Cyclegram July - August 1992

8/16/2019 Cyclegram July - August 1992

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cyclegram-july-august-1992 1/6

Newsletter of the Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley

In Support of Bike-on-Rail, Sen. Fumo Scolds PATCO Chief

Th e Pennsylvania state senator sharply rebuked a rail official for

making false allegations abo ut bike-on-rail. By th

en o

the meeting

the oflcial

h d

agreed to come u p with a triu lpla n by mid-June.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Fumo, armed with infor- tra in s du rin g off- pea k

Vincent Fumo era pte d at a

mation supplied by the Bi-

hours.. .Schwab said allow-

Delaware RiverPortAuthor- cycle Coalition, sharply re- ing bicycles would require

ity (DRPA) meeting in April buked the rail official for re m ov in g se at s, wh ich

w he n the hea d of the making erroneous allegations 'meansth at some people who

authority's rail line attacked about the nature of bike-on-

ride on a regular basis would

a Coalition-sponsored bike-

rail at the meeting. be inconvenienced for the

on-rail program. According to the

Phila-

occasional passenger who

The o fficial had begun

t delphia

Inquirer: brings a bike.'

Pa. State Sen. Vincent Fumo of

list reasons that he opposed

Fumo erupted as Bob

'No it doesn't mean that,'

South

has been bicycles on the Port Author- Schw ab, general manager of Fum o inte rjected. 'Let's not

an ardent supporter of a bike-

on-rail program for the

ityTransit Co. (PATC 0)High PATCO, outlined his reasons ta ke the ne ga ti ve

PATCO High Speed Line. Speed Line.

fo r op posi ng bicy cles on approach.. .let's not scare the

public that the other passen-

gers are going to be without

Coalition Modifies River Drive Closing Plan

seats .. .this is a service indus-

try, and if we don't start pro-

TO Address Councilman s Parking Concerns

viding service, ridership will

go dow n and we

'11

be in worse

The Bicycle Coalition has mobiles while allowing 100 drive sometime this summ er shape.

.

modifieditsWestRiverDrive

percent access to the drive's

if the Coalition can get the

closing proposal to allow car s

support and cooperation of

By the end of the meeting,

to reach riverside parking lots

Mayor Edward Rendell.

Schwab had agreed to come

while keeping the bulk of the

he

plan would

up with a plan for a trial pro-

permining limited ac-

gram by the m iddle of June.

drive auto-free.

S ~ U

70

percent of

cessfrom M ontgomely Drive

h

plan, w ~ c hhe Bicycle

The proposal has won the

the drive to cars

three large parking lots

n

Coalition has reviewed and

support of City Councilman

Michael Nutter, who had op-

while a l lo ~ i n g

the portion of the contributed to, has operating

posed aprevious planbecause

and

hours and acc ess levels simi-

access to all MansiOnBridge o small I,, to that S E m x s ~ i k ~ - o n -

it blocked auto access to park-

parking lots

parking lots at the drive's

Rail program.

inglots. Councilwom an Joan lower end, the Coalition plan

Specter has also expressed addresses complaints about Coalitionleaders hope the

support. lack of comm unity access to

trial program will begin be-

The plan would shut

70

five parking lots. It should

the river.

fore the end of the summer,

permit all-day closings of the

capping a successful wo-year

percent of the drive to auto-

fConirnuedO n BCDV lobbying campaign.



Cyclegram JulyIAugust 1992 p.2

Upcoming Events

Monthly Meetings:

General membership

meetings

re

held the sec-

ond Monday of each odd-

numbered month from 6:30

to 8:30 p.m. at Clean Water

Action, 15 18 Walnut Street

in Center City.

Take the elevator to the

13th floor, with your bi-

cycle, if you prefer.

he

next general mem-

bership meeting

s

July 13.

Coalition board meet-

ings

are

the second Monday

of even-numbered months

and focus on internal busi-

ness.

Thepublic is welcome.

The next board meeting

is Aug. 10.

Cyclegram

Deadline:

Deadline for the Sep-

tember/October

Cyclegram

is July

27.

Deadlines are the

last Monday of odd-num-

bered months.

