Photo: karmacamilleeon (Flickr)

Bike-mounted officers to keep Philadelphia’s cycle lanes clear

23 May 2022

by Christopher Carey

Philadelphia’s Parking Authority (PPA) is adding a force of bike-mounted enforcement officers to help keep the city’s cycle lanes clear.

Citing 41 deaths and over 135 injuries since 2011, PPA Deputy Executive Director Corinne O’Connor announced the Bicycle Lane Enforcement Initiative, which calls for the targeted assignment of eight new enforcement officers to focus exclusively on policing lane regulations.

“Cyclists are an integral part of Philadelphia’s transportation ecosystem, and we must protect them while providing safe and equal access to our city streets,” said O’Connor.

“Blocking a bike lane with a parked car is dangerous, and the PPA will issue tickets to vehicles that illegally park in bike lanes. We hope to have all eight bike lane enforcement officers on the street by the fall.”

Through increased enforcement, the PPA has issued over 25,700 bike lane violations since 2014.

“While our enforcement efforts aim to encourage compliance with our bike lane regulations, the staggering number of violations speaks to the need that more enforcement action is required,” O’Connor added.

Chronically encroached

Sarah Stuart, Executive Director, Bicycle Coalition of Great Philadelphia, said: “We are very excited and relieved to see the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s programme get underway.

“Many of Philadelphia’s unprotected bike lanes are chronically encroached upon by drivers who park or stand with impunity. A team of enforcement officers on bikes will be able to efficiently and sustainably keep bike lanes clear and safe for the bicyclists they were designed and built for.”

The officers will patrol and issue fines for any illegally parked vehicles that block bike lanes in the Center City, University City, and South Philadelphia neighbourhoods.

Safety Ambassadors

The city recently announced it was seeking “outgoing and motivated people” to become its first-ever Vision Zero Ambassadors this summer to help raise awareness about traffic safety in their neighbourhoods.

The ambassadors will be the voice of their community around safety issues, working with other ambassadors to create Vision Zero messages and activities that resonate with their communities.

Selected ambassadors will attend two training sessions in June, during which they will be trained on traffic safety concepts, Vision Zero, and the resources that are available within the city.

They will also receive support and guidance from city staff during their ambassador engagement period (June-September 2022), and will receive a stipend of US$1,000 upon completion of the programme.

Last week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published figures showing that US traffic fatalities have risen by ten percent between 2020 and 2021, with pedestrian deaths up 13 percent and cyclist deaths rising by five percent.

The findings reveal the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history.

Image: (Flickr)

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