PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After criticizing Mayor Cherelle Parker on bike safety, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia joined her Friday to ride bikes and discuss its demands for improvements to bike lanes.
Parker pushed back on the coalition’s contention that she cut funding for the traffic safety program Vision Zero. She said she shifted money to the Streets Department for speed cushions — residents’ most requested traffic calming measure.
“It was never a cut of the goals or priorities of Vision Zero,” she said. “I reject that line of thinking. It is false, it is inaccurate and it is an untruth.”
However, administration officials would not specify how the city will respond to the coalition’s demands for concrete barriers on certain bike lanes and greater efforts to keep cars out of those lanes.
Managing Director Adam Thiel said efforts are underway to keep bike lanes clear but more community engagement is needed — bike lane barriers, he said, are complicated.
“These are not simple, ‘let’s just do this or that propositions,’” he said. “That’s why we are in a thoughtful, intentional, engaged process to come up with specific proposals. And believe us, you can see we are getting ready to ride so we understand that time is of the essence because we want to ride our bikes and live too.”
The lack of concrete action drew boos from cyclists who attended. But bicycle coalition Executive Director Chris Gale was hopeful.
“This is a big moment for us and this is the start of a beautiful partnership that we want to continue going.”
On July 17, Barbara Freides, a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia doctor, was killed when a drunk driver slammed into her bicycle in Center City. That same day, pedestrian Christopher Cabrera was killed in Kensington by a reckless driver.