Cycling Advocates Plan Another Human Bike Lane to Protest Latest Crash
Demonstrators will line 13th Street on Tuesday morning to promote bicycle safety.
Photo courtesy of Katie Dillon Low
Following the second serious crash involving a truck and a cyclist in Center City in less than a month, protesters have planned another human bike lane demonstration to draw attention to the dangers cyclists face.
Cycling advocates will gather at 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning to line the unprotected bike lane near the intersection of 13th and Pine streets. It was here on Friday that Becca Refford was struck and run over by a turning box truck, just weeks after another bicyclist was killed in a collision only a couple of blocks away.
Refford – who sustained a fractured pelvis and broken hips – says she considers herself lucky to be alive. The 24-year-old South Philly woman will undergo surgery on Monday and is looking at six to eight weeks of recovery time.
To address the causes of these tragic and often-fatal crashes, members of Philadelphia’s biking community are asking supporters to come with signage pleading for better regulation of the city’s bike lanes.
Activist group Civic Philly encourages protesters to high-five cyclists using the bike lane and engage in “thoughtful, bridge-building conversations” with anyone interested in learning more about bicycle safety.
Last week, Mayor Kenney announced plans for the city to extend its protected bike lane on South Street from 21st to 27th Street. Kenney has stated that he wants 30 miles of protected bike lanes in Philadelphia by 2022. Of the city’s 200 miles of bike lanes, only 2.5 miles are protected currently.
