Philadelphia Council President Kenyatta Johnson proposes stiffer penalties for drivers blocking bike lanes
It's been two months since Barbara Friedes was killed. The CHOP doctor was riding her bike on Spruce Street when an alleged drunk driver swerved into the bike lane and hit her from behind.
CBS News Philadelphia has been following bike safety in the city for months, including our exclusive investigation questioning the legitimacy of city-issued permits given to some churches that allowed parking in bike lanes on Sundays.
Now, the city council is considering cracking down on drivers who block the bike lanes at any time. Council President Kenyatta Johnson introduced the bill called "Get Out The Bike Lane" legislation.
Johnson introduced legislation on the first day of the fall session that would increase fines for parking or stopping in the bike lanes. Fines would go from $75 to $125 in Center City and University City and from $50 to $75 in other parts of the city.
"We want to also send a strong message that in the city of Philadelphia that we will protect those who are bicyclists. We will protect pedestrians but also from an education standpoint, we want to change the culture," Johnson said.
Cycling advocates in Philadelphia have been louder than ever before. Starting in the spring, many campaigned to prevent drivers from blocking bike lanes and their efforts gained momentum in July after Friedes was killed riding her bike in a designated bike lane on Spruce, near 18th Street.
The following month, cycling groups delivered a petition to City Hall with safety demands.
"It really felt like an uphill battle," Chris Gale, the executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, said but now Gale and others are encouraged by this new proposed law.
Most signs in the city say no parking as opposed to no stopping, which means drivers can legally block the bike lane for up to 20 minutes. Back in April, a CBS News Philadelphia investigation found car after car blocking bike lanes for far longer than that.
"They get their 20 minutes of stopping and I'm forced into the vehicle lane," Gale said.
Johnson's bill also proposes changing many signs along bike lanes to "no stopping." It's a call to action years in the making, now picking up speed like never before.
Johnson said if the bill gets passed, drivers could get ticketed right away for blocking a bike lane.
A date has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing. From there, the bill needs a committee vote, a full council vote and the mayor's signature before becoming law.