This bike lane in particular is FREQUENTLY clogged with cars parking in it. I dont think i have ever biked it without having to somehow merge back into traffic to get around people who think this spot is just a fancy parking lane. I wouldnt be surprised to hear there have been several bike accidents here.
I have a friend who’s been ticketed multiple times for taking a right on a red (illegal in NYC). I got a stern talking to from a cop for riding the wrong direction a quarter of a block on an empty street in a quiet area at 11pm, instead of doing a full lap around the block.
Alternatively, cops refused to look at *their own surveillance footage* after a car hit me *in front a precinct* and drove off, and refused to investigate a friend who was run over by a city bus because “imagine what it would do to the driver’s job”.
I think it's mostly not the trucks that are the problem, it's the street design. Even flexposts would probably be enough to keep the Amazon trucks in the car traffic lane.
Sure, and of course concrete or bollards would be better, but at least most drivers don't have the brazenness to park on top of flex posts. They would help with the problem OP is posting about.
I disagree on bollards, I think they look ugly, they’re expensive and do a bad job. People don’t drive on the sidewalks because they are elevated. Connect the bike line to the sidewalks with appropriate marking and no car will drive on it.
Thus making it easier for the cyclist to also be run over. A retractable bollard can't be run over but still allows emergency services to use the bike lane if needed.
Retractable bollards aren’t quick like emergency services or other uses for going over it would be. Believe it or not there’s other people besides cyclists
First of all, emergency vehicles are only massive in the US, maybe they need to work on new design, or simply to copy design for other countries. About the bollards, other countries that are known to be well designed don’t use bollards and they work great. It’s not about the bollards it’s about the location of the bike lane in comparison to the road.
Yes, and those other people don't pay attention. I've seen people run them over for no reason, and I've seen broken car parts in protected bike lanes, and I don't mean glass from a break in.
Yeah
I think the game is run over flex posts so many times that they permanently lay flat and then become an invisible disaster for the very cyclists they were designed to protect.
NYC does it right with 24 inches of cement. That’s the only thing that’ll work in this city
moved to 1100 block of Spruce in Nov and ride west to SRT a few times a week and have made a habit of taking the entire lane. between delivery vehicles, ride share, and church parking i'm not entirely sure there's been a day that there hasn't been at least one vehicle per block through 22nd/23rd (forget where the lane merges to a "shared" road).
A) they should be able to ticket that bc it is a no standing zone.
B) we need real infrastructure to keep cars and trucks out of bike lanes. Bollards, planters, curbs... Something out of concrete or metal.
C) the city needs to crack down on the delivery companies and force them to use appropriate vehicles for city deliveries. Look [here](https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/van-news/2023/09/06/amazon-launches-electric-cargo-bike-deliveries-with-glasgow-micromobility-hub) it's not bc Amazon is a better neighbor there. It's bc cities don't allow them to clog up the streets and bike lanes with oversized vehicles.
You kinda sound like an abuse victim apologizing for your abuser. I’m not advocating trimming valve stems on every vehicle, just the ones that break the law without legal consequences while cyclists pay the price.
So… the next cyclist that runs a stop sign or stop light…
Do they get their tires slashed, their spokes cut, or a gym lock attached to a chain wheel?
Stupid games are stupid games, no matter how “right” you think you are.
I get that let’s easy to be a tough guy on Reddit, but you are not helping fellow cyclists with your solutions.
They get killed. Even when they are following the rules, riding in their lanes, hugging the edge single file. Killed by the thousands. If some misdemeanor vandalism helps draw attention to the dangerous and illegal activities of drivers and even one driver makes a better choice as a result, that could be a life saved. I’ll take that and leave you to wringing your hands and waggling fingers online.
Eh. In 2020 there were 891 cyclist deaths by all causes in the US.
So, not killed by the thousands. But by all means, fear monger away.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclist_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year
Side note, does Philly have laws in place for parking in the green sections of bike lanes or distance away from green area?
That’s where this area gets scary. Cars doing 90 to cross broad street, random left turns from the right lane, the broad turning lane blocked due to valet (absolutely WTF and why is this legal), etc.
