May 17, 2018
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Bicycle advocates formed a human-protected bike lane along the 1300 block of Pine Street in April after another death of a cyclist.
This Friday is Bike to Work Day, an effort by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia to encourage more safe, accessible ways for cyclists to commute and cycle in Philadelphia.
“Commuting by bike is a great way to get to work, stay healthy, relieve stress and enjoy the scenery,” BCGP says of the event.
“Increasing the per capita cycling share is part of our mission.”
“Energizer Stations” from the coalition will be set up throughout the city at these locations with free coffee, snacks and biking gear from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.:
• Penn Museum (33rd and South streets)
• 13th and Spruce streets (in front of the William Way Center)
• 25th Street and Fairmount Avenue (in front of Berkshire Hathaway Office)
• 12th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue
• Cadence Cycling and Multisport Center (5000 Ridge Ave.)
And you can register here, btw: https://t.co/5T442BCcd9 https://t.co/Du2F9lYtjs
— Bike Coalition Phila (@bcgp) May 17, 2018
A large group ride will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Penn Museum and end at Dilworth Park with a 9 a.m. press conference that will highlight the ways in which “efforts to achieve safety for all road users is challenging but critically important,” according to the event page.
Guests include a number of representatives from City Council and Health Commissioner Tom Farley.
Interested participants are being encouraged to register for the event here.
This comes at a tumultuous few months for bikers in our city — just last week Pablo Avendano, 34, a beloved community bike messenger was killed while riding on Spring Garden Street, one of Philadelphia’s most-used and most-accessible bike lanes.
The makeshift memorial in front of 990 Spring Garden for Pablo Avendano. pic.twitter.com/rqVaqU3tzu
— Davis Shaver (@davisshaver) May 14, 2018
You can see the GoFundMe page started to support his family here.
On Wednesday night, hundreds of bikers braved the rain for the Ride of Silence to honor cyclists who have lost their lives to vehicle crashes in the Philadelphia area.
Well over a hundred are braving this dreary weather for the funereal Ride of Silence pic.twitter.com/OOGgRfKyTU
— Jim Saksa (@saksappeal) May 16, 2018
Tha annual Ride of Silence is happening just a few days after bicyclist Pablo Avendano was killed in a bike lane while working for a delivery service. @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/zZNnBoZYnp
— Drew Smith (@drewsmithtv) May 16, 2018
There have been 11 people throughout the Delaware Valley who lost their lives riding a bicycle over the past 12 months, according to BCGP.
