The regular street additions will be a mix of the familiar, narrow bicycle lanes; full-size lanes that will be clearly marked as shared territory; physical changes to streets that are intended to make them more bicycle-friendly by slowing traffic; and other changes that have succeeded elsewhere.
Not too long ago, bicycling was simply a form of recreation. Then concerns about climate change nudged it into the transportation arena. Obesity put it on the public-health radar screen. Now bicycle-friendliness is a factor in the "sustainability" of big cities.
Commuting plays a key role. Acknowledging this, Mayor Nutter will lead a two-wheeled procession from the Art Museum to City Hall at 7:50 a.m. Friday to mark National Bike to Work Day.
"When people get home from work, they have so many competing responsibilities," said Giridhar Mallya, director of policy and planning for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. "If we can incorporate it into their daily routine, that is a straightforward way to get people active," he said, and the low-impact, aerobic nature of bicycling makes it ideal "for people who are in great shape or not in great shape."
When Mallya worked at the University of Pennsylvania, he biked in from his home at 20th and Kater. With his office now at 15th Street and JFK Boulevard, he must traverse much of Center City, "not the most peaceful bike ride." So he walks (a healthy alternative).
Surveys show that the vast majority of people who commute by bicycle live within a few miles of their workplace. "The irony is that Center City has the least amount of bike lanes" compared with other neighborhoods, said Sarah Clark Stuart, the point person for bicycle routes at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
