The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia was notified by a cyclist using Civic Boulevard (near the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) this morning of a concern regarding construction. Crews are currently blocking the contraflow bike lane leaving cyclists with nowhere to go but oncoming traffic. Worse, the cyclist told us, the crew told her the Bicycle Coalition approved of them telling cyclists to ride into oncoming traffic!
I can assure you we did no such thing. We do not recommend anyone riding a bicycle ever ride into oncoming traffic under any circumstances. And while we’re at it, we recommend you avoid Civic Boulevard completely today.
After contacting the Children’s Hospital, I was assured their communications team did not disseminate it, so it’s not an official CHOP position. Since Penn Medicine also has construction going on, on Civic Blvd., I’ve asked them, too, what’s going on in West Philadelphia. They said they’d get back to me. When they do, I will update.
In the meantime, we recommend that if you’re bicycling in the area near CHOP, avoid Civic Blvd.