Spreading Joy and Safe Biking in Kensington, West Philly & South Philly
It’s back to getting dark closer to 4:30pm, so Bicycle Coalition staff, volunteers and community partners hit the streets for our 12th Annual Bike Light Giveaway on Wednesday, November 6th, in West Philly, South Philly and Kensington. Between our locations at 11th and Washington, Wharton Square Park at 23rd and Wharton , 52nd and Walnut, and American and Lehigh Streets, we collectively handed out 650 pairs of free bike lights to make Philadelphians’ rides safer!
We handed out free bike lights to cyclists biking by, pedestrians who also bike, food delivery workers and young people who wanted to learn about biking safely, bringing joy and safe biking to neighbors across the city.
We could not do this essential bike safety work without our community partners & volunteers. We kicked off this year’s annual Bike Light Giveaway last week with a kids bike safety event at Amos Playground at 26th and Berks in partnership with Heritage CDC, giving out 25 sets of bike lights and helmets to youth. Thanks to our amazing 20+ volunteers, and community partners: Juntos, Coach Vanessa and youth from the Boys’ Latin Youth Cycling Team, SEAMAAC, North Kensington CDC, Impact, Point Breeze Collective and more!
Thank you to our funders: Council President Johnson, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Lozada, Councilmember Young, and Councilmember Gauthier for their financial support through the Philadelphia Activities Fund and PECO for continuing to support our Annual Bike Light Giveaway and allowing us to provide these necessary tools to our fellow cyclists, regardless of their ability to pay.
Safe cycling is a right, not a privilege, which in part means that everyone should have access to the equipment they need to navigate our streets free of harm. It’s not an overstatement to say that lights go a long way in keeping people safe and preventing crashes.
But, bicycle safety requires both safety equipment and safe infrastructure. In 2023, we experienced the highest numbers of bicyclists killed in Philadelphia’s recorded history.
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 Too long has our City been held back by outdated state laws.
2 Ways to Take Action:
- Please join us on Sunday, November 17th at 11: 30am Carroll Park (5800 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131) for the World Day of Remembrance to remember all the lives lost because of traffic violence in the last year.
- Send an email and make a call today: Tell your representatives, enough is enough! There are two pieces of legislation in Harrisburg that would allow parking protected bike lanes. Please send a message to key leaders in Harrisburg to ask that they prioritize legalize parking protected bike lanes in 2024 to protect the lives of vulnerable road users.
