A bill that would give Pennsylvania cities and townships more flexibility to design and install parking-protected bike lanes and pedestrian plazas passed the state House on Wednesday.

House Bill 792, which passed 200-1, was sponsored by Rep. David Maloney (R-Berks) and now goes to the Senate Transportation Committee.

This legislation essentially edits sections of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code, allowing for people to park motor vehicles more than 12 inches from the curb, so a parking-protected bike lane can be installed between the sidewalk and parking lanes.

The passage of this legislation would not have happened without the tremendous support of Pennsylvanians from the Delaware to the Ohio River, all of whom picked up the phone, wrote letters, and sent emails to their state representatives, demanding HB 792 be brought up for a vote.

The membership and supporters of Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Bike Pittsburgh, Lancaster Bikes!, and dozens of organizations around Pennsylvania worked to make this vote happen, and we thank you for all the work you’ve done, so far.

But the advocacy for this legislation is not over. The bill now goes to the Senate Transportation Committee, where it faces another uphill battle.

We will update our audiences on what happens next — at this point, the Senate can either take up the House legislation, or focus on legislation written for the Senate by State Sen. Larry Farnese, SB 565; either way, with the last session of the Legislature scheduled for June 28th (Friday) before summer recess, the chances of getting either bill through the Senate before the fall are low. We are continually in touch with the legislators and state officials working to make this legislation law, and will update our blog accordingly.