A separated bike lane in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The second part of Philadelphia’s separated bike lane grant, totaling $250,000, was announced today by the state of Pennsylvania.
The grant—a Transportation Alternatives Project grant via PennDOT—will go toward “17 lane miles into separated bicycle facilities by adding flexible delineator posts, a vertical element proven to better visually and clearly separate vehicle and bicycle space in the right of way,” according to a news release by the state government.
Now, with the additional $300,000 announced in April via the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the city has $550,000 in which to upgrade our current bicycle infrastructure.
Earlier this year, the DVRPC announced $7.6 million in TAP money, which included $300,000 for “on-road improvements.” This money was part of funds the city had applied for, for upgraded bike lanes.
The second grant was through PennDOT, announced today, and was part of $33 million in federal funds that went toward projects all over Pennsylvania, including safer routes to school for pedestrians and bicyclists, off-road trails, and better public transportation access that promotes safety and mobility.
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and other groups, including the Vision Zero Alliance, have been advocating for quick implementation of new bicycle infrastructure using these funds since the 2015 mayoral race. We are glad to see these funds have now been announced.
Other projects were approved for Philadelphia, as well. They include:
- $984,692 to enable the strategic and sustainable expansion of Indego, Philadelphia’s newest public transportation system, by deploying 16 new Indego bike share stations in high-demand locations.
- $1 million to construct a 6/10th of a mile, 12-foot-wide trail with landscaping and site amenities along the Delaware River between Magee Avenue and Princeton Avenue. The project is part of the East Coast Greenway.
- $600,000 to remove slip ramps for eastbound and westbound Baltimore Avenue, which is the school crossing guard location for Avery D Harrington School. The project will also include green infrastructure with a subsurface stormwater retention system, signal upgrades and bump-outs.
If you want to send a message to the city of Philadelphia, and tell them you support separated bike lanes, sign our Vision Zero Petition, which we will be delivering to members of the Philadelphia Government.
In addition to 30 miles of new separated bike lanes, the petition calls upon the city to redesign intersections and corridors, provide additional automated enforcement, better educate the city’s road users on Vision Zero, and adequately fund all proposals for safer streets.