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Controversial bike lane bill goes to vote tomorrow
At 2:00 P.M. tomorrow afternoon, City Council's Committee on Streets and Services will hear a controversial bill introduced by Councilman Bill Greenlee that would require any new bike lanes to be approved by City Council ordinance.
Controversial bike lane bill goes to vote tomorrow
At 2:00 P.M. tomorrow afternoon, City Council's Committee on Streets and Services will hear a controversial bill introduced by Councilman Bill Greenlee that would require any new bike lanes to be approved by City Council ordinance.
The bill was introduced last Thursday. If voted out of committee tomorrow, it would proceed to City Council, where there are just enough sessions to allow for a first and second reading the passage of the bill before Council recesses before the summer.
The Nutter administration opposes the bill; so does the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (of which this author is a member), which plans to pack the Council chambers tomorrow as it testifies in opposition to the bill.
The proposed law comes, of course, in the wake of an announcement by the administration that it will paint two new north/south bike lanes through Center City, on 10th and 13th streets, to compliment the east/west lanes on Spruce and Pine streets — all as part of the city's bicycle and pedestrian plan to make the city more bike-friendly and increase the number of residents who use bicycles instead of cars to get around.
Councilman Greenlee denies that the new lanes prompted this bill, saying "I'm aware of that, but [the law] wasn't directed at any particular block or set of streets."
The Bicycle Coaltiion characterizes the bill as anti-bike lanes, saying on its website that "City Council wants to tie up bike lanes in red tape.
"The city is trying to build a bike lane network, just like it's got an automobile network," says Campaign Director Sarah Clark Stuart. "Frankly, what we're really worried is that this law could potentially create a patchwork, where there's no bike lanes in a district where a Councilperson doesn't particularly care for them."
"We see this as just another layer of bureacracy," she adds, "and it's worrisome to us that bike lanes are being singled out and motor vehicle lanes are not."
Greenlee counters that Council members already legislate some changes to streets, like reversing the direction of one-way streets or adding or removing parking spots — and that forcing the changes to go through Council gives residents more opportunity for input.
He even bills his proposal as having benefits for the pro-bike lane crowd: "Right now, you have a bike-friendly administration," he says. "That's fine, but administrations change. This would make [lanes] a law."
The Bicycle Coalition, however, disagrees and has encouraged its members to send letters in opposition to the law via its web site.
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