Political Support Coalesces Around Protected Bike Lanes in Philadelphia

Michael Andersen describes the potential bike infrastructure benefits that could come from the new mayoral administration in Philadelphia. First, however, Andersen provides some context about Philadelphia's well-earned, but perhaps sagging, status as the most bike-friendly large city in the country. According to Andersen, "over the last few years, a second city — Chicago — has been making a dash for Philadelphia's longtime status as the country's bikingest city of more than 1 million." Chicago has achieved gains in bike ridership by "installing one of the country's best-connected networks of buffered and protected bike lanes in its downtown and central neighborhoods."

Now, however, "Philadelphia's new mayor has taken a page from Chicago's book. In the run-up to his landslide victory last May, Jim Kenney pledged [pdf] to build 30 miles of protected bike lanes in the next five years."

All indications so far are that Mayor Kenney intends to follow through on that pledge. One sign of good faith already: earlier this month Mayor Kinney's office announced the creation of the city's new Office of Complete Streets, which comes complete with a "Complete Streets Commissioner." In addition to that support in City Hall, Andersen suggests that local bike advocacy organizations will also lend plenty of help in seeing the goal of 30 miles of protected bike lanes come to fruition. "Last month, the Bicycle Coalition released its own proposal for where to put 30 miles of protected bike lanes around the city," reports Andersen, "most prominently with a JFK/Market couplet through the heart of downtown."