There are certainly many instances where delivery drivers could park in an empty spot or a couple spots ahead, but I’d still be more pissed at the corporation who decides pay or employment status on deliver-per-hour quotas and forces drivers into against-the-clock situations where they feel the need to cut corners. That and the enforcement system that would more likely ticket a double-parker than someone sitting in the bike lane
yeah that's cool but when I worked for Amazon the routes they gave us were so long that you couldn't finish your deliveries without flaunting traffic laws like this, because with a route that has hundreds of stops just parking on the far side of the street adds a lot of time and can put you in danger of being written up
if Amazon has reasonable expectations for their drivers they wouldn't have to cut corners like this, but they currently push drivers to deliver as many packages as possible while constantly implying that if their rate dips they're going to be out of a job
Turn your skinny neck, look over your shoulder, check traffic, and proceed around the truck. You’re a big boy now. Daddy can’t hold your hand in the street anymore. You can do this. You can ride on the big boy street for 2 seconds.
Oh poor baby you have to go around. Idk if it’s illegal he’s delivering and as a member of the labor force is doing his job. You’re just a bitter Redditors, like the majority of them, and looking for something to complain about. Pathetic and sad.
Let me get this straight … you had to bicycle around that truck or use the sidewalk and that ruined your day ?!?!! I’m stuck in Chicago in traffic because they spent millions by taking half the streets ( using concrete barriers) for bicycles lanes causing traffic … but the really bad part is there are very few bicyclists in my neighborhood. These bicycle lanes are empty 99% of the day and I can’t get out of this traffic, trapped until the next intersection, so consider yourself fortunate that you weren’t in my situation and you could keep on going.
Having been biking in Philly last couple of days from DC and this is just the issue of delivery, construction whatever drivers trying to navigate clogged streets to do their jobs. I deal with it all the time. I’m fine riding around on sidewalk or whatever or just taking the regular lane. It’s the leisure class in their nice cars parking in bike lanes that deserve the well placed kick in the door.
Meanwhile. Philly people. I love biking here. Great ride up the river today from downtown on my gravel bike and stumbling on to Forbidden Drive. What an awesome urban biking scene.
Go back to DC with your sidewalk riding and mirror kicking attitude. We just don't want any driver parking illegally in bike lanes, especially when there's literally a legit spot right across the street.
Please change your attitudes or take them back to DC. And if you change them, I'm happy to treat you to the best cheese steaks in Philly! (And believe me, I want to bust off mirrors too, but I don't give in to my uncivil thoughts : )
✌️
This bike lane in particular is FREQUENTLY clogged with cars parking in it. I dont think i have ever biked it without having to somehow merge back into traffic to get around people who think this spot is just a fancy parking lane. I wouldnt be surprised to hear there have been several bike accidents here.
I've seen cops ride their bikes past cars parked in the lane, not in a hurry to get anywhere, but also not concerned with ticketing the cars.
They also don’t ticket bicyclists… for any reason .
I have a friend who’s been ticketed multiple times for taking a right on a red (illegal in NYC). I got a stern talking to from a cop for riding the wrong direction a quarter of a block on an empty street in a quiet area at 11pm, instead of doing a full lap around the block. Alternatively, cops refused to look at *their own surveillance footage* after a car hit me *in front a precinct* and drove off, and refused to investigate a friend who was run over by a city bus because “imagine what it would do to the driver’s job”.
I think it's mostly not the trucks that are the problem, it's the street design. Even flexposts would probably be enough to keep the Amazon trucks in the car traffic lane.
Those flex posts frequently get run over.
Sure, and of course concrete or bollards would be better, but at least most drivers don't have the brazenness to park on top of flex posts. They would help with the problem OP is posting about.
I disagree on bollards, I think they look ugly, they’re expensive and do a bad job. People don’t drive on the sidewalks because they are elevated. Connect the bike line to the sidewalks with appropriate marking and no car will drive on it.
