Will Philly Walk Back Its New Bike Lane Law?
The Center City Residents' Association says officials promised exemptions. City leaders insist the new law stands firm.
By James Young
In December 2024, Philadelphia enacted one of its most significant traffic policy changes in recent years: a complete ban on vehicles stopping in bike lanes, backed by steep fines of $125 in Center City and $75 elsewhere.
Two months after its passage, questions have emerged about potential exemptions to the law, particularly along the historic Spruce and Pine Street corridors.
In its first newsletter of 2025, the Center City Residents' Association (CCRA) reported that its newly formed Spruce/Pine Bike Lanes Task Force had discussed possible enforcement carve-outs during a meeting with city officials.
Conflicting Messages on Enforcement
According to the newsletter, CCRA proposed "a possible carve-out for the Spruce/Pine bike lanes from the city-wide no-stopping-in-bike-lanes legislation."
The newsletter continued: “The CCRA team is pleased to report that they were assured that the Parking Authority would not be issuing tickets to any passenger vehicle temporarily stopped in the bike lanes for the purpose of loading or unloading, provided that the vehicle was attended by the driver. They were also told that [City Council President] Johnson would consider signage to memorialize this exception to the No Stopping law.”
However, Vincent Thompson, Communications Director for Council President Kenyatta Johnson, directly contradicted this claim.
"Council President Johnson remains fully committed to this legislation, which prioritizes the safety of cyclists and pedestrians," Thompson stated. "There has been no plans to modify or amend Bill 240657, and stopping and parking in bike lanes will remain prohibited. No exceptions or carve-outs will be made, as such changes would contradict the bill's purpose."
When asked about this discrepancy, CCRA Executive Vice President and Director of Communications Richard Vaughn declined to comment.
The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) has since taken a middle ground, clarifying its enforcement approach through media representative Martin O'Rourke: "If someone were to pull over into a bike lane and the vehicle is occupied, the operator of the vehicle would be instructed by the PPA parking enforcement officer to move his/her vehicle. If the vehicle is still in that location when the PEO returns during his/her rotation, then a ticket will be issued."
The confusion may stem partly from outdated signage along Spruce and Pine Streets that explicitly prohibits parking but not stopping or standing in bike lanes. The Streets Department is preparing to replace this signage throughout the city to reflect the new comprehensive ban.
Once updated signs are installed, the PPA will begin immediate enforcement of the new regulations.
Bike Lane Origins
The CCRA, a registered community organization representing residents from Broad Street to the Schuylkill River and from South Street to JFK Boulevard, has been a key player in Center City transportation policy since its founding.
The organization was instrumental in the 2009 compromise that initially established the Spruce and Pine bike lanes, trading a traffic lane for bike use while maintaining allowances for temporary stopping.
Safety Concerns Drive Debate
This debate over implementation comes amid broader discussions about bike lane safety in Philadelphia, particularly intensified by the tragic death of pediatric doctor Barbara Friedes in July 2024. Friedes was struck by a car driven by Michael Vahey while cycling on Spruce Street near Rittenhouse Square. Vahey, who was allegedly driving at more than double the posted speed limit and under the influence of alcohol, has been charged with homicide by vehicle among other charges.
In response to such incidents, bicycle advocacy groups including the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Philly Bike Action have mounted campaigns for increased protections, including petitions and protests. OTIS has announced plans to implement additional safety measures, including concrete barriers, though the timeline for construction remains uncertain.
Seeking Alternative Solutions
Some Center City residents and business owners have expressed concerns that the stricter regulations will create significant challenges for loading and unloading. This tension reflects a long-standing debate over the Spruce and Pine bike lanes, which were established through a 2009 compromise that initially allowed temporary stopping while converting a traffic lane to bike use.
The CCRA has proposed alternative safety measures, including speed cushions, raised pedestrian crosswalks, and delineator posts, while suggesting a modified policy that would reduce temporary stopping time from 20 to 10 minutes and restrict it to passenger vehicles only.
However, city officials maintain that the new law will be implemented as written, without exceptions.
The pro-parking manifesto that the Center City Resident's Association board is pitching is extraordinarily regressive and at its core it sniffs: "You bicyclists and pedestrians only got the bike lanes and traffic calming measures because we privileged Pine + Spruce property owners allowed it back in 2009 – out of the goodness of our hearts. Don't ask for more." • What has happened since 2009?: automobiles have gotten bigger (an average of a foot wider and two feet longer), heavier (now averaging 4,000 lbs) and faster ( the average 0-60 mph time is now under 8 SECONDS even for SUVs, with EVs pushing even faster). Worst of all, automobiles are getting taller (40-inch and up hood heights are common.); this means children, women and shorter pedestrians and people riding bikes are more like to be crushed underneath and seriously injured/killed when motorists drive into them. We need to be protected from these machines, whose owners may not even realize their deadly potential.
• Beyond car design, the convenience/delivery economy, boosted by the years of Covid isolation, has skyrocketed. • The residents and property owners of Spruce and Pine would be hard-pressed to find a better location to live car-free or car-light. AND YET (in a move that echoes the phony MAGA victim culture) CCRA and the Society Hill Civic Association leaders (ignoring much of their younger membership) declare that their very lifestyle depends on maintaining illegal parking in bike lanes (a dishonest "compromise" that was wangled 16 years and 4 Mayors ago). They turn their heads from the awful toll of traffic violence, and insist that easy automobility is more important than the lives of Philadelphians who bike and walk these same streets.
• As a Business Member of the CCRA, I (and many others) DO NOT SUPPORT this selfish push against protected bike lanes by a tiny motorist minority (they are obviously such, as space prohibits all but a few from jamming an SUV into Center City; those motorists count on the rest of us walking/biking/using transit/carshare and especially, just staying out of their way).
•• For years now, real traffic calming measures, especially protected bike lanes, are saving lives (and slowing climate change AND raising property values) all over the globe: in Paris, Amsterdam, London, and yes, in Jersey City and NYC. • It's long past time for progressive leadership at the CCRA and Society Hill Civic, leadership that doesn't place the convenience of an already-privileged few over the safety of so many Philadelphians who walk and bike the streets of our beautiful Center City.
Sincerely, – Michael McGettigan (PHL pedestrian since approx. 1955, CC resident since 1997, owner of Trophy Bikes since 1998).
I was at the meeting where CCRA decided to fight this (OTIS presented their plan for no stopping and concrete barriers). First, someone spoke on behalf of the recently killed CHOP doctor Barbara Freides noting how concrete would have saved the life of their friend and amazing human being. The next person to speak was this guy who lives on Spruce who literally said if they put the concrete, he wouldn't be able to drop off his camping equipment in front of his house. This is the privilege we're dealing with here.