Powered by Member support, the Bicycle Coalition ended 2023 with several legislative victories including Camera Assisted Bus Lane/Stop Enforcement in Philadelphia and the expansion of the Roosevelt Boulevard Automated Speed enforcement program to five additional permanent corridors and five pilot school zone programs.
It’s now 2024 and we have no intention of slowing down. With a new mayoral administration in place and the second year of a two-year legislative session in Harrisburg getting off the ground, there’s a lot we want to do to make our streets safer and encourage bicycle and public transit ridership!
Legalize Parking Protected Bike Lanes- HB 1283
In June of last year, the State House passed HB 1283 off the floor and sent it to the Senate Transportation Committee where it still remains. This legislation has been a top priority for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Bike Pittsburgh. Named for Emily Fredricks (Philadelphia) and Susan Hicks (Pittsburgh) who were struck and killed while riding bikes, the legislation would make it legal for cars to park more than 12 inches away from the curb, allowing for a bike lane or pedestrian plaza and a buffer between the curb and the parking space. More background of our legislative efforts.
Pass Jay-Alert Legislation- SB 730
Also in June of 2023, the Senate Law and Justice committee passed SB 730 and referred it to Senate Appropriations where it still remains. This legislation is named after Jayanna Powell who was struck and killed by a hit and run driver in 2016. The driver was discovered after attempting to get it fixed at an auto body shop in Chester County. State Senator Anthony Williams, who represents Cobbs Creek where Jayanna was killed, has introduced this legislation each year since the 2017/2018 legislative session. This legislation would create an alert to go out to auto body shops across the commonwealth, alerting them of a fatal or serious hit and run crash with information about the vehicle involved. Op-Ed in the Inquirer.
Fund Public Transit- Budget & HB 1307/902
Last year, we worked with the Transit For All PA Coalition to move two maneuvers forward in the legislature. Included in a code bill was an increase in public transit funding allocation from 4.4% to 6.4% raising $295 Million for transit agencies operating budgets across the commonwealth. This bill didn’t end up moving in the final budget passed by Gov Shapiro in December 2023. We will continue to encourage the Governor to prioritize this in next year’s Budget. We also advocated for two bills, HB 1307 and HB 902, that would enable municipalities to create local taxes to fund capital transportation projects. Both bills have not been brought up for a vote yet, however, with SEPTA’s financial cliff looming, both the operating and capital budget fixes are big priorities for BCGP and Transit Forward Philadelphia. Take Action.
Philadelphia City Priorities
In the Spring, Mayor Parker will release her first budget and five year plan for Philadelphia. Each year we work with the Livable Communities Coalition to advocate for Vision Zero priorities in the budget. We hope to see the Vision Zero budget line increase, continuing the trend set by former Mayor Kenney. We also hope to see more money set aside for paving so that the Streets Dept. can hire a third paving crew and close the gap on their goal of 131 miles paved. Other priorities for the Parker administration – including the creation of a Philadelphia Department of Transportation – are laid out in our Better Mobility Platform. We hope to make progress on these issues with Council and the Parker administration this year.
New Jersey Priorities
Earlier this month in NJ, in cooperation with our partner organizations, we saved a gutted Target Zero Commission bill from becoming law. Two versions of this bill have been reintroduced and we’ll be talking to legislators to ensure that an effective bill that requires an implementable Action Plan for the State can be passed.
As for other legislation in NJ, we’ll mostly be playing defense. We’re partnering with People for Bikes and Lyft to oppose a bill that would require registration and liability insurance for low-speed e-bikes and e-scooters, and we’re keeping an eye on another bill that would kneecap the Safe Passing Law by requiring that a bicyclist or scooter rider to ride edge on the right of the road in single file (Title 39:4 – 14.2) before a motorist could be charged with a violation.
Member support makes all of this possible – stay tuned for action alerts related to these crucial pieces of legislation, sign up for our newsletter to keep abreast of the latest developments, and keep the momentum going with a donation.