BI CYC LE C OALI TI ON OF GREATER PHI LAD ELPHIA

100 SOU TH BROA D ST SUITE 1355

PHI LAD ELPHIA , PA 19110-1023

J ULY- A UG 2007

CycleGram

I N S ID E T H I S I S S U E :

The Presidents Spin

Philly Cycling Committee

Making Bicycling Better

Rocks!

Big Win on Schuylkill River

By Hans van Naerssen

Park and Trail!

Report on the 2007 Annual

"Effective May 15, 2007, Pennsylvania

Department of Transportation policy requires
the evaluation of the access and mobility needs
of pedestrian and bicycle users in highway and
bridge transportation corridors. This revised
policy mandates that highway and bridge projects must evaluation the existing, latent, and
projected needs of pedestrian and bicycle users. It requires the integration of the identified
needs into project planning and design processes."

Meeting

AMTRAK Folding Bike

Policy Loophole Closed

Calling About Potholes

Annual Meeting Photos

So begins PennDOT's Strike-off Letter SOL

432-0702, a huge step forward for the mobility
rights of Pennsylvania's bicyclists and pedestrians. Since most roads and bridges are state the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia in
November 2005. And it is interesting to note
owned, this policy will have a major impact.
that it only took 18 months to become statewide
Titled Integration of Pedestrian and Bicy- policy, a very positive reflection on the cultural
cle Modes of Transportation into Planning changes occurring within PennDOT and elseand Design Processes , it makes specific where. You can download SOL 432-0702 from
changes to PennDOT policies, processes, and our website www.bicyclecoalition.org.
design manuals, all " to bolster the importance of pedestrians and bicycle travel as viable
PennDOT regional district 6 office
and connective modes of transportation" It is (covering Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgombased on a detailed Bicycle and Pedestrian ery, and Philadelphia counties) has already
Checklist, and is consistent with and supportive modified their processes and are implementing
of a variety of state and federal transportation the new policy.
initiatives and legislation.
One more tool for Making Bicycling BetIt was initiated and formally requested by ter.

T RA N S P O R T A T I O N
M IS CE L L A N Y
A pedestrian is almost 20
times as likely to be killed
by a vehicle going 50 mph
than one going 20 mph.
Your chances of being
killed in a crash with a
vehicle double with an
increase in speed from 30
mph to 40 mph.
Our investment in one
square meter of the Interstate Highway system =
$154.00.

Philly Cycling Committee Rocks!

Reorganized Committee Experiences Record Attendance!
By Claudia Crane, Board Member & Treasurer

It was standing room only for some at the

On the agenda were: Adopt a Rack, the
Philly Cycling Committee meeting June Citys Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, Cab Driver
19. Nineteen attendeda record, were sure!
Education, a possible bike share program, pave(Continued on page 8)

Promoting the bicycle as an

environmentally friendly,
healthy and economical
form of transportation and
recreation through
advocacy and education.

PAGE 2

J U LY - A U G 2 00 7

Big Win on Schuylkill River Park

by Sarah Clark-Stuart, Vice-President

After four years of action alerts,

emails, faxes, blocked-access complaint forms, rallies, hearings and online
petitions, Free Schuylkill River Parks
campaign scored the ultimate victory.
On April 24, 2007, Mayor John F.
Street and CSXs William Goetz sat
together on a podium next to the
Schuylkill River Park Trail on Schuylkill Banks to sign a settlement agreement that keeps the two crossings at
Race and Locust open and safe for park
users.
This agreement embodies the position taken by Free Schuylkill River
Park, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater
Philadelphia and many other organizations and individuals that street level

New track crossings make bicycling safer.

