Investigation questions legitimacy of city permits used by churches in Philadelphia to park in bike lanes
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Saturday marks one month since Dr. Barbara Friedes, a doctor at CHOP, was killed by a drunk driver while riding her bike in the designated bike lane on Spruce Street not far from Rittenhouse Square. In the weeks since her death, CBS News Philadelphia investigative reporter Liz Crawford has been researching the city's laws regarding bike lanes.
For years, cyclists in Philadelphia have been pleading for protected bike lanes on Spruce and Pine streets. Currently, the majority of the bike lanes consist of painted lines on pavement, but many cyclists want concrete barriers along the bike lane, something that might have saved Dr. Friedes.
Free Pass to Park in Bike Lanes
Cyclists said the first roadblock in achieving that goal had to do with some of the city's oldest churches, a roadblock that has been partially removed since CBS News Philadelphia started asking questions. After more than a decade, Tenth Presbyterian Church agreed to stop using a city-issued permit that allowed churchgoers to park in the bike lanes on Spruce between 16th and 19th on Sundays. This did not impact Dr. Friedes, who was hit while riding her bike on a weekday.
"We don't want that to be something that interferes with our ability to serve the city so we're seeking other parking arrangements from the city," the Executive Minister at Tenth Presbyterian, Tim Geiger, said earlier this month.
Cyclists said it's been a long road to get here. Philly Bike Action, a cycling safety group has held 18 weeks of Sunday morning demonstrations where their members and other cyclists would physically block the bike lanes with their bodies, bicycles, and cones that they put down along the bike lane in an effort to prevent church members from parking in the bike lanes.
"It was just a relief. This has been an issue for over 15 years. A lot of people in the biking community have been really upset about it," Caleb Holtmeyer, one of the co-founders of Philly Bike Action said.
Geiger said the demonstrations became more tense over the last month and some church members reported about a dozen instances of vandalism including broken mirrors and nails in tires. Philly Bike Action denied any of its members caused the damages. Police on scene at the demonstrations said they couldn't determine who caused the vandalism.
Demonstrators said their message became more urgent after Friedes was killed along that very stretch of Spruce on a weekday in July.
"And we know what would have prevented that, which is concrete protection in the bike lane. As long as the bike lane is treated as a place that it's okay to park, then we can't have concrete protection," Holtmeyer said.
Other churches in the area agreed to stop parking in the bike lanes months ago. Tenth Presbyterian was one of the holdouts.
The Permit's Fine Print
CBS News Philadelphia looked closer at the city-issued permit granted to Tenth Presbyterian Church and others. It's actually called an "equipment placement" permit. According to the city's website, only those with a contractor license or commercial activity license can obtain one of these permits. City records show Tenth Presbyterian Church has neither.
The city's website said the equipment placement permit generally excludes motor vehicles from parking and refers to the Philadelphia Code, which says no vehicle may park, stop, or stand in any roadway lane other than those unloading materials, equipment, people, or supplies.
CBS News Philadelphia asked the city how this permit lawfully allows for parked cars. The Department of Streets answered via e-mail saying, "Unfortunately, the current permit system the City uses is limited on descriptions. Streets is in the process of updating our permit system to be more comprehensive of the right of way usages. We are still in the process of building the new system."
What's the Cost?
There's also a fee to obtain the permit. According to the city's website, a bike lane closure costs $3.50 per foot per week. The churches have never paid for this permit.
CBS News Philadelphia did the math for just a portion of Tenth Presbyterian's parking permit, which allowed for parking on the Spruce bike lane between South 16th and South 19th Streets.
By our estimate, that's roughly 1,000 feet. Multiplying that by $3.50/per foot/per week equals $182,000 for the year. The church has been using the permit for at least 15 years.
"We were surprised to find out that they're being given out for free," Holtmeyer said.
We asked why the city waives the fee. The Department of Streets e-mailed, "Traditionally, places of worship have had their permit fee waived."
The Next Steps
According to the City's Streets Department, the newly amended permit allows parishioners to park in new locations beyond the Spruce and Pine bike lanes.
In a statement Thursday, Philly Bike Action said Society Hill Synagogue is seeking new permits from the city that will no longer include the Spruce Street bike lane. The statement said in part, "With this decision, no religious institution east of Broad Street holds a permit to park in the Spruce and Pine Street bike lanes."
Philly Bike Action said the following places of worship have withdrawn their bike lane parking permits since their campaign started this past spring: Society Hill Synagogue, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Old Pine Street Church, Saint Peter's, Old Saint Joseph's, and Philadelphia Ethical Society.
Eliminating the church parking in the bike lanes is step one for cyclists. Their primary goal is to get concrete barriers along the bike lanes. On Thursday, cyclists held a rally at City Hall calling on the mayor to do more to protect the bike lanes.
Mayor Parker's office released a statement saying she and the council are looking at many safety solutions and noted that physical infrastructure would require more time to design and build.