On March 28, 2026, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP), Families for Safer Streets Greater Philadelphia (FSSGP), Philly Bike Action (PBA), and Bike Delaware County came together to honor the life of Teddy Einstein with a memorial ride that united community members, advocates, and elected leaders in a shared call for safer streets.
cyclists meet at Clark Park for the Memorial Ride
Seventy-five riders traveled from Philadelphia and Swarthmore, converging at Providence Road and East Penn Pines Boulevard.. There, they were joined by Senator Tim Kearney, Representative Heather Boyd, and Representative Gina Curry, alongside advocates and loved ones, to reflect and demand change.
The ride not only honored Teddy’s life, but also underscored a painful truth: what should have been a routine, safe trip ended in tragedy, something that could have been prevented through safer driving and better infrastructure. At its core, the message is clear: everyone deserves mobility freedom: the ability to move safely through their community. Any loss of life to traffic violence is unacceptable.
Speed remains one of the most critical factors. At 40 miles per hour, only one in ten people survive a crash; at 20 miles per hour, nine out of ten survive. While the posted speed limit on the road where the crash occurred is 25 mph, more must be done to ensure drivers adhere to it. Measures such as speed cushions and radar speed signs, which can reduce speeding by up to 80% in residential and school zones are proven interventions that save lives.
At the same time, there is a clear need for safer infrastructure. Along this corridor, there is only a half-mile of painted bike lanes between Penn Pines Park and Springfield Road, markings that offer very little protection. Moving forward, stronger measures are essential, including legislation currently under consideration in Pennsylvania that would allow municipalities to install protected bike lanes separating cyclists from traffic on state roads.
In addition, policy solutions must address chronic speeding. Legislation introduced by Representative Dougherty would implement Intelligent Speed Assistance systems for repeat offenders capping speed speeding above excessive limits. With more than 23,000 speed-related crashes reported in Pennsylvania in 2024, the urgency of these solutions is undeniable.
The event also highlighted the power of advocacy and community leadership. Thank you to leaders like Liz Hocker, whose outreach to PennDOT has already prompted efforts to improve safety at the intersection where the ride concluded. Her work is a testament to what sustained advocacy and collaboration can achieve. Deep gratitude to Ruth, Teddy’s wife, who ensured that his life was honored with honesty and purpose, speaking powerfully about the changes needed so that no other family experiences such a loss to traffic violence.
Ultimately, the memorial ride was not only a space for remembrance—it was a call to action. Teddy should have made it home. Ensuring that others do is the responsibility we all carry forward. BCGP looks forward to working with PennDOT and the local municipality on an ongoing basis to make long term improvements to implement traffic calming measures to get to zero traffic fatalities.
To honor Teddy’s life, participants and community members are encouraged to get involved with Families for Safer Streets Greater Philadelphia and to advocate for policies that prioritize safety over speed. For those in Philadelphia, that means supporting and advancing Vision Zero—a commitment to ending traffic deaths and serious injuries through thoughtful street design, policy change, and community engagement. There will be public comment on the City’s budget on May 6, 2026. If you’re interested in testifying in support of increased Vision Zero funding at Philadelphia City Council Budget Public Comment period and/or if you’re interested in supporting the Protected Bike Lane or Intelligent Speed Assistance policies at the state level please contact Julio Rodriguez julio@bicyclecoalition.org to to sign up for these opportunities.
