SPRING IS HERE,
The weather is milder.
Now the bicyclists
Start riding wilder.
With icy storms behind us, the city is ready to pump up bicycle lanes, like Audrey II in "Little Shop of Horrors," while shrouding its plans (to thwart opponents from organizing, I suspect).
It's following the tactics of New York City, which now finds one of its "popular" (according to the city) Brooklyn bike lanes under legal attack.
But, first, Philly.
The Good News: Long delays - meaning cars waiting for two or three light changes to cross Broad - have been greatly reduced at Pine and Spruce, two major intersections mysteriously "overlooked" when the city did a study of wait times. (The city ignored my independent reporting of maddening - and fuel-wasting - delays.)
The Bad News: The improvement was achieved by removing eight parking spots to create turn lanes. (The city said they will be replaced by additional parking on 12th between Pine and Lombard.)
The city soon will add two north-south streets to the growing bicycling network, according to Deputy Mayor for Transportation Rina Cutler, who won't name them until the end of this month. The city wants to meet with the affected communities, and that just began, she told me.
She has already met (conspired?) with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, a prime promoter of bike lanes. (Sure, give the advocates a head start.)
She also said that the city has a grant to help out - but won't say from where, how much or to do what.
I'd suggest some grant money be spent on signage: SIDEWALKS ARE NOT RIDEWALKS. BICYCLES KEEP OFF!
At the end of the month, the selected streets will be named and enforcement plans will be announced.
"We need to end reckless cycling and driving and even walking" - like walking with your eyes on your PDA instead of the sidewalk, Cutler told me.
Except . . . there already is enforcement on cars. Lots. Here are the 2010 stats: Tickets issued to drivers, 175,909. Tickets issued to pedestrians (i.e., jaywalking), 89. Tickets issued to bicyclists, 40.
Yes, 40. Four Zero. Fewer than one a week - despite massive red-light-running, stop-sign-blowing, wrong-way-riding and sidewalk-cruising.
Cutler admitted that after the Spruce and Pine bike lanes made their debut last year, enforcement "went away." Even before it "went away" it was almost nonexistent.
From the jump, Cutler consistently has said that enforcement is required - and just as consistently, it's been AWOL.
