The State of Play on Pine-Spruce

No Stopping? The Bill Has Passed! 

Cement Barriers? On the Way.

September 29.

I'm not used to seeing things move this fast, and frankly I find it a bit disorienting. But I'd be very happy to become accustomed to it. After Barbara Friedes, M.D., was killed on July 17, both Mayor Parker and City Council President Johnson, after initial hesitation, moved quickly to positions that I never expected them to take. I am grateful to them for their courageous and effective action. I am also grateful to the churches and synagogues that voluntarily agreed to stop the long-standing practice of allowing congregants to park in the Pine and Spruce bike lanes when attending services.

After the fatal crash, three bike-friendly organizations - the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, 5th Square, and Philly Bike Action - presented the City with a petition making three demands: cement barriers to prevent motor vehicles from entering bike lanes; change No Parking signs next to the bike lanes to No Stopping signs; and an end to church and synagogue parking in the bike lanes. 

The churches and synagogues, which had been under pressure concerning this issue for some time, all agreed to stop parking in the Pine and Spruce bike lanes, and have done so. Meanwhile, the City has taken important steps forward on the other two issues.

I thought it might be useful to assemble a timeline for at least some of the significant events that have occurred in the last few months. 

July 17: Dr. Friedes dies. 

July 21: A vigil for Dr. Friedes is held at the site of her death. 

July 26: Bicyclists conduct a protest ride from the Art Museum, through Center City, and ending at City Hall. 

August 15: Reform petition presented to City Hall. 

August 26: Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel becomes the final religious organization to agree to stop parking in the bike lanes on Pine and Spruce. A total of seven congregations have given up these spaces. 

August 30: Mayor Parker holds a press conference supporting the reform agenda. 

September 5: No Stopping bill introduced in City Council and referred to the committee on streets and services. 

September 28: Ghost bike commemorating Dr. Friedes instated on Spruce street near 18th. 

October 8. City officials make the first public-facing presentation of Mayor Parker's plan to reform the bike lanes on Pine and Spruce. The Center City Residents' Association hosts the meeting. 

October 15: City Council's streets and services committee holds a hearing on the No Stopping bill, and the bill is reported out favorably. 

October 17: City officials hold a large open house to present the plan to the general public. The event takes place at Jefferson University and is very well attended.

October 24. City Council passes the No Stopping bill by a vote of 17-0, at 12:40 pm. A last-minute attempt to delay consideration of the bill failed. 

The time is always right to do what is right. - Martin Luther King

And that is where things stand now.

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The City Council streets committee kindly asked me to come and tell them a little bit about loading zones. And so I did, at the October 15 hearing. Here's the prepared text of my statement:

Good afternoon. My name is Bill West, and I am the chair of the streets committee of the Center City Residents' Association. CCRA looks after the part of Center City west of Broad, between South Street and JFK Boulevard. The Pine and Spruce bike lanes run east-west through the middle of this area, from Broad to 22nd.

All the comments and queries about our streets that local residents send to CCRA come to me, and I answer them. When it comes to the proposed changes to the bike lanes on Pine and Spruce, residents have asked me: Where will Uber and Lyft go for pick-ups and drop-offs? How will my contractor unload his tools and materials? How will I unload my groceries?

Here's the answer: loading zones. In June, the City and the Parking Authority installed loading zones at or near the beginning of each block on Pine and Spruce, from Broad to 22nd Street. They're working well, although not perfectly. They're so popular, I think we're going to need to add some more.

I do think loading zones are the correct answer for Society Hill and Washington Square West. As chair of the CCRA streets committee, I have had a hand in getting those loading zones on Pine and Spruce, west of Broad. They were inspired by the earlier expansion of loading zones on Chestnut Street, which of course is a commercial rather than a residential area. Chestnut continues to have challenges, and I think the answer there, too, will be to add more loading zones.

The basic mission of the CCRA streets committee is to help make our streets safe, useful, and pleasant for everybody. I hope you will agree that we have a distance to go before we actually get there, but I do think loading zones are a step in the right direction.

Cement block emplacement, Spruce and 18th.

See also The Vigil for Dr. Friedes, Defense Doesn't Win Wars, No Parking v. No Stopping, Loading Zones Are the Key, Pine-Spruce: Will We Replay Washington Avenue?