On Monday, November 6th, Kevin Saint Clair was the 10th person riding a bicycle who was hit and killed in Philadelphia this year. Saint Clair was a Masterman teacher, coach, active mountain bike, cyclocross and Masters road cyclist. His death makes the highest number of bicyclists killed in Philadelphia’s recorded history. We at the Bicycle Coalition send our deepest sympathies to his family and to all members of the cycling and Masterman community that knew him. We will include him in our World Day of Remembrance gathering on Sunday, November 19th at the Lil’ Safety Village.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Philadelphia cannot afford to wait a second longer to fully fund Vision Zero and invest in safer infrastructure for our communities. Too long has our City been held back by outdated state laws.
The Bicycle Coalition has long advocated for improvements to Henry Avenue, including in 2020 when we heavily advocated for a protected bike lane– but were denied. We have witnessed too many lives taken on superhighways that run through our neighborhoods. In this year alone, the 10 cyclists have been killed on Van Kirk St., at Market St. and 63rd, Woodhaven at Byberry, Broad St., Lehigh Ave., Columbus Blvd and Tasker, Berks St., Westford Rd., Snyder Ave., and now at Henry Ave.
Right now, Parking Protected Bike Lanes and Automated Speed Cameras are not legal in Pennsylvania outside of current pilots. Until legislators in Harrisburg pass HB 1283 (Parking Protected Bike Lanes) and HB 1284 (Automated Speed Enforcement), our city is hamstrung, unable to use these proven-effective tools.
Mayor-Elect Cherelle Parker also plays an incredibly big role in this conversation. She recently supported expanding Automated Speed Enforcement. We will be calling upon her to advocate for this legislation and prioritize increasing the Vision Zero budget to achieve the vision of zero traffic fatalities. We need her leadership to prioritize human life over automotive ease.
We know how to prevent these deaths. Our elected officials have all the tools to make concrete changes that save lives. Condolences will not fix this problem; our communities need — and deserve — action.
ENOUGH. Not one more lost life.
Please take a minute to send a message to your State Senator asking that they prioritize passing safe streets legislation. Kevin leaves behind his wife Ellen, sons Wyatt and Jack, and their children. Funeral Mass will be at 11am Saturday, Nov 11th, at Our Mother of Consolation in Chestnut Hill. More information can be found here.