Bike accident victim dies; new lanes planned

Plans have been in place for some time to install bike lanes at Penn. . Bike lanes will debut across West Philadelphia over the next year as part of a joint city and state transportation project which will help cyclists from Penn and elsewhere to ride through campus more safely. The major campus thoroughfares -- Chestnut, Walnut and Spruce streets -- will all be resurfaced to allow for bike lanes or "bike-friendly" areas, City Design Engineer Charlie Denny said. The pro-biker efforts stem from a city initiative called the Philadelphia Bicycle Network. Started by the city's Department of Streets in 1994, the network aspires to create over 300 miles of interconnected bike lanes throughout the city. So far, Philadelphia has over 60 miles of bike lanes. Campus interest in bike safety has risen lately, after Benjamin Tencer, a 70-year-old man taking classes at Penn as part of a special program for senior citizens, died Monday after being hit by a car while crossing the busy 34th and Walnut streets intersection Friday on bicycle. University officials described Tencer's death as a "wake-up call" to the campus community about bike and pedestrian safety. But even before the accident, there were plans in place to make University City a safer area for cyclists. Both Chestnut and Walnut streets are state highways and will be resurfaced from the 3400 block to the 3800 block by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The state has worked with the city to develop the designs, Denny said. The University is not directly involved in any of the plans, according to Denny. Although these streets will not have clearly marked bike lanes, the existing three traffic lanes will be changed to two lanes -- leaving a broad space along the side for parked cars and bikers. Denny said the PennDOT work would begin next spring. And the city plans to resurface Spruce Street from 34th Street to Cobbs Creek, putting in bike lanes along the entire stretch. The University of Pennsylvania Health System has worked with the city to ensure that the road work will still allow sufficient space for ambulances. As a result, the curb along Spruce beside the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania will be pushed back three feet to accommodate the changes, Denny said. Work on Spruce Street should begin next August, according to Denny. In the future, roads in West Philadelphia will allow bikers to wind around the city more easily. "We're trying to encourage to more people to bike," Denny said. "Every time you take a car off the road, you reduce the congestion." Streets soon to be resurfaced -- and supplemented with bike lanes -- also include 43rd and 44th Streets. According to Denny, there will be "a fairly good network in the area of Penn." University City District Executive Director Paul Steinke said although the UCD welcomes the project, it has not been involved in the bike lane initiative. Steinke said the UCD looked at the plans last spring and was happy with them, adding that the project was very progressive. "There's a lot of cyclists who live in West Philadelphia and University City who ride their bikes to work and school. This adds a sense of legitimacy to the cycling community," he said.

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