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Committee advances three protected bike‑lane ordinances for District 5
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Summary
The Philadelphia City Council Streets and Services Committee on Feb. 20, 2025 advanced three ordinances (Bill Nos. 250005, 250006 and 250007) to add separated bike lanes on North 20th Street, North 13th Street and North 20/3rd Street after testimony from the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems and multiple neighborhood advocates.
The Philadelphia City Council Streets and Services Committee on Feb. 20, 2025 heard testimony and reported favorably three ordinances to add separated bike lanes on North 20th Street (Spring Garden Street to Green Street), North 13th Street (Cecil B. Moore Avenue to Diamond Street) and North 20/3rd Street (Race Street to Market Street).
The measures, sponsored by Councilmember Young and presented by Anna Kelly, senior policy adviser for EV and parking at the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS), would amend Title 12-701 of the Philadelphia Code (designation of bicycle lanes) to authorize the new lanes and—where required—remove a travel lane within the same limits.
OTIS told the committee the North 20th Street proposal (Bill 250005) would extend an existing bike lane north from Spring Garden to Fairmount Avenue and that the protected lane would be separated from travel lanes by parked vehicles. “Data shows that separated bike lanes can calm driver speeds and reduce crashes by 17%,” Anna Kelly said. OTIS said the corridor traffic studies showed minimal traffic impacts for the 20 Third Street proposal (Bill 250007) and that funding typically comes from the OTIS budget or grants (specific funding sources for these bills were not specified).
The North 13th Street project (Bill 250006) was developed in coordination with Temple University and would include planted planters between flex posts to create a “safer and greener” lane through the campus.
Neighborhood groups and residents gave extensive public testimony in favor of the three bills. Alicia Hussey, a Fairmount resident, recounted a collision she and her then-2‑year‑old daughter experienced on the existing lane: “The number 1 reason that I'm here today is that in November of 2023, my then 2 year old daughter and I were in a collision upon exiting the bike lane … Luckily, Rose and I were both wearing helmets.” Dustin Dove, vice president of the Fairmount Civic Association, told the committee that “20 Second Street as currently designed is unsafe for all users of the street, pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and transit users.” Other supporters included Fifth Square, the Bicycle Coalition, Spring Garden Civic Association, Fairmount Civic Association and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association.
Committee members asked OTIS about vendor impacts near Temple and economic costs; OTIS said more-detailed vendor-placement and cost estimates could be provided and that bike-lane design can vary depending on separation type (painted, flex-post, parking-protected with planters) and available grant or capital funding.
Action and next steps: Committee members adopted an amendment to Bill 250007 and later voted to report all bills read into the hearing, including the three bike-lane ordinances, from committee with a favorable recommendation and to request suspension of the Council rules to permit first reading at the next Council session. The committee recorded voice votes; numeric tallies were not specified in the hearing record.
The bills will move to the full City Council for first reading and further consideration.
