"Bike lanes increase safety"

This editorial was in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer:

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion..._s afety.html

http://tinyurl.com/3rx26ry

Now that Philadelphia officials have mapped out safe routes for bicyclists to
cross Center City, it makes sense for them to create north-south corridors
equally bike-friendly.

So it was good news this week when word came from Mayor Nutter's top
transportation aide, Rina Cutler, that the administration will establish a
pair of bike lanes this spring linking Spring Garden and South Streets.

With the extension of the Schuylkill River bike trail also under
construction - linking Falls Bridge with Ridge Avenue - two critical gaps will
be filled in the city's impressive network of bike paths.

The north-south routes, like the crosstown six-foot-wide lanes created in late
September 2009 on eastbound Pine Street and westbound Spruce Street, would
expand options for bicycle commuting, as well as recreational trips. While the
city hasn't disclosed where the lanes will be created, a route that connected
with the Frankford El stop on Spring Garden would link hip neighborhoods in
the lower Northeast by subway-and-bike trips.

The other advantage to more bike lanes is that they should make the roads and
sidewalks safer for all - first and foremost, by offering cyclists a safe
alternative to riding illegally on pavements. The enforcement effort that's
being planned along with the bike- lane additions should crack down hard on
behavior that endangers pedestrians and cyclists alike.

Nutter's predecessor was known for cycling all over the city, but this mayor
is making major strides in making Philadelphia more bicycle-friendly - and, in
the process, a safer place for people on foot and in vehicles.

On 4/3/2011 1:06 PM, Barry Invalid wrote:
This editorial was in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer:

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion..._s afety.html

http://tinyurl.com/3rx26ry

Now that Philadelphia officials have mapped out safe routes for bicyclists to
cross Center City, it makes sense for them to create north-south corridors
equally bike-friendly.

So it was good news this week when word came from Mayor Nutter's top
transportation aide, Rina Cutler, that the administration will establish a
pair of bike lanes this spring linking Spring Garden and South Streets.

Nutter is a nutter.

With the extension of the Schuylkill River bike trail also under
construction - linking Falls Bridge with Ridge Avenue - two critical gaps will
be filled in the city's impressive network of bike paths.

The north-south routes, like the crosstown six-foot-wide lanes created in late
September 2009 on eastbound Pine Street and westbound Spruce Street, would
expand options for bicycle commuting, as well as recreational trips. While the
city hasn't disclosed where the lanes will be created, a route that connected
with the Frankford El stop on Spring Garden would link hip neighborhoods in
the lower Northeast by subway-and-bike trips.

Do cyclists in hip neighborhoods ride fixies with narrow T-bars and no
brakes?

The other advantage to more bike lanes is that they should make the roads and
sidewalks safer for all - first and foremost, by offering cyclists a safe
alternative to riding illegally on pavements. The enforcement effort that's
being planned along with the bike- lane additions should crack down hard on
behavior that endangers pedestrians and cyclists alike.

The *SAFER* alternative to riding on sidewalks is to practice vehicular
cycling on the real streets.

Nutter's predecessor was known for cycling all over the city, but this mayor
is making major strides in making Philadelphia more bicycle-friendly - and, in
the process, a safer place for people on foot and in [motor] vehicles.

Oh yes - must get the cyclists out of the way of the more important
motor vehicles. Note that the reported libels bicycles by implying that
they are not vehicles.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.