Image via Ron Ashworth
Since it opened earlier this summer, the new Fairfield Marriott hotel at 13th and Spruce Streets in Center City, Philadelphia, has been using the well-traveled 13th Street bike lane to help its customers unload their bags instead of the designated valet parking spot across the street from the hotel.
The hotel chain has been sued for putting people’s lives in danger, and we encourage you to come out to the next hearing on this issue on August 15th.
Lawyer Stuart Leon has sued Marriott hotels on behalf of a cyclist for their inattentiveness and lack of enforcement of a bike lane and No Stopping Zone in front of their business. Parking motor vehicles in bike lanes puts cyclists, motorists and pedestrians at risk and it is up to the Fairfield Marriott Hotel to make sure they are not aiding in this added risk.
The next hearing will take place on August 15th, 2018, at 1:30pm in City Hall Courtroom 426. We encourage those who can, to come out and support the rule of law.
We are watching this case closely to find out what, if anything, we can do about obstructed bike lanes in Philadelphia, when enforcement and bike lanes are not enough. As many know, the 13th Street bike lane is regularly abused by delivery trucks and motorists pulling over for their convenience.
See more information below:
What about cars parked in the bike lanes on 13th and Spruce streets all day on Sunday?
Sure seems to me there must be a way to resolve this, and not in court. A hotel needs a place where bags can be pulled from the trunk and run inside. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a hotel where this wasn’t possible. Is it reasonable to expect people to park across the street and then drag their bags across–in the name of safety? Is there a plan for how the bags and hotel guests get back across the street safely–like a signalized crosswalk? Wanting the bike lane free is a reasonable claim, and I’d agree that the hotel should perhaps be designed differently, with a pull-in court in front instead of a wall that encloses the entire space. I fault the hotel architects, but also the City for not somehow re-configuring the street. This is a matter of designing the street so hotel guests can also use it along with bike riders and the best solution is street changes intended to make the situation safe and livable for both parties.
I agree with John Baxter that the street should be reconfigured, solution don’t just only sue the hotel but the city as well. It’s a dangerous situation for all.