture of the bike. While the thief may not bring the bike into a shop, whoever they sold it to may. As long as the shop has a copy of the police report, including the serial number, they will hold the bike as stolen property.

Another step is to register your bicycle with Bike Index, www.bikeindex.org, this is an on-line bicycle registry that anyone, including bike shops, can access to see if a bicycle has been stolen. One other option is to check Facebook and see if there is a “stolen bikes” page. These pages have crowdsourced bicycle recovery with thousands of members watching for it on the streets, Craigslist, and other online sales sites. In Philadelphia that page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/120319078000282. 

Never post your serial number online, except for Bike Index and the police report you send to the bike shops. Bike thieves know about the social media pages and will watch them to see if their bike has been identified as stolen.

While I hope your bicycle is never stolen, I hope that this will leave you better prepared in the event that it does.

Free Bicycle Rides in Philly - 2023

 

Full Moon Philly Ride - https://www.facebook.com/groups/156618137847919

Philly Bike Party - https://www.facebook.com/philliebikeparte

Garden State (NJ) Bike Party - https://www.facebook.com/williamstownbikeparty

Philly Critical Mass - https://www.facebook.com/groups/524459788213181

Philly Cranksgiving - https://www.facebook.com/cranksgivingphilly

Wednesday Night Rides - https://www.instagram.com/wednesdaynightrides/

Philly Tweed Ride - https://www.facebook.com/phillytweedride/

Philly Wanderers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/420796055246389

Neighborhood Bike Works (Bike Coop) https://neighborhoodbikeworks.org/bike-shop

Philly Pumptrack - https://www.phillypumptrack.org/

Black Girls Do Bike (For Women of Color) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlackGirlsDoBikePhiladelphia

Wednesday Night Ride - https://wednightrides.org/ 

I'm Tired

I’m tired. Tired of the state of cycling advocacy in Philadelphia.

I’m tired of individuals and advocacy groups trying to take credit for the work of 
others.

When individuals started holding memorial rides and placing ghost bikes 
for cyclists who have been killed while riding. Only to have the Bicycle 
Coalition of Greater Philadelphia ask them to step aside so they 
can do it. Or when the BCGP tried to claim it played some sort of crucial
role in the lawsuit against the Marriott and ParkingOps and its resolution.

I’m tired of the Bicycle Coalition wasting its time on the trolls and troglodytes that

infest the media and the internet. The BCGP have wasted far to much time on

Stu Bykofsky, making lopsided deals that only benefit Mr. Bykofsky. But the true

insult to the cycling community was when the BCGP devoted an entire podcast to

the Twitter troll @ZeroVisionPhila. Giving him the chance to voice his unfounded

theories.

There are many individuals in Philadelphia who are making positive change

when it comes to infrastructure. Instead of featuring people like that, the BCGP

chose to engage in sophomoric hijinks.

I am tired of people in the media and on social media who promulgate the concept of a war on cars. Especially when it come to Philadelphia’s

grumpy old man, Stu Bykofsky.

Who has spent close to ten years promoting the myth that bike lanes create traffic

and that all cyclists break the law by running red lights and stop signs. Some

claim that this is merely an act and Stu is a great guy. My response to this is,

Stu Bykofsky is anti-bike and a narcissist. Who engages in extreme statements

like calling cyclists “pedalphiles” in order to manipulate people into giving him 
what he does not deserve, credibility.

I’m tired of the groups who form on social media who want to play a role in cycling

advocacy. Yet stand by and do nothing more than talk, with very little action.

Some of the worst moments occur when they discuss if a public action should

be taken. If you have to ask the question, you already know the answer.

I’m tired of people who think that if we inform and educate the general public

they will somehow accept cyclists as legitimate street users. It’s time to stop

asking the public politely and time to take public action on regular and consistent basis.

I’m tired.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

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.