City Councilman Greets Philly’s Bike Progress With Anti-Bike Legislation

According to a recent report from the Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition, Philly is now the bike-commutingest big city in the U.S., with the most people riding to work per capita of any of the nation’s ten largest cities.

Just weeks after the city’s bike progress made headlines, a city councilman has introduced legislation that could bog down further bike projects in politics and bureaucracy. Councilman William Greenlee wants to make every new bike lane in Philadelphia subject to a City Council vote.

Network blog Plan Philly reports:

Requiring City Council approval of all new bike lanes is bad policy because: It will delay making our streets safer. Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists have all benefited from the 46% reduction in serious car crashes on Spruce and Pine streets since the new bike lanes were installed. (While the cost to motorist convenience has been tiny: a 2 mph reduction in average speed.) No City Council approval is needed for new vehicular travel lanes, crosswalks or bus stops.

“We’re #1 in big city bicycle commuting,” said [Bike Coalition] Executive Director Alex Doty. “Do we really want to be #1 in bike lane bureaucracy?”