Bicycle Coalition policy coordinator (right) meets with Councilman Mark Squilla (left) to drop off the Bike Lane Toolkit documents.
Earlier this year, the Bicycle Coalition created our “Bike Lane Toolkit,” an online, interactive feature. It allowed users to see the prioritized bike lane infrastructure projects in their Council District, and show their support for those lanes using their signature and a note to their Councilperson.
Each week, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is heading over to City Hall and dropping off those signatures to the Councilpeople to whom you have a pro-bike, pro-infrastructure message.
Higher quality bike lanes are needed to improve safety and encourage more bicycling. Many factors control when and where bike lanes are installed by the City of Philadelphia.
One of those factors is the support of City Council members. Sometimes, there is a need to make clear to City Council members that they have constituent support for more and better bike lanes.
While Council approval is not needed for the Streets Department to install standard (5 foot painted) bike lanes, Council support helps! Formal Council approval is required to put in protected lanes that replaces a lane designated for motor vehicle traffic.
The Bicycle Coalition has prepared the signatures and documentation to make it as simple, and easy, as possible for those Councilpeople you wrote to, to understand where new bicycle facilities should go.
Additionally, we are in the process of setting up meetings between the Councilpeople and their constituents who signed onto the Bike Lane Toolkit.
The first meeting will be held for District 1 constituents, with their Councilperson, Mark Squilla, pictured above with Bicycle Coalition policy coordinator Bob Previdi.
Those that live in the First District and signed onto the Bike Lane Toolkit will receive an email noting the time and place of their meeting.
For those who live in other districts and signed onto the Toolkit, stay tuned for information on when you and other cyclists in your district will be given the opportunity to meet with your respective Councilperson.