TAKE ACTION
The Coalition takes action for safer streets–but we can’t do it alone. There are several ways to get involved with ongoing campaigns to improve infrastructure and safety all-around. Check them out below.
Get Involved » Action Center
Petition to Governor Shapiro to End Traffic Violence in Pennsylvania
Our Demands
We call on Governor Josh Shapiro to:
1. Increase state funding for pedestrian safety and infrastructure improvements to create safer streets for people walking, biking, and rolling.
2. Declare traffic violence a public health emergency in Pennsylvania and establish a coordinated statewide strategy to prevent traffic deaths and serious injuries.
3. Mandate the use of “crash” instead of “accident” in PennDOT correspondence, reports, communications, and public materials to recognize that traffic violence is often preventable.
4. Require speed-inhibiting technology, including Intelligent Speed Assistance, on all non-emergency state government vehicles and establish standards encouraging its use across municipal and other public fleets.
Move the Circuit Forward
Connecting our region with a 800+ mile network of bicycle and pedestrian trails would bring enormous benefits for our health, economy, property values and sense of community and livability. The Coalition has a goal to connect 500 miles by 2025.
If you live in one of the nine counties of Greater Philadelphia and want to see more miles of Circuit Trails added to that network, please take action! Ask your county elected officials to commit $10 million a year of federal funds for specific Circuit trail projects.
Send an email to your County Commissioner now!
Step Up for Parking-Protected Bike Lanes
What do we want? Parking-protected bike lanes!
When do want them? NOW!
Since 2017, the Bicycle Coalition and Bike Pittsburgh have been advocating for a change in the vehicle code to allow for parking protected bike lanes. (Read more about the history)
Parking-protected bike lanes are a proven safety intervention. By placing parked vehicles between moving traffic and cyclists, they create a physical buffer that significantly reduces the risk of collisions. Despite their effectiveness, these lanes are still not permitted on roads controlled by PennDOT.
In 2017, the Bicycle Coalition worked with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) to secure a pilot program allowing these lanes on select state routes. Between 2018 and 2022, 15 corridors were included in the pilot program — demonstrating that even within existing constraints, safer designs could be implemented.
The results speak for themselves. According to the City’s 2023 update to PennDOT:
- Severe and fatal crashes declined on corridors with parking-separated bike lanes
- Average vehicle speeds dropped by up to 30%
- Bicycle ridership increased significantly
- Flex posts, while helpful, have a high replacement rate
The pilot program proved that parking-protected bike lanes work. What’s missing now is permanence. Without state legislation, municipalities are not allowed to install this infrastructure on state roads.
Join us in calling for the legalization of parking-protected bike lanes across the Commonwealth today!