Mailing Party:

Mailing parties are

scheduled for Wednesday,

July

29

and Wednesday,

Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. at Jeff

Abrahamson's, 4411 Pine

St. Call 215-BICYCLE or

215-662-5 146 for more

in-

formation.

Bicycle Coalition Board Elected

Members of the Noland, Sam Spofforth, Fred

Coalition's Board of Manag-

Ulmer, Rob Waterland and

ers were elected at ameeting

Noel Weyrich.

May 11.

They had unanimous sup-

The members are John

port from Coalitionmembers

Dowlin, Nancy Drye, Bob

at the meeting.

Cyclegram

is published bimonthly

by

the Bicycle

Coalition

of t h

Dela ware Valley,P.O. Box 8

194,

Philadelphia,

PA 19101. TheCoalition

is

a

volunteer,

non-profit

organization working

to

improve conditions

f o~

bicycling

throughout

the tri-stalearea,

promoting bicycling

for transpor-

tation and recreation,

and

dedicated to a balanced

transportation

system

Coverage

of

an

event

not

sponsored

by

BCDV does

not

constitute

ar

endorsement.

Cyclegrammay bereproduced in whole or

in

part providec

prominent

credit

is given to

the Bicycle Coalition

of theDelawareValley

Cyclegram is printed on

recycled

paper using soy

ink.

Board of Managers: John Dowlin, Nancy Drye, Bob Noland. Sam

Spofforth,

Fred

Ulrner, Rob Waterland

and

Noel Weyrich

ex

officio .

Executive D irector: Jeff

Abrahamson

(2151662-5146)

President: Noel Weyrich

(2151232-7543)

Vice President:

Fred Ulrner

(2151527-6287)

Secretary: Rob Waterland (215/854-8137)

Treasurer: Nancy Drye 2151387-9242)

Editor:

Bill Shralow

(2151627-1566)

Membership Director: Bob Noland

(2151483-6547)

Committees:

Auto-free: Jeff

Abrahamson

(2151662-1712)

Bike Lanes: Noel

Weyrich

(2151232-7543)

Rail and Transit: Noel Weyrich

(2151232-7543)

Traffic Safety:

Bob

Noland (2151483-6547)

BCDV

is

affiliated with

the

League

of

American Wheelmen.

Ride Calendar

The Delaware V alleyRe-

gional Ride Calendar is

regularfearureof Cy clegram .

Listings should be senr ro

Bi-

cycle Coalitio n,attn D VRRC.)

Sat. Ju ly 4 500 mile ride

from Boston,Mass., o Wash-

ington. D.C. Sponsored by

City Cyclist of New York,

7 18-624-0346.

Sun. July

5:

Delaware

Double Cross, Augustine

Beach, Del. 28 miles to cross

the state twice. White Clay

Bicycle Club,

302-995-6860.

Sun. July 19:

South Jer-

sey Sizzler Bicycle Tour,

25

50 62

and

100

miles. Carmel,

N.J. Temple Beth Hillel,

609

451-5104.

Sat. Aug. :

Tours of 10

25 50 and 100 miles. Rider

College, Princeton, N.J.

Princeton Freewheelers,609

393- 1206 or908-828-3535.

Fri.-Sun. Aug. 7-10:

The Great Eastern Rally of

the League of American

Wheelmen, Canton,

N.Y.

Tours of five to

100

miles.

Call 3 15-379-5659.

Sat. Aug.

8:

Tour of

Monmouth, N.J. PMK Cy-

cling, 908-43 1-2832.

Sat. Aug. 15:

Dog Daze

Century, Nottingham, Pa.

Tours of 25 50 65 and 100

miles. Brandywine Bicycle

Club, 215-793-2341.

Sat. Sun. Aug. 15

16:

Cystic Fibrosis Founda-

tion

150K.

Montgomery

County. 215-238-8500.

Sat. Sept.

12:

Beast of

the East Metric and Double

Century, Burlington County,

N.J.

62

or

125

miles. Outdoor

Club of South Jersey,

609

235-2457.

Sun. Sept. 13:

3rd

An-

nual NYC Century Ride-a-

Thon, Union Square Park,

N.Y. Tours of 35 55 75 and

100 miles. Transportation Al-

ternatives, 2 12-941-4600.