Photos by author

access into the Park

had to be preserved
and made safe for
all park users.
This campaign
demonstrated that
when citizen voices
are mobilized effectively, they can convince elected officials, government
agencies and even a
multi-billion dollar
corporation that it
was in everyones Improved CSX crossing at foot of Locust Street makes it easier for all
best interest to find trail users.
a mutually agreeable
solution that met the needs of both the munities and sets an example for other
community and the cities and towns that are seeking to rerailroad.
Thou- claim their waterfronts. It also proves
sands of park users that transportation infrastructure is caand
n e i g h b o r s pable of adapting itself to become
stepped up and took woven into the fabric of revitalizing
action whenever urban communities.
they were called by
The highlights of the CSX-City of
Free
Schuylkill
River Park to drive Philadelphia Settlement Agreement are:
that message home. Within two years, the crossings at
Race and Locust Street will be imThis agreement sets
proved with fencing and gates that
a national precedent
will permit park users to cross the
for how freight
tracks when no train is approaching
lines can co-exist
or parked. If trains are parked near,
within urban com(Continued on page 3)

Report from the Annual Dinner

Cyclists Making a Difference
By Hans van Naerssen

It was quite a gathering. One had needed to make bicycling better.

been arrested; one was an insider. The
The criminal? Former Coalition
long term leader was there, as was the
President Noel Weyrich. As Noel was
strategist.
presenting the Coalitions annual BicyA mafia gathering? No. They were clist Champion Award, he related a few
bicycle activists, making a difference. stories from the heady 90s, actions that
Those of us who braved the noreaster made a major difference for bicyclists.
and attended the Bicycle Coalitions
How? By conducting criminal misannual meeting enjoyed a fascinating
glimpse some of the styles and actions chief and cutting chain link fencing

when bicyclist / pedestrian facilities had

not been included a key bridge. By being a knowledgeable and forceful at
meetings, so much so that his presence
was a consternation to many, but great
for us.
The insider? Tom Branigan, recipient of the Bicyclist Champion
Award. For many many years while
(Continued on page 4)

C Y C LE G R A M

PAGE 3

(Continued from page 2)

but not on the crossings, gates will reopen to permit

crossing the tracks until the train moves again.

An overpass will be constructed south of Locust Street

to connect the next segment of the trail to the Schuylkill
River Park at 25th and Spruce Street within 30 months
(The exact location and design is to be determined).

A segment of track will be built in the vicinity of 32nd

and Thompson Street to facilitate faster movement of
trains through the City.

Once this segment is constructed by CSX, garbage trains

will no longer park on tracks next to the Park or within
the Citys municipal boundaries.

Newly installed rubber flange filler at Race Street entrance to Schuylkill

River Park and Trail

each sets of tracks at both crossings in response to Free

In late June, CSX installed rubber flange filler in between Schuylkill River Parks request that the crossings be made
smoother for wheeled users. This is a welcome and long

How One Bicyclist Closed AMTRAKs Folding Bike Policy Loophole

By John Boyle, Director of Advocacy

Philadelphia City to Suburb commuter Dave Torok planned to take his

folding bike on Amtrak's Keystone service to get to his workplace in
Malvern PA. He occasionally did this on
SEPTA Regional Rail but he found
that the door-to-door trip was a mind
numbing 90 minute commute. However
he found out that using Amtrak's faster
service would take virtually the same
amount of time as driving; about 60
minutes. He planned to do the multimode commute at least three times a
week, reducing his gas usage, replacing
aggravation on the Schuylkill Expressway with an exhilarating bike ride, and
promoting transit.

Station in Philadelphia. However on the

way back in the evening, he was
DENIED boarding, with the conductor
giving him at least 5 different
reasons why you cannot bring a folding
bike on board despite their
posted policy.
Dave followed up with the Station Manager at 30th Street Station who
said that he talked to the rail manager
and also to a higher-up boss,
that they looked through the "Conductor
Service Rule Book", and said
that folding bikes are not permitted on
the Amfleet cars used on the
Keystone Line.

