November 2024 Newsletter
 
Philly Bike Action is an organization dedicated to improving the bicycle infrastructure of Philadelphia
 
Safe Streets Now!
Concrete Protection for Spruce and Pine St

The City has announced its plan for protecting the bike lanes on Spruce and Pine and it includes concrete curb separation! Over 350 people attended the Pubic Open House - we're expecting results to show overwhelming support for the planned safety upgrades. In addition to exist surveys, the City collected block-by-block resident feedback on Loading Zones. Coverage in Billy Penn.

Special thank you to City staff who diligently staffed the public meeting for an extra 1.5 hours so every person in line could be admitted.

The project is estimated to cost $4.8 Million. We're looking to City leaders to secure funding for this project as soon as possible.

Petition Demand Progress
Religious bike lane parking permits: gone. No Stopping in bike lanes regulation: passed. Concrete bike lane separation: proposed.

What can you do? Sign up for a Philly Bike Action user account to be notified when a community meeting or input opportunity happens in your area.
No Citywide Meetings until Next Year!

District Meetings will continue - attend one of these to get involved with our organizing efforts! Find your district here.

Save the Date! Our 2024 Wrap Up Party will be
Tuesday, December 10 at 6:00pm-10:00pm

News
  • Council President Johnson's 'Get Out The Bike Lane' Bill was passed unanimously last week! This bill will prohibit stopping in bike lanes citywide and increase fines. We worked closely with Council to support this bill through expert testimony and public comment. Everyone enjoy this moment! Coverage in NBC and Inquirer.
     
  • We were named on Philly Mag's 150 Most Influential Philadelphians List! Everyone who signed a petition, attended a bike lane party, or called their Councilperson is on this list - thank you! 
     
  • Spruce & Pine Community Support: On Oct 29, Society Hill Civic held a meeting on bike lane matters with OTIS and Councilmember Mark Squilla. Along with 5th Square, we turned out a strong showing of residents in support of the safety upgrades- dispelling the narrative that 'bike advocates' and 'residents' are discrete groups.
     
  • 3rd Street Bike Lane Bill Passes! One travel lane will be removed from South Street to Market Street and replace it with a one-way northbound bike lane. Our work is not done! At the last minute, the Bill was amended to push the effective date to July 31 2025 - District 1 residents can click here to send a pre-filled email objecting to the delay.
     
  • City Council's Vision Zero Hearing examining the City's progress on Vision Zero goals has not yet been scheduled, but will likely happen this winter while we gear up for the FY26 Budget fight.
     
  • Walnut Street Bike Lane Cleanup - huge success! 2 dozen neighbors joined us at 50th & Walnut for a our Bike Lane Clean-up. Supplied with tools from the West Philly Tool Library, and with support from Penn Safety and the University City District, volunteers were able to clean up over 15 blocks of protected bike lanes. Thanks to everyone who came out!
     
  • Big support for 22nd St bike lane Fairmount! At Fairmount Civic Association's meeting about the plan to extend the 22nd St bike lane from Fairmount to Brown St, out of about 65 attendees, no one spoke against the project, and all but three voted for it in a raise of hands. Thank you to everyone who came out, signed our petition and emailed FCA!
     
  • Bike safety on Vine Street: PBA has been delivering feedback on PennDOT's Vine Street Corridor Safety Improvement project at in-person and virtual community meetings. Our recommendations include extending the westbound road diet and installing a westbound bike lane. PBA members also met with the offices of State Rep. Mary Isaacson and State Senator Nikil Saval. Both offices indicated they would inform PennDOT of their support of our proposal.
     
  • 47th St Bike Lane Sign our petition for a parking-protected bike lane along 47th Street from Chestnut Street to the Grays Ferry Bridge. Community input meeting scheduled Nov 20.
     
  • We tagged notices on over 30 abandoned bikes in South Philly to assist Streets Dept in their removal. Salvaged parks are donated to Neighborhood Bike Works!
     
