Enforcement changes driver behavior tomorrow where infrastructure changes behavior today
PHILADELPHIA- Last night Dr. Barbara Friedes was riding in the bike lane on Spruce St with a helmet on – doing everything cyclists are told is correct – when a speeding driver went left around a stopped car at an intersection, barreling through the bike lane and flex posts. The driver hit the cyclist, throwing her around 20 feet into the air, and then went on to hit three parked cars on the 1800 block of Spruce before coming to a halt. Despite the best efforts of bystanders and first responders, Dr. Friedes passed away at the hospital about 20 minutes later.
Unfortunately, this was not the only fatal crash that happened on Wednesday night. On Allegheny Avenue, a speeding driver crossed through the painted bike lane, striking and killing Christopher Cabrera who was standing near the corner on the sidewalk. Yet another pedestrian was struck in Germantown and remains in critical condition. While we don’t yet know the name of the pedestrian in critical condition and many of the other traffic victims who have been killed and seriously injured this year, they all deserve attention and priority from our community and elected officials.
Not only are these tragic deaths unacceptable, they were PREVENTABLE. Concrete barriers to the bike lanes on both Spruce and Allegheny would have offered protection from these reckless drivers, and the Bicycle Coalition has repeatedly pressed the City to install such permanent safety infrastructure.
In 2009, we proposed the Spruce and Pine Street bike lanes and recommended a parking protected bike lane for the entirety of the lanes from river to river. Our request was denied and the buffered bike lane was added on the right hand side.
In 2017, Emily Fredricks was killed at the corner of 11th and Spruce after a distracted driver made a right hand turn. After the crash, the City responded by moving the bike lane to the left side of the street and since have been prioritizing left hand lanes throughout Philadelphia. The City also added flexible delineator posts at the intersections of Pine and Spruce to slow down drivers making turns around the bike lane.
These posts did NOTHING to prevent the driver from hitting and killing the cyclist last night. In fact, flexible delineator posts are considered temporary measures at the state and federal level – why has the City chosen to treat these band-aids as permanent fixes for bike lanes across Philadelphia?
We call on our elected officials and City leaders to FINALLY prioritize safety over convenience and:
- FULLY PROTECT the Spruce, Pine, and Allegheny bike lanes and other protected bike lanes throughout Philadelphia with permanent concrete barriers;
- END the legacy practice of allowing parking in bike lanes on weekends;
- REPLACE all of the “No Parking” signage with “No Stopping” signage along protected bike lanes.
We call on Council President Johnson, the rest of City Council, and Mayor Parker to fully fund Vision Zero so that protected bike lanes across the city can be upgraded with permanent materials that will move the city toward the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2050.
Philadelphians deserve safe streets. Our elected officials must stop dragging their feet and commit to saving lives through action, not just words.
Add your name to our petition demanding the above.
These petitions will be delivered to the elected officials above, please share the petition with others. If you are interested to collecting written petitions please email Uma@bicyclecoalition.org. If you are part of an organization, business, or other collected body and want to send a letter on behalf of your group please reach out to Nicole@bicyclecoalition.org for more information.
More information:
Parking Protected Bike Lane history: https://bicyclecoalition.org/why-arent-there-more-parking-protected-bike-lanes-in-philadelphia/
6-month Fatality blog: https://bicyclecoalition.org/philadelphias-fatal-crash-data-first-6-months-of-2024/