Puzzled because he got an answer to

a question that he didn't ask he
sent a letter to Amtrak CEO Kummant
and filed a Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) request to see if they have
any public information regarding
folding bikes. He also joined the Bicycle
Coalition of Greater Philadelphia who
The inaugural morning trip worked sent their own letter to customer service
well, a very pleasant Amtrak train BCGP asked that Amtrak work to clarify
crew had no problems with his folding their folding bike policy.
bike on the AM Keystone Train out to
Customer Service sent a response to
Paoli even helping hold the door at the
bottom of the staircase at 30th B C G P w h i c h s t a t e d t h a t
Amtrak Keystone does not allow full
size bicycles so he bought a folding
bicycle expressly to enable this commute. Amtrak's website specifies
that folding bicycles are allowed on
"certain rail cars" although it fails to
mention any specifics.

folding bikes are permitted on ALL

trains and that they would look into
the wording of the bicycle policy. However there was no indication that
Amtrak would deal with the conductor.
Dave tried to take the train again. He
showed the email to the conductor
stating the policy allowed for folding
bikes on all trains. The
conductor maintained that folding bikes
are not allowed at all, according to the
"Conductor Service Rule Book," and
that no policy or email would grant him
access to that train. It looked like our
efforts at Amtrak had failed. Meanwhile
customers who were using other trains
had no problems bringing on a folding
bike.
Dave continued to take his folding
bike on the Amtrak train in the morning
with the friendly crew and take SEPTA
in the evening while waiting for some
new information to arrive.
After more than a month, a corporate
spokesperson replied to the letter
sent to Mr. Kummant that repeated the
vaguely-worded policy from the web
site. Nor did the letter clarify the defini(Continued on page 4)

J U LY - A U G 2 00 7

PAGE 4
(Continued from page 2)

remains on the board, now as secretary.

employed by the City of Philadelphia

Streets Department, he has been on the
inside, promoting and pushing to get
bike lanes, bike racks, and facilities. As
the scope of his responsibilities increased, so did the scope of his positive
influence on bicyclist facilities. A well
deserved award. Unfortunately he is
retiring. We will miss him.

The strategist was Randy Neufeld,

who led the evolution of the Chicago
Bicycle Federation into a major and one
of the most successful regional bicycle
advocacy organizations in the USA. His
keynote speech, euphemistically titled
How Chicago is Catching Up to Philadelphia, was a fascinating look into
how the growth and success was accomplished, from a cash strapped understaffed organization to one where
the city is paying them to provide bicycling advice, where they have a staff of
33, where they are a major participant
and shaper of bicycling strategy for the
whole Chicago region.

The long term leader? Dennis Winters has been the president of the Bicycle Coalition for ten years, and received
special recognition for providing direction and leadership during both the
1990s and this decade. Fortunately he

There were 30 other individuals

whose actions made a difference for
bicyclists in 2006, whose contributions
were recognized as well.
As incoming President, it was an
interesting glimpse into our past successes and challenges, and what the
future might bring. And it was confirmation that our current short term strategy of establishing BikePhilly as a major fund raiser is correct.
I hope you will continue to help us
Make a Difference

That same afternoon he received the

firmed that bicycles were prohibited in
passenger cars, but it had no reference policy update email Dave already had
his folding bike at work. He brought
tion of "certain passenger cars" but his to folding bicycles at all.
his bike to the Paoli platform,
office did forward the response to the
A second file was attached. It was a service update printout in hand, with a
30th Street manager.
policy change update effective May 4 little tension as to what might happen.
The FOIA request for the conduc- 2007 that allowed folding bikes onThe same conductor who had detor's rule book was also slow to arrive. board all trains and was to be inserted
The request was granted after two full into the service rule book. This simple nied boarding twice was there, but this
gave
c y c l i s t s time he simply allowed him to board,
months of occasional status emails c h a n g e
but no actual policy information. Fi- the clout on to bring their folding bike saying that he had received the policy
nally on May 7 Dave received the onto any Amtrak train in the country update that morning.
FOIA documentation which included without the fear of being stranded over
an attached excerpt of the Service Rule a technicality.
Book via email. The Rule Book con(Continued from page 3)

WHO DO I CALL
ABOUT POTHOLES?