  • Election Day is Tuesday, November 5! Find your polling place here. To help you get to and from your polling place, Indego is offering two FREE Single Rides per user. Use the code VOTE2024 at rideindego.com to claim this offer. Offer only valid on November 5th.

Get Involved
  • The 2024 Peoplehood Parade (details) will include Philly Bike Action's bike-themed puppet! Cheer us on in the parade on November 9. Volunteers are still needed for preparation, and the parade itself. Contact Chris to take part in this celebration of activism and creativity.
     
  • We need volunteers for Cranksgiving 2024, the popular annual food drive by bike. Help spread the word about PBA by volunteering to work our table on November 16!
     
  • Are you new to Philly Bike Action? Attend the monthly meeting of the City Council District you live in to learn about how to get involved. Join our Discord. Follow on Instagram. Learn more about us here.
     
  • 🚨Don't Delay🚨 Make your Philly Bike Action user account now! Make an account here to allow PBA to notify you about advocacy opportunities in your specific neighborhood as they arise. 

Upcoming Events
Saturday November 2
  • FTWNB Tube Patching Picnic!
    Drexel Park | 1:00pm - 3:00pm
    A picnic for all femme, trans, women, non-binary friends who want to eat snacks, patch a tube, or both! We’ll have spare tubes and supplies – if you want to learn or practice (or teach) tube patching, this is for you!
Saturday November 9 Sunday November 10 Monday November 11
  • PBA District 2 Meeting - 6:30pm - 8:30pm
    Philadelphia Ethical Society (Upstairs)
    Learn how to get involved in PBA and discuss our District 2 initiatives.
Tuesday November 12
  • PBA D5 Meeting
    TBD (check event link)  | 7:00pm - 9:00pm
    Come join us and talk about making biking safer in District 5. 
Satuday November 16
  • Family Food Ride (Non-PBA Event)
    Locust Walk (34th and Walnut) | 9:15am - 12:00pm
     
  • Cranksgiving Food Drive (Non-PBA Event)
    Race Start: Penn Treaty Park | 12:00pm
    Afterparty: Keystone Bicycle Co. (1900 N American St) | 3:00pm - 5:00pm
    PBA will have a table at the afterparty - come get to know us! 
Monday November 18
  • PBA West/Southwest Monthly Meeting
    The Cedar Works (4949 Pentridge S). | 8:00 pm
    Monthly organizing meeting for Philly Bike Action in West & Southwest Philly (District 3+ parts of 2 and 4). Whether you're new to PBA or a longtime contributor, this is a great way to get plugged in and stay involved!
Wednesday November 20
  • 47th St Redesign Community Meeting
    St. Francis de Sales School Auditorium (917 S. 47th St) | 6:30pm - 8:00pm
    The City is hosting a community meeting about the redesign of 47th St, which would make the street one way and add a protected southbound bike lane. Comments in favor of/opposed to the new plan will be counted, so turnout in favor of a new bike lane is essential!
Monday November 25
  • PBA District 1 Meeting
    Old Pine Community Center (401 Lombard St) | 7:00pm-9:00pm
    We will be discussing our projects and goals within District 1.
 
Tuesday November 26

Volunteer Opportunities
We're on the lookout for:
  • Help me edit this monthly newsletter!
  • Good communicators to join our Copy Editing and Comms Team
  • CPA to assist with book keeping and budget projections
  • Graphic Design Team to fill requests for social media graphics
  • Community liaisons to organize PBA table at community events
  • Bi-lingual volunteers interested in translation and outreach events
  • Volunteer photographer for upcoming events

Contact info@bikeaction.org with interest! 

Become a monthly supporter of Philly Bike Action!

Your donation will help us cover recurring costs of meeting room rentals and tech services, printing costs, and the materials we use in our Direct Action events.

Philly Bike Action is a 501(c)4 nonprofit. Contributions to Philly Bike Action are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
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