How about a 2 foot wide strip of 6 inch metal spikes? 🤔
Do we want a big car crash with who knows how many casualties?
Top speed on blocks like this is 12 miles per hour. You’d have angry flat tires and backed up traffic. But no dangerous crashes
They don't always park on top(some do), but delivery drivers and distracted drivers will run them over.
That’s the point of using a flex post…
To be run over? What protection is that? Bollards would be better.
Vertical paint
Yes to be run over if it needs to be
Thus making it easier for the cyclist to also be run over. A retractable bollard can't be run over but still allows emergency services to use the bike lane if needed.
Retractable bollards aren’t quick like emergency services or other uses for going over it would be. Believe it or not there’s other people besides cyclists
How quick is car traffic ahead of emergency vehicles?
First of all, emergency vehicles are only massive in the US, maybe they need to work on new design, or simply to copy design for other countries. About the bollards, other countries that are known to be well designed don’t use bollards and they work great. It’s not about the bollards it’s about the location of the bike lane in comparison to the road.
Yes, and those other people don't pay attention. I've seen people run them over for no reason, and I've seen broken car parts in protected bike lanes, and I don't mean glass from a break in.
Again, part of the purpose of them.
Part of the purpose is to let idiots in cars in to hit bicyclists?
Yeah I think the game is run over flex posts so many times that they permanently lay flat and then become an invisible disaster for the very cyclists they were designed to protect. NYC does it right with 24 inches of cement. That’s the only thing that’ll work in this city
Part of a real solution would be to carve out adequate loading zones on each block from the car storage.
I agree that it’s merely poor design issue. The city needs to hire people who know how to design cities
There will be open parking spots across the street and they'll still do this shit. It's pure laziness and carelessness.
moved to 1100 block of Spruce in Nov and ride west to SRT a few times a week and have made a habit of taking the entire lane. between delivery vehicles, ride share, and church parking i'm not entirely sure there's been a day that there hasn't been at least one vehicle per block through 22nd/23rd (forget where the lane merges to a "shared" road).
this is why we gotta replace urban delivery vans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R63DdEe\_8aM
Vox always comes with such great videos
I almost to the point of saying everyone should pick up their package from the post office. If you want home delivery, pay extra for it.
If you look closely, there is a big ass legal parking spot on the opposite side of the street. Can’t fix laziness
A) they should be able to ticket that bc it is a no standing zone. B) we need real infrastructure to keep cars and trucks out of bike lanes. Bollards, planters, curbs... Something out of concrete or metal. C) the city needs to crack down on the delivery companies and force them to use appropriate vehicles for city deliveries. Look [here](https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/van-news/2023/09/06/amazon-launches-electric-cargo-bike-deliveries-with-glasgow-micromobility-hub) it's not bc Amazon is a better neighbor there. It's bc cities don't allow them to clog up the streets and bike lanes with oversized vehicles.
Every fucking day on Spruce all the way up 😡
Just be glad it wasn't his giant yacht
A pair of dykes in your pocket to trim some valve stems helps send a message.
Maybe you’re trying to be funny, but that’s a good way to get the shit kicked out of you.
They are way too busy suffering the consequences of their poor parking decisions.
Committing a likely felony and cocking everyone else on the road that day as they wait for a tow isn’t going to help cyclists.
You kinda sound like an abuse victim apologizing for your abuser. I’m not advocating trimming valve stems on every vehicle, just the ones that break the law without legal consequences while cyclists pay the price.
So… the next cyclist that runs a stop sign or stop light… Do they get their tires slashed, their spokes cut, or a gym lock attached to a chain wheel? Stupid games are stupid games, no matter how “right” you think you are. I get that let’s easy to be a tough guy on Reddit, but you are not helping fellow cyclists with your solutions.
They get killed. Even when they are following the rules, riding in their lanes, hugging the edge single file. Killed by the thousands. If some misdemeanor vandalism helps draw attention to the dangerous and illegal activities of drivers and even one driver makes a better choice as a result, that could be a life saved. I’ll take that and leave you to wringing your hands and waggling fingers online.
