Update: The City reported much faster progress removing snow after the February 22/23rd snow event, which accumulated between 10 and 16 inches in the city. Many of these locations were already plowed in, and work continued throughout the week.
The Following streets were plowed by the end of the day on February 23rd
- 13th Street from Spruce to Cecil B Moore
- 5th Street from Market to Spring Garden
- 6th Street from Spring Garden to Market
- Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 21st to 15th
- John F Kennedy Boulevard from 15th to 20th
- Lombard Street from 22nd to South
- Market Street from 23rd to 15th
- Pine Street from 22nd to Front
- South Street from 34th to 22nd
- Spruce Street from Front to 22nd
- Washington Avenue from 22nd to 4th
The Bicycle Coalition has long urged the Streets Department to make snow removal for bike lanes a priority. The late January storm’s heavy sleet and freezing rain, compacted the underlying snow into a solid mass, an understandably difficult snow removal problem.
It is very telling however, of the City’s disregards for non-drivers, that the snow cleared from travel and parking lanes was discarded into bike lanes and crosswalks. This approach contrasts sharply with cities like Montreal and Copenhagen, which prioritize removing snow from their sidewalks and bike lanes. Notably, Copenhagen experiences winter conditions similar to Philadelphia, with about 20 inches of snow each year and an average high temperature of 38°F.
In recent days, our staff has been documenting the state of bike lanes and shared-use paths in Center City and West Philadelphia. The City should give protected bike lanes the same level of priority as bus routes. We have witnessed their commendable efforts in West Philly during the previous snow event.
These photos represent the conditions as of February 5th, 2026:
The Good
Ben Franklin Bridge (Delaware River Port Authority)
Easily the winner here, the Bridge Walkway is nearly snow-free. It’s been mostly open (6A-8P) since the middle of last week.
Delaware River Trail (Delaware River Waterfront Corporation)
Mostly clear and dry, a bit narrow but very passable.
The Bad
1200 Block of Spruce St
The Inexplicable
4500 block West Chestnut Street – Uggh!
Key
Green – Clear
Gold – Icy
Red – Not Passable
If you have any photos that you have taken this week, please share by emailing john@bicyclecoalition.org and we’ll add them to the map. Please include the block or address of the photo and the date.