Sat. Sun. Sept. 19

20:

Multiple Sclerosis 150

City to Shore Bike Tour,

Cherry Hill N.J. Delaware

Valley Multiple Sclerosis So-

ciety,

800-445-2453.

As Bottle Bill Gains Momentum

Hope is for Less Glass on Roads

Support is growing for a

national bottle bill requir-

ing a deposit on all beverage

containers. Proponents be-

lieve the measure would help

rid roadways of the broken

glass that plagues cyclists.

Recently, Congressman

Lucien Blackwell, a Phila-

delphia Democrat, added his

name to the list of co-spon-

sors of House Resolution

4343.

The bottle bill is likely

tobe debated in Congress this

year.

Proponents believe a

bottle bill would lead to in-

creased recycling by enabling

consumers, youths and the

poor to cash in on discarded

bottles and cans.

Blackwell

was

applauded

for his support by representa-

tives of the Bicycle Coali-

tion, the Sierra Club,

Pennsylvania's rmof Public

Interest Research Group

(PennPIRG) and Philadel-

phians for Recycling.

In

addition, Pennsylvania

is oneofninestates withbottle

bills pending in their legisla-

tures.

Each year, Americans dis-

card

an

estimated 60 billion

beverage containers.



Book Review.

An Author s Compelling Call

For New Ways to Get Around

End of the Ro ad , by Zuckermann then lists

Wolfgang Zuckennann . Pub-

and describes myriad prob-

lished in 1991 by Chelsea

lems cars have brought us,

Green Publishing Co., Post

from a psycholog ical loss of

Mills,Vt. Forewo rdby Lester

connectedness wi th the

Brown. earth's landscape to pollu-

tion and urban decay. He

by Alan Streater

ski l l fu l ly inc lude& jus t

This is a great book, of-

enough data to make his

fering a look at the transp or-

points, supported by ex-

tation woe s in many parts of

amples that make the text

the world today and concen-

quite readable.

trating on problems stem-

This readability is im-

ming from the dominance of

portant in a book that is tell-

the automobile.

ing society something it

doesn't want to hear-it

Such a book is sorely

cushions the

pa*

of

con-

needed.

fronting the truth.

a

it

Pan 2

ofEnd

of the Road

at times, perhaps that helps

exp lo res so lu t ions .

make

the more pal- 'Zuckemm 's is

atable to the reader who

th ree - fo ld : shor t - t e rm

drives

a

car

and mig ht measures we should start

recoil at being called a pol-

now, medium

luter, a m urderer

range solutions

and an inconsid- Examining and a long-tenn

erate slob.

our absurd plan. Generally,

Zuckermm*

love of the

the suggestionsa German-born

Par i s i an w ho automobile, target,re r igh thoughn

does research for the author there is more

t he non-p ro f i t asks, Do you room f o r

have 'touches argument over

i n s t i t u t e

of home' solutions than

E c o P l a n ,

(stuffed

there was over

o rgan izes t he w he the r a

book into two animals, etc.) problem exists.

pans: the first. an

in your car?

examination of

Readability

the wor ld car

aga in he lps

crisis and then a discussion

Zuckermann's

of how to solve it.

cause. He lays out many op-

tions and, as with a horo-

He starts with our absurd

love of the automobile and

Continued on p. 4 )

invites the reader to take a

short test with questions like,

Coalition member Alan

DO you have a license plate

StreaterofBethlehem teaches

spelling out your name or a

Physics a t Lehigh University

message?" and

DO

ou have

and keeps ta bs on new books

'touches of home' (stuffed

dealing with transportation

animals, etc.) in your car?"

issues.

Cyclegram JulylAugust 992 p.3

Letter from the President.

Hostile Agencies Ne ed a Push

Before They ll H eed Cyclists

offended by-the con tribu-

by Noel W eyrich

tion of others?"

