22 (and more!) HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2022
The Bicycle Coalition’s 2022 work resulted in:
- Spring Garden Street Greenway receiving commitments of $26 million in federal, state, local and private philanthropic funding to start design and construction!
- Philadelphia’s Vision Zero budget increasing from $1M to $7M
- Philadelphia’s network of protected bike lanes reaching 30 miles
- 16 miles of new Circuit Trails segments opening throughout the nine counties
- 1,150 community members participating in our bicycle safety education programs
- The creation of bicycle safety education materials in six different languages!
Read on to learn more about the best bike news and developments of the year
We successfully advocated for critical funding for the SPRING GARDEN STREET CONNECTOR
The City of Philadelphia ($2 Million), PA DCNR ($1 Million) and the William Penn Foundation ($2 Million) each committed funding to cover the $5 million cost for design and engineering of the Spring Garden Street Connector. The City of Philadelphia also allocated $26 million for construction of Phase I into the FY23 Transportation Improvement Program for PA.
Philadelphia’s VISION ZERO BUDGET budget finally increased
Since 2020, the Bicycle Coalition—along with AARP and the Livable Communities Network—has advocated for an increase in the City’s contribution to its Vision Zero budget, which was finally raised from $1M to $7M for 2023 fiscal year. Our effort leveraged District Council Member Jamie Gauthier’s #JustServicesPHL campaign, which drew attention to the need for more resources for traffic calming.
📸 the Fairhill Slow Zone by Chris Young, oTIS
TRANSIT FORWARD PHILLY built support in City Council
TFP partnered with SEPTA and Councilmember Gym’s office in passing three bills and programs that will save riders money in fares and make the system more accessible for everyday riders: a City Council resolution that supports prioritizing public transit improvements; an Employee Commuter Transit Benefit program and, the SEPTA KEY Advantage program.
We provided BIKE SAFETY EDUCATION to 1,150+ folks through rides & classes
Through all of our education programs—including the Better Bike Share Partnership, VeloLingo, and the Neighborhood Bike Hubs at Bartram’s Garden and in Hunting Park at the Lil’ Philly Safety Village—we delivered bicycle safety education across many Philadelphia neighborhoods.
100 YOUTH ATHLETES rode with Bicycle Coalition Youth Cycling
93 youth participated in the Spring and Fall Seasons, and our 7 All Star Youth immersed themselves in the local cycling scene by participating in the Fair Hill PICL Rally, Cooper River Cyclocross Race, Covered Bridges Ride in Bucks County, the Philly Bike Expo and the Philly Bike Ride.
We created bike safety materials in SIX DIFFERENT LANGUAGES!
Through our new program VeloLingo, we’re super excited to announce bike safety educational materials available for free in 6 languages: Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Russian, Mandarin, & English. These resources are available via @biking4beginners, a Youtube video, webpages, & pamphlets distributed around the city.
WE GOT MORE TRAILS AND BIKE LANES
Making your ride better with more trails and protected bike infrastructure is at the heart of our mission. In 2022:
– The City of Philadelphia (and PennDOT) constructed more than 10 miles of protected bike lanes and adjacent side paths. By the end of 2022, the total length of protected bike lanes in the City will reach 30 centerline miles, which was the goal the Bicycle Coalition called upon Mayor Kenney to reach in 2015!
– Chestnut Street is now the City’s longest on-street protected bike lane (3.8 miles). This year the bike lane was extended eastward with the opening of the Chestnut Street Bridge and westward with a PennDOT resurfacing project.
– After nearly 10 years of planning and discussion, the City installed Washington Ave parking protected bike lanes from 4th Street to 11th Street, and is adding traffic calming devices on 6th and 25th Streets.
– Pennsylvania & New Jersey added 10 miles of suburban bike lanes, including 6.7 miles installed as part of DVRPC’s Bike-Friendly Resurfacing Program.
– The Borough of Lansdowne created the first suburban contraflow bike lane (.3 miles) on Scottdale Rd to accomodate 2-way bicycle traffic.
– The Borough of Collingswood tested advisory bike lanes between Haddon Ave. and the PATCO Station that were made permanent this year! This pop-up project was designed and built thanks to DVRPC’s EXPO Program.
– The Circuit Trails added 16 miles in 2022, including an additional 1.3 miles of trail improvement in the region. This brings the total mileage of completed Circuit Trails to 374!
– 24-hour bike access was restored on the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge walkway and the Manayunk Bridge
Best Bike Infrastructure of 2022
MANAYUNK BRIDGE LIGHTS
CHESTNUT ST & BRIDGE
SCOTTDALE ROAD in Delco
Half of WASHINGTON AVE
DELAWARE AVE TRAIL
NEWTOWN RAIL TRAIL (ribbon cutting)
SRT IN CHESTER COUNTY (ribbon cutting)
RANCOCAS CREEK GREENWAY (ribbon cutting)
WE GOT MORE BUTTS ON BIKES
- 93 Core Team youth athletes rode with Bicycle Coalition Youth Cycling during the Fall and Spring seasons.
- 510 folks participated in BBSP‘s free bicycle safety education rides, and/or learned to ride a bike for the first time.
- Our neighborhood bike hubs at Bartram’s Garden and Hunting Park introduced free bicycling to 492 adults and children.
- In the second quarter of 2022 (April – June), Indego bike share trips increased by 11% when compared to the same period last year. E-bike trips increased by 40% with an average of ~1000 e-bike trips per day!
& WE SPENT GOOD TIME TOGETHER
Our 2022
VISION ZERO CONFERENCE
Our third annual
bike to work & wherever week
TOWARD A MORE SUSTAINABLE SEPTA PANEL
RAIL~VOLUTION CONFERENCE
BIKE RODEO IN THE CITY OF CHESTER
2022 RIDE OF SILENCE
2022 WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
2022 DIA DE LOS MUERTOS RIDE
2022 EXPLORE THE CIRCUIT SEASON
EVEN MORE GOOD STUFF
The Bicycle Coalition blog is your definitive source for bike infrastructure updates, community events and all the ways you can help make the Philadelphia region a better place to bike, walk and roll.
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