[UPDATE: The first community meeting scheduled for Monday, Jan. 28 has been postponed until 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4 due to weather. The Fairmount Civic Association meeting remains scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 31, but only members "in good standing" will be permitted to vote.]
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia will present the proposed Fairmount Avenue bike lanes to local civics beginning January 28.
The Bicycle Coalition has surveyed local businesses and residents to gain initial feedback on the bike lanes – one in each direction – on Fairmount Ave from Pennsylvania Avenue to Broad Street. The proposed lanes are intended to promote shopping, commuting, and daily travel along the corridor.
Sarah Clark Stuart, policy director at the Bicycle Coalition, said so far the majority of feedback on the lanes has been positive.
Clark-Stuart and the Bike Coalition will present their findings and preliminary proposal to three area civic associations over the next month. Local residents are encouraged to attend the meetings and to vote on the bike lane proposal.
One advantage of Fairmount Ave for the bike lanes is that the street is wide enough to install bike lanes without removing parking or infringing on vehicle travel lanes.
If approved, the lanes will likely be incorporated into a Streets Department lane striping contract.
Area residents are encouraged to attend the upcoming public meetings:
Francisville Neighborhood Development Corp
January 28, doors open at 5:30pm, meeting at 6:15pm
2nd Pilgrim Baptist Church, 15th & Ogden Street
Fairmount Civic Association
January 31, 7 pm
Philadelphia Mennonite High School, 860 N. 24th Street
Spring Garden Civic Association
February 20, 6:30pm
Lithuanian Church Hall, 19th & Wallace Street
Christine covers transportation and writes about everything from pedestrian concerns to bicycle infrastructure, bridges, trail networks, public transit and more. Her favorite assignments send her bushwhacking through Philadelphia’s yet-to-be-cleared bike trails, catching a glimpse of SEPTA’s inner workings or pounding the pavement to find out what pedestrians really think. Christine also covers community news for Eyes on the Street, where her coverage ranges from food sovereignty to public art and urban greening. She first joined PlanPhilly in fall 2011 as an intern through a partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods website. During the internship her reporting on the Housing Authority’s surplus property auctions earned an award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