SEPTA
Trolley Track Area (Inside tracks and
18" on either side)

These numbers are good for reporting pothole, cave-ins (sinkholes),

and ditches/utility cuts.

LOCATION
AGENCY & CONTACT INFO:

Customer Service
Phone: (215) 580-7852
Web: http://www.septa.org

After reporting the road hazard,

monitor to see if repair is performed. If
not, contact the Coalition at 215BICYCLE.

City Street
Streets Department
Customer Affairs Unit
Phone: (215) 686-5560, *FIX (cell
phones)
Email: csstreets@phila.gov
Web: http://www.phila.gov/streets
State Highway
PennDOT
Maintenance Hotline
Phone: 1-800-FIX-ROAD (349-7623)

THE CYCLEGRAM
Dennis R. Winters, Editor
Editorial Assistance: John Boyle, Alex Doty, Hans van Naerssen &

Jill Gefvert-Minick
Editorial offices: 100 S. Broad Street, Suite 1355, Philadelphia, PA 19102
The CycleGram, Jun-Jul 2006 BCGP
Reproduction permitted. Proper citation appreciated.

C Y C LE G R A M

PAGE 5

Coalition Photo Scrapbook: 2007 Annual Dinner at International House

Annual Award Recipient Tom Branigan

and son, David.

Chicagoland Bicycle Federations Randy

Neufeldthis years Keynote Speaker.

Bicycle Coalition Executive Director,

Alex Doty emcees the Annual Dinner
festivities.

Photos by Dennis Winters

Past Coalition President Noel Weyrich describes cycling activism in the 90s and presented Cyclist Champion of the Year Award
to retired Street Department engineer, Tom
Branigan.

Cyclist Champion of the Year Award

Recipient, Tom Branigan.

JOIN TODAY!
Yes, I want to help make our region the best for bicycling! Please enroll me as a member.
Name ________________________________________________Address __________________________________________________
City ____________________________ State _______ Zip Code ____________Phone ___________________Fax __________________
E-mail ___________________________________________________
I'd like to contribute:
_____$200 _____$100 _____$75 _____$50 _____$35 _____$ Other
_____ Check enclosed

MasterCard/Visa

#_______________________________________ Expiration date ____________

Signature ___________________________________________
Membership includes a subscription to our Cyclegram newsletter, invitations to special events, access to cycling list serves, and
e-mail action alerts!
Please return to:
Bicycle Coalition, 100 S. Broad Street, Suite 1355, Philadelphia, PA 19110-1023
If paying by charge card, you can also fax to: (267) 514-2324

J U LY - A U G 2 00 7

PAGE 6

Bike Parking at the University of Pennsylvania and the

Philadelphia Veterans Administration
By Darren Linkin, Philadelphia Cycling Committee member

The problems of bike parking at the

University of Pennsylvania (the Blockley Hall building) and the Philadelphia
Veterans Administration Medical Center are two-fold; poorly designed bike
racks and not enough of them! I commute to work at both.
So why should they (Penn and Phila
VA administrators/leadership) care?
Essentially, the status quo actively discourages people (employees, trainees,
patients) from commuting or visiting by
bike. Both centers subsidize or facilitate car parking to some degree (pre-tax
account at Penn; free parking at VA for
staff, though it fills up early).
Increasing bike traffic would decrease car traffic in/around the facilities/campus, reduce parking congestion,
improve peoples perception of their
commute by biking rather than driving
or riding public transportation
(according to a British Columbia survey
study), improve the health of the commuters/visitors, decrease energy use
and greenhouse gas production, and
improve the ambience/vibe of the area.
At the VA there are three of the oldstyle racks with vertical bars designed
during a time when the quaint
notion was that you would
nose only your front wheel
into the slot, and not use a Ustyle lock for the frame.
Even without quick-release
wheels, bikes on these are
easy pickings for thieves, and
if your bike falls over your
wheel bends in half! Most
people put their front wheel
over the rack, which is cumbersome and scratches the
bike, but works for many
mountain-style bikes without
fenders.
I discussed the issue with
the people responsible for

