On Sunday, professional bikers flooded the city for the Philadelphia International Cycling Champtionship. The course ran the breadth of the city, from Logan Square to Manyunk, and bikers came from all over the world to compete in the race that was the national championship race until 2005. According to its website, the race was started in 1985 with a goal of bringing a bit of internationalism to Philadelphia, and it’s clear just by looking at the roster that the race has met that goal.
But the race has not made Philadelphia more bike-friendly, and there is still a long road before the city becomes friendlier and safer for bikes. In 2008, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia estimated that 36,000 residents commuted to work via bicycle at least once a month in Philadelphia and that 300,000 Philadelphians ride a bike at least once a month during the summer. The number of Philadelphia commuters who bike to work increased an estimated 76 percent between 1990 and 2006, and the Bicycle Coalition estimates that the number of bike commuters has increased since 2006. Despite those statistics, the group reported that Philadelphia had about 205 miles of bike lanes as of 2008 and about 1,000 bicycle racks. New York, by comparison, has 4,700 bike racks and Chicago has 10,000.
Penn’s Division of Public Safety has made great strides toward increasing bike-friendliness on campus, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter won an award last year for his efforts. But the city could still be safer for those 36,000 commuters. Many of Philadelphia’s busiest streets lack bike lanes, making commuting by bike an incredibly risky endeavor and sharing the road more than a little unpleasant.
Drivers and bikers should be able to share the road safely, and we encourage both DPS and city officials to continue working to make Philadelphia safe for cyclists.
