I am for cars sharing the road with bikes. Sharing the road equally is insane.
I concede that there are reckless and stupid motorists who endanger bikers, pedestrians and other motorists. They should be prosecuted and I have condemned them in the past.
In September, the city surrendered one of two traffic lanes on Spruce and Pine streets in Center City to cyclists.
What kind of a perverted quota system gives 50 percent of any city street - designed for cars - to bikes, which account for 1.2 percent of Philadelphia commuters? That figure comes from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, an advocacy group that the city is allowing to do the bike count on Pine and Spruce. That's a bad practice, like letting a defense lawyer buy the jury lunch.
Bikers demand equal access, which they already have, but don't want equal treatment.
Kenney would dramatically hike fines for illegal biking. DiCicco wants bikes to be registered, like cars.
Cyclists showed up at City Council howling like scalded dogs. They want nothing changed - except they want more and more of the roadway. What's needed, they said, is "enforcement." (Should we actually get enforcement, I predict they will be crying about being "singled out.")
DiCicco's idea was a good start.
Let's put more on the table. If you want parity with cars, how can you not agree to be insured? Last month two people were killed by cyclists. That was rare, but if we get more cyclists, as seems to be the city's wet dream, we'll get more injury and death.
Let's license adult bikers as we do motorists, to assure that they are competent and know the law.
No more parking anywhere you want for free. Like cars, you will park only in designated areas. You will feed a meter or pay for space on a rack, in a lot or garage.
(Special note to Mayor Greenjeans: Added revenue!)