Photos by author

Facilities (some
of whom were also
bikers),
who
agreed that more
and better racks
were needed. We
are now planning
for 15 inverted
U style racks
(parking for 30
bikes). Most will
be placed near the
main
entrance
(vehicle
turnaround area just up
from the security Darren Linkins ride tethered on Penn Campus
check-point) under
the building overhand. The first partial is a problem in many places on campus.
deliver is expected in the next 1-2 While the discussion was encouraging,
weeks with the rest to follow shortly I dont yet have specific plans to report.
there after.
I started a Yahoo Group called PhilWhile Penn actually has many abike to share ideas about commuting,
racks, most are of the vertical bar type parking, and other local bike issues,
(described above). At Blockley Hall focusing on Penn and the VA (though
where I work, there is an acute shortage discussion of other areas welcomesee
every dayI often end up locking to a URL below). Come post pictures,
signpost or tree. Others take bikes in- check out links, and share your
side buildings. Ive brought this issue thoughts and ideas!
to the attention of those in charge of the
campus layout/structures, and they were http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/
very receptive, acknowledging that this philabike/

Example of inadequate bike parking

C Y C LE G R A M

Thanks to the 775

riders of Bike
Freedom Valley!

Photo by Mike McGettigan

Photo by Mike McGettigan

PAGE 7

Photo by Sarah Clark-Stewart

Photo by Sarah Clark-Stewart

Photos from Bike Freedom Valley 2007

BICYCLE COALITION OF GREATER

100 S Broad St Suite 1355
Philadelphia PA 19110

PHILADELPHIA

Calendar
Light of the Moving Bikes Ride
August 7, 2007
BikePhilly 2007
September 9, 2007

residents) will be meeting soon. The South

Street Bridge ad-hoc Committee has determent issues...and the planned new South mined that they have no confidence in the
bridge design, and has met with City CounStreet Bridge replacement.
cil members Anna Verna and Frank
Gihon Jordon led the discussion of the Rizzo.
Bridge. Gihon, a current board member,
and former President of the Bike Coalition,
All agreed at the meeting that it is not
was a Center City traffic engineer for 15 too late to get the bridge plans changed, and
years. Jordan retired from the Streets De- that we should work with the ad-hoc compartment in 2004. Self described as a mittee to make sure the bridge design is
hopeless transportation wonk, Gihon fixed.
summed up whats wrong with the current
bridge plan (consistent with the Bicycle
Dennis Winters will be the Bike CoaliCoalitions position on the Bridge):
tion liaison to an ad-hoc committee. Others
The turning Radius on to the are welcome to join this committee. If you
Schuylkill Expressway Ramps is too large, want to be involved, contact Jim Campbell
encouraging truck traffic and degrading at jcampbell@campbellthomas.com.
pedestrian level of service. There is no
The next Philly Cycling Committee will
reason the bridge should accommodate
be Tuesday July 17th, 6:30 PM (6pm for
trucks!
The through bike lane should be on pizza) at the office. Well plan to find as
bigger room!
the left of a dedicated right turn lane
(Continued from page 1)

bicyclecoalition.org
(215) BICYCLE

For complete minutes of the June Philly

We learned, thanks to Jim Campbell (at
Cycling Committee Meeting go to: http://
the meeting), that an already existing
bcgp.blogspot.com/2007/06/penndotstreetsBridge ad-hoc Committee (mostly
dept.html
neighborhood groups and near-the-bridge