Mayor Cherelle Parker signed the “Get out the Bike Lane” bill Wednesday, making it illegal for motor vehicles to stop in any of the city’s bike lanes.
“City Council and I hope and believe the No-Stopping in Bike Lanes legislation will improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists as Philadelphia’s diverse transportation system requires safer streets for all users,” Parker said during a ceremony at City Hall.
The bill, a victory for bike safety advocates, classifies over 35 miles of curbside bike lanes as “No Stopping Anytime,” raising fines for vehicles to $125 for stopping, standing, or parking in a bike lane in Center City and University City, and $75 in other parts of the city. The previous law allowed drivers to stop for up to 20 minutes before getting ticketed. City Council unanimously passed the bill back in October.
“This bill sends a strong message from city leaders that bike lanes are not a space for cars,” said Jessie Amadio, an organizer with advocacy group Philly Bike Action. “Bike lanes are there to make it safer for the people most likely to die in a traffic crash, and that safety should not be infringed upon by a driver’s sense of entitlement to park dangerously.”
Thrilled to see Mayor Parker sign the “Get Out the Bike Lane” bill into law. This bill makes it illegal to stop, stand, and park in bike lanes citywide!
Thank you Council President Johnson and @councilmemberjg.bsky.social
— 5th Square (@5thsq.org) December 4, 2024 at 1:33 PM
Philly has had two cyclist deaths from fatal collisions with vehicles this year, 30-year-old Dr. Barbara Friedes in July and 28-year-old Dominique Jones last month. Those deaths, along with pedestrian Christopher Cabrera and others, led to pressure from cycling and pedestrian safety advocates — including Philly Bike Action, 5th Square and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia — on the mayor’s office and the city. Vigils, cycling protests, “bike lane parties,” and a petition presented at City Hall all called for concrete barriers to protect cyclists on the city’s bike lanes, starting with Spruce and Pine streets, and Allegheny Avenue, as well as a restoration of the funding that was reduced by more than half from the Vision Zero line item in the city budget. The administration claims that safety efforts are paid from other budget lines, not just Vision Zero.
“I know Vision Zero is very near and dear to this particular community and we will work and look at what that type of funding will look like in the future to make sure, as my mayor says, that the city of Philadelphia is the cleanest, greenest, safest city in America, with economic opportunity for everyone,” said City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who co-sponsored the bill with Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Along the Pine and Spruce Street corridors, where Friedes was struck, the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems has been working on proposed bike lane safety upgrades and loading zone allocation, costing $4.8 million, to make the route safer for the approximately 1,500 cyclists who pass through it daily.
Among the infrastructure proposals presented in a public feedback session in October was the recommendation to add a combination of raised concrete barriers (said to be low enough for emergency vehicles to get over) and crash-resistant planters.
“We are confident that this policy intervention will bring us closer to a safer, greener Spruce and Pine Street and make bike lanes safer citywide,” Kelley Yemen, director of OTIS’s Office of Multimodal Planning, said on Wednesday.
Some residents along the corridors have opposed the changes, arguing that the process has been too quick and one-sided toward cyclists, overlooking residents who might be elderly, disabled, or have young children and need to load from the bike lanes.
“Despite Mayor Parker’s and Council President Johnson’s promises that the voices and needs of all residents would be considered in addressing street safety on these blocks, that has not occurred,” an October petition to City Hall on behalf of over 300 residents read. “Since the City is already moving forward ‘full steam ahead’ with the bill and the plan, residents have been placed in the untenable position of challenging the plan rather than contributing to its design.”
Yemen said that both the “No stopping” signs and the new loading zones along Pine and Spruce streets are planned to be installed this spring. The city has additionally released a Temporary Bike Access Routes (TBAR) Guide for construction that interferes with cyclists.
Richard Lazer, Philadelphia Parking Authority executive director, added that the PPA will add a new bike patrol unit of parking enforcement officers, who will “see what bicyclists have to put up with every day.”
“Philly Bike Action is happy to see Mayor Parker’s sparked interest in addressing traffic violence and we hope this translates to increased funding for Vision Zero projects in next year’s budget,” Amadio said.