It had been

a

rough

week

And this i s the tragedy of

cycling advocacy 9 and

the people controlling the

heard mysel f

agenc ie s t ha t

repeating like a rou tinel y op -

mantra, "They

press Delaware

jus t do n' t Valley cyclists.

understand." A bike- friendly

P e n n D O T P e n n D O T

ref us es to would be a bet-

understand why ter PennD OT.

cycl i s t s eve n The same for

want to ride on

Fainnoun t Park

city and and PATCO.

s u b u r b a n But lack of hu-

highways. mili ty blin ds

PATCO re fu se s to these bureaucrats to the con-

und ersta nd that let t in g tr ibutions we offer . Their

cyclists aboard won't destroy pride leaves them like the pro-

their transit system . Th e verbial man with a hammer

Fairmou nt Park staff refuses who treated every problem

to understand why we don 't like a nail.

give UP trying

t

close West Eve ntually, of cours e,

River D ri ve -e ve n after one those who privately lack hu-

of us is killed there mility wind up being pub-

I asked myself, what is licly humiliated. PennD OT

this thing, understanding, hat ignored us and we disrupted

they refuse to do? The dictio- their W alnut Street Bridge

nary was little help. "Under- rib bo n-c ut tin g in 199 0.

stand," it said, is Old English PATCO 's general manag er

for "stand under." rejected our bike -on-ra il pro-

And then it hit me.

In

their posal and got dressed down

limited realms of authority, fo r it (see page 1). Fairmoun t

these bureaucrats ex ercise Park's retreat on river drive

enormo us power to "stand closures has generated con-

over" the rest o f us. They siderable negative press cov-

refuse to understand because erage for the park.

they are too proud to "stand Hu mi lity, it turns out,

under" d own here with the share s the same root as hu-

rest of us, if only for the pur- mus, as in being of the earth,

pose of discussion. It might being grounded .

take too much humility to (lit- F or me, the less on is

e r a l l ~rfi gu rat ive l~ ) edal a simple. If these agencies do

mile in our toeclips. not com e down to our level,

A great educator once said we will bring them down.

there is no dialogue without Humilityorhumiliation--the

humility. "How can I dia- choice is theirs. Experience

logue," wrote Paulo Friere, show s this is the only lan-

"if I am closed to-and even guage they truly understand.



Cyclegram

JulylAugust

1992 p.4

Bicyclists Are Calling Hotline

To Report Harassment, Injury

Th e Bicycle Coa lition bicycle-safe.

Hate Crimes Hotline has Oth er calls have re-

drawn a number of calls flecte d chro nic cycl ing

from injured or harassed problems: SEPTA bus driv-

cyclists:

ers, opening car doors and

A cyclist who was cut threatening maneuv ers by

off and bumped by a car in drivers.

Center City. The motorist If you are in vo lv ed ~h ile

was verbally abusiv ebefore cycling in any incident in-

driving off. The Coalition volving inappropriate be-

advised the cyclist of legal havior by a motorist, dial

options.

(2

15) BICYCLE with the

A

cyclist was struck following information: Li-

and injured on a two-way cense plate tag number if

street

in

NorthPhiladelphia you have it, time and street

when a car m aking a left intersection of incident, de-

turn from the opposite lane scription of incident, and

pulled into his path. He was your name and number.

given the number of a per- The Coalition intends to

sonal injury law yer who compile reports

of such in-

works o n cycling issues. cidents to help in lobbying

A cyclist reported nu- for stricter legal protection

merous incidents of verbal for cyclists.

ha ras sm en t on the Polls show that fear of

Faitm ount Parkriv erd rive s, autom otive traffic

s

the top

an issue we will raise in our reason most people give for

campaign to make the drives not cycling more frequently.

US Money for Bicycle Projects

Threatened by Planners' Delay

Stalling by regional plan-

ners threatens to squander

millions of first-time dollars

available for bicycle projects.

Although last year's fed-

eral transportation aw makes

the money available, area bi-

cycle and pedestrian projects

like bike paths could lose out

to less bicycle-friendly pro-

posals because the D elaware

Valley Regional Planning

Commission intends to wait

two years before starting

work o n a bike-ped plan. No

bike-ped projectscan proceed

until the plan is completed.

The delay would give

other projects a big advan-

tage in com peting for funds.

The planning comm ission

is responsible for drafting a

regional bike-ped plan to

guide th spending of more

than $65 million statewide

over the next six years. The

federal law stipulates that

every region in the nation

must dev elop a plan.

The commission's delay

will make bike-ped projects

in an eight-county area ineli-

gible for federal funding for

the next two years

If

you agree this

s

a raw

deal sign and send the en-

closed postcard to DVRPC

Execut~veDirector John J.