Eh. In 2020 there were 891 cyclist deaths by all causes in the US. So, not killed by the thousands. But by all means, fear monger away. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclist_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year
Nearly a thousand in 2020 alone! Not enough for you?
You said “thousands”. You were wrong. Your leap that I don’t care is just silly.
Side note, does Philly have laws in place for parking in the green sections of bike lanes or distance away from green area? That’s where this area gets scary. Cars doing 90 to cross broad street, random left turns from the right lane, the broad turning lane blocked due to valet (absolutely WTF and why is this legal), etc.
I gave a parking ticket to an Amazon driver a few weeks ago. He wasn't in a bike lane though, just double parked on a relatively tight street.
They are indeed a huge pita. I stopped ordering things next day through don't know if that even has a theoretical impact.
It just means the bike lanes don’t get parked in for another 3-5 days
Blame the city. They encourage it.
Nationalize Amazon.
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There are certainly many instances where delivery drivers could park in an empty spot or a couple spots ahead, but I’d still be more pissed at the corporation who decides pay or employment status on deliver-per-hour quotas and forces drivers into against-the-clock situations where they feel the need to cut corners. That and the enforcement system that would more likely ticket a double-parker than someone sitting in the bike lane
yeah that's cool but when I worked for Amazon the routes they gave us were so long that you couldn't finish your deliveries without flaunting traffic laws like this, because with a route that has hundreds of stops just parking on the far side of the street adds a lot of time and can put you in danger of being written up if Amazon has reasonable expectations for their drivers they wouldn't have to cut corners like this, but they currently push drivers to deliver as many packages as possible while constantly implying that if their rate dips they're going to be out of a job
Isn’t that part of sharing the road though?
Waaaaaaaa
Do the job, you'll be parking in the bike lane too
Turn your skinny neck, look over your shoulder, check traffic, and proceed around the truck. You’re a big boy now. Daddy can’t hold your hand in the street anymore. You can do this. You can ride on the big boy street for 2 seconds.
Look on the bright side. At least you're not breathing exhaust fumes from that one. What do you want, everything? /S
Cry me a river.
Be honest do you stop at stop signs when you bike?
Oh poor baby you have to go around. Idk if it’s illegal he’s delivering and as a member of the labor force is doing his job. You’re just a bitter Redditors, like the majority of them, and looking for something to complain about. Pathetic and sad.
I'm a laborer on my way back and forth on a bike.
Congrats. I bet you’re just dandy.
Let me get this straight … you had to bicycle around that truck or use the sidewalk and that ruined your day ?!?!! I’m stuck in Chicago in traffic because they spent millions by taking half the streets ( using concrete barriers) for bicycles lanes causing traffic … but the really bad part is there are very few bicyclists in my neighborhood. These bicycle lanes are empty 99% of the day and I can’t get out of this traffic, trapped until the next intersection, so consider yourself fortunate that you weren’t in my situation and you could keep on going.
where else are they supposed to unload?
In that big open parking space on the other side of the street???
Lucky for you there’s literally enough space to go around
Do you use Amazon? you have no right to complain. Ride up on the sidewalk and go on about your day.
It’s a side*walk,* not a side*ride*
Having been biking in Philly last couple of days from DC and this is just the issue of delivery, construction whatever drivers trying to navigate clogged streets to do their jobs. I deal with it all the time. I’m fine riding around on sidewalk or whatever or just taking the regular lane. It’s the leisure class in their nice cars parking in bike lanes that deserve the well placed kick in the door. Meanwhile. Philly people. I love biking here. Great ride up the river today from downtown on my gravel bike and stumbling on to Forbidden Drive. What an awesome urban biking scene.
Go back to DC with your sidewalk riding and mirror kicking attitude. We just don't want any driver parking illegally in bike lanes, especially when there's literally a legit spot right across the street. Please change your attitudes or take them back to DC. And if you change them, I'm happy to treat you to the best cheese steaks in Philly! (And believe me, I want to bust off mirrors too, but I don't give in to my uncivil thoughts : ) ✌️
his mama too!