Welcome to our new Friday roundup column. Today, and every Friday, we’ll be rounding up the most important local bicycle news we came across this week.
Commuting by Car Down. The U.S. Census released a new report this week showing that, in the Greater Philadelphia region, commuting via car is down 2.7 percent. Throughout the country, however, more people are driving and almost 86 percent of Americans still commute by car.
Chip Kelly rides his bike. Conor Barwin isn’t the only Eagle we know of who gets around by bicycle. Kelly arrived to Eagles orientation riding a bicycle, and it was pretty awesome. Check out this video at the 700 Level.
Cadence meets Eagles. Our own Cadence Youth Cycling athletes got to hang out at Eagles training camp on Wednesday, met some players, and had an all-around fun, inspiring time.
SEPTA’s General Manager Joe Casey is stepping down. During Casey’s tenure, numerous bicycle-on-transit improvements took place. He also oversaw the Authority’s new “Cycle-Transit Plan,” which was released this past spring.
Cycle-Transit Plan profiled. And SEPTA’s Cycle-Transit plan was given the ol’ Next City treatment.
Green lanes. New green bike lanes being painted on the Ben Franklin Parkway.
Improvements in the Riverwards. We were happy to hear that York Street was being improved in the Riverwards. It’s a super-wide street that should be calmed—and will be, with bike lanes and other improvements. Additionally, the light at the six-point York/Trenton/Frankford intersection has already been changed for the better.
Safe Streets Pioneer Passes. Deb Huntsmith, founder of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, unfortunately passed away this week. We’ll have more about how her work inspired our programming next week.
Washington Avenue is complicated. Philadelphia Magazine had a longform story about the battle for Washington Avenue, which will be undergoing changes soon. It may take a while, but the story is worth a read. Expect more information from us about our fight for a safer Washington Avenue next week.
Bike share health. Philadelphia’s bike share system, Indego, has largely exceeded expectations in the city. Randal S. Olson looked at the health of the system and asked questions like, “How often will waiting 5 minutes (at an empty bike share station) help?” and “How often is each Indigo bike station healthy, empty, or full?” If you’re a data nerd, prepare to be made very, very happy.
Gearing Up Recognized for Excellence. Kristen Gavin, the founder of Gearing Up, Philly’s bicycle program for women in transition, was profiled in Philly Voice.
Subaru in Camden should help build The Circuit. Oh, and if you haven’t yet, please sign our petition and tell Subaru to help build out the Circuit in Camden, New Jersey, the home of the company’s new headquarters.