Philadelphia celebrates the Bicycle Safety Month

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States designated May as Bicycle Safety Month, a month-long campaign that encourages drivers and bicyclists to work together to decrease deaths and injuries on country roads.

The city of Philadelphia, in collaboration with the Vision Zero Task Force, Safe Routes Philly, and other partners, celebrates Philadelphia Bicycle Safety Month 2022.

“Philadelphia has the highest percentage of people who commute by bicycle of any large city in the United States, and we are committed to not only sustain but increase those numbers.”said Mayor Jim Kenney. “As highlighted in our Vision Zero Action Plan, creating a high-quality bike network remains a priority for my Administration. Just last year, protected bike lanes in our City doubled to more than 16 miles. We are proud to celebrate Bicycle Safety Month and remain committed to making our city’s streets safer for all.”

Bicycle-related crashes have decreased by 40.15 percent in Philadelphia, from 508 per year (2013-2017) to 304 per year (2017-2021). However, the number of fatalities and serious injuries caused by these collisions continues to rise, as bicyclists are more likely to suffer significant injuries in a collision. The human body cannot endure the force of multiple crashes without the protection of a vehicle and safety measures such as airbags and seatbelts.

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Educational and entertaining events

During Philadelphia’s Bicycle Safety Month 2022, officials will conduct many educational events and activities for children, celebrate a ribbon-cutting at the city’s first and recently finished Neighborhood Slow Zone, and participate in partner bicycle initiative events across the city.

“We know a key strategy to getting to zero traffic deaths is reducing the need to drive and biking is one sustainable way to get around”said Deputy Managing Director for Transportation Mike Carroll. “We are dedicated to implementing more safe streets and we urge everyone to slow down and help save lives.”

Some of the events scheduled for the Philadelphia’s Bicycle Safety Month 2022 include:

Pennell Bike to School Day: On Friday, May 13, at 7:30 a.m., students will gather at the Ogontz Library and ride with their principals, teachers, City officials, and volunteers from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Students will receive transportation safety lessons from Safe Routes Philly in the weeks leading up to the event.

At 11:00 a.m., City Officials will cut the ribbon at the finished Fairhill Neighborhood Slow Zone, one of the first two communities to have its traffic calming plans funded under the Vision Zero Neighborhood Slow Zone Program.

On Wednesday, May 18, at 6:45 p.m., city leaders will participate in the Ride of Silence, an annual bike ride throughout Philadelphia to raise awareness of cyclists’ rights and to memorialize those murdered in traffic collisions. The ride will begin on City Hall’s north side (Broad and JFK).

Bike to Work or Wherever Day: Two days later, at 8:15 a.m., city officials will join the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) in celebrating Bike to Work or Wherever Day with a bike ride from the Penn Museum to City Hall.

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