New Bike Lane to Be Installed Around City Hall

Construction has begun on a new bike lane around City Hall in Philadelphia. The project is part of a broader initiative to expand cycling infrastructure in the city, including recent protected lanes on 47th and 48th streets, as well as a new segment of the Schuylkill River Trail.

According to a Philadelphia Streets Department engineering layout, the new bike lane aims to enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as calm traffic in Center City. It will be marked with green pavement and separated from vehicle traffic by flexible posts running almost entirely around Penn Square, the site of City Hall and Dilworth Plaza.

Currently, only a partial bike lane exists on Penn Square. The new lane will address safety concerns by reducing the number of car lanes on three sides of Penn Square, shortening pedestrian crossings, and improving safety.

City Hall's current traffic pattern “is dangerous for pedestrians and people who are on a bike there. It's like a death trap,” said Jessie Amadio, an organizer at Philly Bike Action, to Billy Penn at WHYY. This initiative is “definitely one of those things that's just going to add a major quality-of-life improvement for literally everybody who has to be in that area — and that is a lot of people.”

PennDOT began work on Tuesday, Sept. 23, by milling the asphalt road surfaces, despite the City Council not having officially approved the bike lane idea, Amadio noted. A bill sponsored by Councilmember Jeffery Young, which would authorize the bike lane, is scheduled for an initial committee hearing on Monday, Sept. 29.

Repaving is scheduled to begin in about two weeks, with bike lane installation to follow shortly thereafter, according to PennDOT spokesperson Krys Johnson, who confirmed this with Billy Penn at WHYY.

In addition to Penn Square, bicycling advocates are also calling for safety improvements in Fairmount Park following a cyclist's death in a speeding crash. They are advocating for lower speed limits, traffic-calming measures, and improved cycling and walking infrastructure.