Coscia.

Coalition Modifies Drive Plan;

Gains Support on City Council

Continued from p. I

' 'The only traffic on the

drive will be people going to

and from the parking lots,"

Coali t ion President Noel

Weyrich said . "I think it's an

ideal solution, because it

means that the killer drive-

through traffic will be gone

on the weekends. It will be a

safe, quiet place to relax."

Permitting access to the

parking lots will help shield

the closing program from

"Under this new proposal,

the only people who will feel

put out are those who want to

race through the park and

those who w anttoparkonthe

grass," Weyrich said, "and

we and the Fairmount Park

Commission both agree that

those are people who should

feel put out "

Author Offers

criticisms that too few cy-

Ways Out of

clists are using the drive to

justify denying motorists ac-

ur Car Woes

cess, Weyrich noted.

Continued rom p.3)

scope , the reader ends up giv-

Cuts

~

SEPTA

ing priority to things that

strike a chord with his or her

would*Hamper

situation or beliefs. For me,

BCke-on-Rail

the arguments about the de-

Proposed sewice cu tbacks

on the SE W A commuter rail

lines threaten to severely imit

the usefulness of SEPTA

Bike-on-Rail passes.

In order to make up for

unexpected funding short-

falls, SEWA has proposed

cutting weekend service en-

tirely on certain lines and

vastly reducing train frequen-

cies during off-peak mid-day

and evening hours.

Hundreds of Delaware

Valley cyclists now hold

SEPTA Bike-on-Rail passes,

thanks to a 1990 lobbying

effort by the Bicycle Coali-

tion.

To lend your su ort to

the

m

ram call

SJ A

at

580- 8& and ask for a mail-in

Bike-on-Rail permit applica-

tion.

More important ly

whether you have a e m i t or

not sign the enclos

ed

postcard

and send it to SEPTA General

Manager Louis Gam baccini

right away.

cay o fo ur cities and the sug-

gestions to limit autom obiles

in city centers hit home.

Proposed so lutions range

from making cities, suburbs

and the countryside more

walker- and bicycle-friendly

to bringing back com er stores

to banning cars in city cen-

ters and charging higher fuel

taxes.

I do believe Zuckerman

gave the short stick to mass

transit, however. He put this

solution in the long-range

category and to som e extent

decried the high cost. I be-

lieve work on quadrupling

mass t rans i t everywhere

should begin tomorrow.

Zuckerman's book might

be the most important work

produced in the automobile

age, if his w arnings and pro-

posed solutions are heeded.

If not, Zuckerman fatalisti-

cally concludes that we w ill

deserve wh at we get.



Cyclegram

JulylAugust

1992

p 5

Faults Penn DOT

Policies Towards Cycling

recent Philadelphia In-

editorial scolded the

for not giving

a

fig about bi-

d "Pedaling Back-

bandwagon by

Delaware

In-

article, "How Come

s titular bicycle

co

personally prefers jog-

A PennDOT spokes-

woman stated flatly that "it is

not practical to put a bike

route on Delaware ~veriue,"

confusing a bike route with a

bike lane.

A bike route is a sug-

gested itinerary normally co p

sistingof signs tellingcyclists

which way to go.

Abikeplane

is a painted area on a road

reserved for cyclists.)

The regional district en-

gineer stated that PennDOT's

"prime interest" is motorists,

even though the article went

on to cite policy documents

stating that the safety of mo-

torists and cyclistsareof equal

importance in highway plan-

ning.

Bicycle Coalition Presi-

dent Noel Weyrich, who was

quoted in the article and pro-

vided the newspaper with

background documents,com-

City Police Plan Bike Patrol

With Help from the Coalition

ThePhiladelphiaPolice patrol early

this

summer.

Department will likely start

Finaldetails concemingdo-

a bicycle patrol in

the

city's

nationof someofthe equip-

congested business district,

ment have yet to

be

ar-

according opoliceSgt Orr.

ranged.

The pilot project will Coalition member

consist of four officers and

Gihon Jordanhasprovided

one supervisoronthehighly

the deparbnent with exten-

visible patrol.

sive information about po

They hope to begin the

lice-on-bike.

mented that, "It is really

shocking to see

in

print just

how clueless our state trans-

portationofficials are. I don't

know what's more frighten-

ing, their ignorance or their

arrogance."

