Philadelphia City Council Committee Debates Road Sharing Bill
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A city council committee this afternoon will debate a sweeping plan to rewrite the rules of the road -- governing how Philadelphia drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians get along.
Councilman Mark Squilla, author of the plan, calls it "Complete Streets" -- an extensive series of changes to the Philadelphia traffic code -- prompted particularly by the growing number of people on bikes.
"We wanted to introduce something that will make the people aware that you have to be careful knowing that you're sharing the road. It's just not cars anymore. There's bicyclists and a lot more people walking throughout the city."
Squilla says the bill gives new protections to bicyclists, but it also increases the penalties that they would face for infractions like riding on the sidewalks. Drivers meantime could face penalties for opening the door after parking while cars or bicycles are passing by or for parking in a bicycle lane.
