Philadelphia State Reps Angel Cruz, Robert Donatucci, and Rosita Youngblood want to amend the PA Vehicle Code to require bicycles to comply to the rules and regs of motorcycles

It appears that unfortunate circumstances in Philadelphia have created a ripple that could affect us on the other side of the state. In separate incidents in October, two pedestrians were killed after cyclists hit them. These terrible events have caused an uproar within Philadelphia’s knee-jerk lawmakers as well as an increase in tension on the street and a “rising anti-cycling sentiment,” according to locals.  Locals feel that targeting bicyclists is an easy way to win political points, and that cyclists are being scapegoated for the chaos in the streets, instead of dealing with the real dangers on the road.

The recent events lead two Philadelphia City Council members to propose three different pieces of legislation that would increase penalties for sidewalk riding and riding with headphones, riding without an “approved” brake, and to mandate registration and bicycle license plates. This proposed bill has received a flood of criticisms from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Bike Messenger Association, as well as a Facebook group.  Fortunately for once, the legislative process is really slow, and will have to go through a series of public hearings and amendments, then to committee (where it can be voted out), then to the mayor.  Currently, the Philadelphia Police announced a bicycle enforcement campaign focused on ticketing cyclists who break existing code, including running stop signs and red lights.

However, legislation has just been introduced on the State level to amend the PA Vehicle Code to require all bicycles in a City “of the first class (Philadelphia)” to comply to the vehicle code requirements of motorcycles, including safety features like turn signals and traffic regulations.  The bill, HB2096, is being introduced by Angel Cruz (D-Phila County), Robert Donatucci (D-Phila/Dela County) and Rosita Youngblood (D-Phila County).  Although this bill specifically targets “Cities of the First Class,” in which Philly is the only city in Pennsylvania classified as such, the bill does say “every person riding a pedalcycle” will be subject to this law.  That means if you live outside of Philly, and go there to visit, race, or are touring through, you are subject to this proposed law.  Despite laws already on the books regulating cyclists and their behavior on the road, Cruz said “the number of people using bicycles as a primary mode of transportation is on the rise…for the safety of cyclists and all motorists in Philadelphia, bicycles must be subject to safety and traffic regulations.  My legislation would accomplish that.”

As if it couldn’t get any worse, early Thanksgiving morning, an experienced Philadelphia bike messenger, Rachel Fletcher, was run off the road in a hit and run, resulting in severe injuries.  Fletcher said that the driver of the silver hatchback yelled “get off the road” before hitting her.  Members of the Philadelphia Bicycle Messengers Association (PMBA), who say there is a rising “anti-cycling sentiment” in the town, say that the police aren’t treating this case as seriously as they should.  They are treating it as a normal accident instead of the more serious “hit and run”  that it should be.  According to an article in Philly’s Metro news, “despite the severity of the crash, police did not take a report until 12 hours later Thursday, which some in the bicycling community said yesterday is part of a culture in Philadelphia that treats cyclists as less important on streets than cars.”

Members of the PMBA held a rally in Philadelphia’s Love Park, that drew about 100 cyclists, to bring awareness to the rising anti-bike sentiment going around and against the proposed legislation.

Some video footage and interviews of last night’s rally from the Philadelphia Weekly

Back here in Pittsburgh, we want to offer our support and solidarity with the cyclists in Philly, as well as with the families of the pedestrian victims.  Although it’s not the time to launch a full-on campaign against the proposed amendments to the PA Vehicle Code, we encourage you to contact the State Representatives involved in this legislation and let them know how you feel.

We’ll end this with a quote from the PMBA press release announcing the rally:

We do not oppose the enforcement of existing laws regarding bicycle riding, but believe that equal and consistent enforcement amongst cyclists, pedestrians and motorists is key. Consistent enforcement of traffic violations would improve the lives of everyone in this city no matter what their mode of travel might be.

• You can follow a discussion on this subject, Philly Council Considers Bike Registration, on the BikePGH Messageboard

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