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Erie officials present French Street bikeway plan after local data show rising pedestrian fatalities
Summary
City planners told Erie City Council that pedestrian and bicyclist crashes have risen and detailed the Active Erie Transportation Plan and a French Street bikeway proposal, including lane designs and state and federal funding. Council heard the presentation and the project’s safety rationale.
City planning staff on Wednesday presented the Active Erie Transportation Plan and the proposed French Street bikeway to Erie City Council, citing rising pedestrian and bicyclist crashes and equity gaps in who is harmed on local streets.
Jackie Sfryer, bureau chief of planning and zoning, opened the presentation by saying, “the way we do transportation in Erie and in most of the US and North America is problematic,” and showed maps and crash data that planners used to shape the recommendations.
The presentation noted long-term trends and local totals: the city’s safety action plan mapped 34 fatalities from 2019–2023 and 166 suspected severe injuries over that period, while 2024 recorded 12 roadway deaths, five of them pedestrians — four on 12th Street, presenters said. Sfryer summarized incident counts provided by Sgt. Dunmire of the accident investigation unit: 237 reported pedestrian strikes over a six-year span and 105 reported bicycle crashes over a five-year span.
Planners said those data, plus public engagement and equity mapping, drove the Active Erie recommendations for a low‑stress bike network. Leanne Parmeter, city engineer and assistant director of public works, described the proposed French Street cross-sections: typical segments would narrow vehicle lanes to two 11½‑foot through lanes, add a 6‑foot bike lane with a 3‑foot painted buffer, and preserve or reconfigure parking where needed. Between 21st and 26th streets one direction would include a shared lane (sharrow) as an interim measure pending extension to 38th Street.
Funding sources for bikeway work were outlined as state and federal transportation programs, including PennDOT multimodal funds, MPO allocations, the Carbon Reduction Program and the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program (planners said the city had been awarded $20 million in that federal program). Staff also showed maps indicating existing completed routes and where the proposed network would knit into those segments.
Planners linked the bike network to broader benefits: improved safety for older adults and people with disabilities, options for households without vehicles (planners noted a downtown census tract where 65% of households reported no vehicle available), public-health gains and potential economic benefits for local businesses.
Council did not take action on the bikeway at the meeting; staff said the plan builds on the city’s 2021 Active Transportation Plan and 2025 Safety Action Plan and will proceed through the city’s project and funding processes.
The presentation concluded with staff taking brief clarifying questions from council about project phasing, interim treatments and connections to planned east–west and north–south corridors.
