April 08, 2026
Provided image/Philly Bike Action
Philly Bike Action is temporarily installing concrete curbs along Spruce and Pine streets Saturday to demonstrate potential protections for cyclists. The photo above is from their first pop-up event in March.
There's nothing but a painted line separating bikers from vehicles in the lanes along Spruce and Pine streets. But on Saturday, a temporary barrier will be popping up.
Cycling advocates will lay out traffic cones and concrete curbs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. near the Kimmel Center to demonstrate what bike lane protection could — and, in their view, should — look like. Philly Bike Action will be welcoming curious passersby to take a free coffee, donut or pretzel and ask any questions about their campaign for permanent concrete barriers in Center City.
The nonprofit says the event, the second in a planned series of pop-ups, is meant to clear up misconceptions.
"There was a bit of misinformation about what protection actually looks like," said Caleb Holtmeyer, a District 1 organizer with Philly Bike Action. "We've heard, it ranges from 3-foot tall Jersey barriers to 1-inch curbs that wouldn't be adequate protection. And the reality is neither of those things. The city is most likely to plan low barriers that people can walk between, but still would offer adequate protection."
Philly Bike Action volunteers had "almost overwhelmingly positive" conversations, Holtmeyer says, at their inaugural March pop-up at 12th and Spruce streets. They plan to stick to the Spruce and Pine streets corridor for these demonstrations, but will set up at new points for each subsequent event. Two more pop-ups are planned for May and June.
The concrete barriers are the third and final piece of Philly Bike Action's nearly three-year campaign for safer streets. The organizers have already checked two items off their wish list: ending parking permits in the bike lanes on Spruce and Pine streets and getting "No Stopping" signs posted. These safety reforms became law in the wake of the 2024 death of Barbara Friedes, a pediatric resident at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who was fatally struck by a drunk driver while biking along Spruce Street.
Mayor Cherelle Parker had also earmarked $5 million for concrete barriers in her 2025 budget and installed loading zones on every block of Spruce and Pine streets between Front and 22nd streets to give drivers an alternative space to idle. But the city removed the loading zones and halted work on the barriers in the wake of a lawsuit from a group of residents, who objected to the new parking restrictions.
That judge on that suit initially sided with the residents, but the case is still working its way through the courts. Philly Bike Action has staggered its pop-ups to occur monthly in the lead-up to the next hearing. If the judge sides with the city this time, cycling advocates won't need anymore demonstrations.
"Not everybody's a biker, but I think almost everybody prioritizes safety," Holtmeyer said. "I think for a lot of people, they've seen the crashes that happen or they've lost somebody to a car crash. And I think there's a major desire for safety, whether or not someone walks, bikes, drives. I think people want to see a safer street."
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