Authorizing the Council Committees on Streets and Services and Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings examining the opportunities for expanding Philadelphia's network of buffered and protected bike lanes.

WHEREAS, According to data released by the Census Bureau in 2014, 2% of Philadelphia workers commute to work by bicycle. That rate is the highest among American cities with a population of at least a million and it is more than triple the national average; and

WHEREAS, Transportation planning within the City of Philadelphia has undergone a major shift as the bicycle has grown in popularity. Since the year 2000, the percentage of Philadelphians commuting to work by bike has doubled and the City’s infrastructure has needed to adapt in order to meet the changing needs of its citizens; and

WHEREAS, Pursuant to the Complete Streets initiative, the City of Philadelphia has begun transforming its infrastructure to facilitate multimodal use. Expanding the network of bike lanes throughout the City, and creating protected lanes along some of the City’s busier thoroughfares, has been an important aspect of that initiative; and

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia’s bike lane network already consists of more than 200 miles of bike lanes, 11 miles of which are painted buffered lanes, according to maps produced in 2014. Recognizing that truly protected bike lanes, featuring flexible barriers between vehicle and bicycle traffic, would encourage bicycle ridership and improve the efficiency of our City’s streets, the City will begin introducing these improvements at strategically-located transit junctions; and

WHEREAS, Bike lanes help make streets safer not just for bicycles but for cars and pedestrians as well. Studies by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia have found a decrease in incidents of problem bicycle behavior, such as riding in the sidewalk or against the direction of traffic, on streets that have bike lanes; and

WHEREAS, Increases in bicycle riders also positively impact the City’s sustainability efforts by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels; and

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia’s bike lane network contributed to Center City being ranked by real estate firm Redfin as the most bike friendly downtown in America. Through strategic expansion of this already-existing network, the City can build upon its success and create safer, more efficient streets; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby authorize the Council Committees on Streets and Services and Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings examining opportunities for expanding Philadelphia’s network of buffered and protected bike lanes.

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