Weyrich promised the

Coalition would follow up

with PennDOT officials in

Hamsburg to develop a set of

statewide bicycle design poli-

cies. He also said he would

seek re-assignment of the bi-

cycle coordinator.

The

Inquirer

editorial ook

parricular issue with a com-

ment by PennDOT spokes-

woman that the cycling com-

munity has not k e n aneffec-

tive agent of change for their

cause.

"If that's true," the In-

quirer

wrote, "may we rec-

ommend that the officialstry

something they may not

be

accustomed to-taking the

initiative."

Center City Artist Sue Mark

Sue Mark

6

Italian Market area

tant, The Clay Studio, 139

N.

esident Artist, University of theArts

Two.

Everyday.

Work-Passyunk to Bainbridge to 3rd

chool-1 lth (good wide street), to

liked riding my bike

y friends were doing it. It's cheaper

ise than a gym and

I

felt safer coming

About

2 5

miles.

All. Most of the time I'llride

I

don't usually ride in the snow.

Special gear: Blinking light.

Most enjoyable asp ect of bicycle commut

ing: I enjoy riding and like the exercise.

Also

I

know I'm not contributing to exhaust fumes.

Most memorable bicycle commuting expe

rience: think some of the people in

my

neighborhood are not used to seeing a woman

on a bicycle.

I

have this funky pair of cat-like

sunglasses, and when I wear them and ride my

bike near my apartment, some of the kids have

been known to hum the "wicked witch" music

(from the Wizard of Oz).

Biggest commuting gripe: Potholes

Advice to people who would like to begin

bicycle comm uting ick out the safest route

or the route with the least amount of traffic.

Also, I feel because my bike is not so attrac-

tive, people won't have such a desire

to

takeit,

like they may with a shiny new moutain bike.

3-speed Boardwalk style.

Note: Sue Mark is moving to Oakland, Cal., at the end of July to

begin graduate school. Learning about the Bicycle Coalition has

At work, 1can park

in

a hallway or the basement. At school,

inspired

her

tobecome

nvolved n

a simular

group

in the

Bay Area.

in my studio space.

Yes.

-Sue

McNamara



Membership

i ~ a m e

(Address

[City State ip

lTelephone

I am voluntarily setting my m embership dues at the follow-

ling level:

l$l00 $50 $35 $25

other ($10 limited income)

Amo unt enclosed:

(please also send me

Delawa re Valley Commuters' Bicycle Map

( 5.751 5.25 members)

Bottle B ill T-shirt (LIXL, tan or blu e)

( 61 5 members)

Total enclosed:

Make Check payable to Bicycle Coalition and send to Mem-

1 bership BCDV P.O. Box 8194 P hiladelphia PA 19101.

Inside

Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley

P.O. Box 8194

Philadelphia, PA 19101

Forwarding and Return Postage Guaranteed

ddress Correction Requested

In support of bike-on-rail, Sen. Fumo scolds official ....p. 1

Modified River Drive closing proposal gains support

....

p.1

Book Review: n author's call for fewer cars ................ .3

Presiden t's Letter: We'll make agencies understand us p.3

Cyclists are calling harassm ent hotline ............................4

Planne rs' delay threatens loss of bike-ped money p.4

Inquirer

editorial scolds PennDOT

...............................

p.5

Don t miss an issue. ~f

not already a

member, oin now with the form at left and put your money to

work im proving bicycling in the Delaw are Valley

Your membership includes a one year subscription to

Cyclegram,discoun ts at almost every bike shop in the Dela-

ware Valley, invitations to C oalition special events, as well

as

expert help from the C oalition's touring, racing, and comm ut-

ing adviso rs, and the chance to

turn

your love of cycling into

positive action.

Coalition members

re

commuters, recreational riders,

messengers, touring cyclists, and othe rs who su pport clean air

and a healthier urbadsu burban environment.

Join us He lp us win safer roads, the right to bike to work,

and respect from motorists and government.

BULK RATE

U.S. POSTAGE

PHILADELPHIA PA

PERMIT N0.2683

Documents

Cyclegram July - August 1992