Property’s Photo of the Week: Philly’s Bike Lane Struggle Is Real
Ah, the classic compromised bike lane, a lane almost all of us — too many of us — have had the misfortune of cycling into on our pedaling journeys throughout the city. In fact, the Philadelphia Parking Authority reports there have been over 270 blocked bike lanes since December 2013, which is sad considering Philly’s built-in bike-friendliness.
Now, we’re guessing that number is higher since the data appears to have been acquired with the help of the Twitter hashtag #UnblockBikeLanes. The tag, of course, was created for the very purpose of encouraging cyclists to share their BBL incidents with an accompanying photo, thereby allowing the PPA to issue tickets to bike lane transgressors. There’s also the option of calling in to report a blocked bike lane at 215-683-9627.
Imagine all the incidents not reported.
Still, thanks to those cyclists who Tweeted or called in about a blocked bike lane, we can see where in the city these violations take place. This past April, our sister blog Be Well Philly linked to a map by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, which showed where complaints and tickets occurred. The PPA’s website also has a similar map, saying of it, “this information allows us to zero in on problem areas for proper enforcement.”
So, there you go. Wear a helmet. Stay in your lane. And should the cycling gods not be looking out and you see a car door suddenly swing open in front of you or a truck taking up your space…take a moment to snap picture or have the PPL hotline on speed dial and call them. Philadelphia’s blocked bike lane struggle is real, guys. Every little bit helps.
Get at us:
- Send all tips (including fancy Philly area houses like this and this) to property@phillymag.com
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- Don’t forget to use the hashtag #phillyscape on your cool Instagram and Twitter pictures. We might just pick yours to be Property’s next Photo of the Week!
