The City of Philadelphia’s FY 2027 budget allocated $25 million for the Zero Fare program in Mayor Parker’s budget. The funding will allow the service to continue for 12 months, which means advocates will need to lobby again for the program in the next budget. “Transit riders should not have to balance paying for food,
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Spring is here, vaccine appointments are available for all adults, and you’re ready to get back on your bicycle. After all, it was a long winter defined by a right-wing riot at the Capitol, some pleasant snowfall (which we hadn’t seen around here in a while) and slightly uncomfortable outdoor dining in freezing temperatures under
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Earlier this year, as policy director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, I began meeting with City Council staff, businesses, registered community organizations and nonprofits to discuss the future of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The drive has become one of the most trafficked trails in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since it was
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Over the last few years, the two-way protected bike lane on 11th Street has provided a safer route for thousands of people who commute and run errands in South Philadelphia every day. It’s become such an important route for cyclists, in fact, the city now plows the lane when it snows. But it nearly didn’t
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You don’t need to be an urban planner to appreciate the inherent good of public space. This is what Dena Driscoll, co-chair of the all-volunteer grassroots organization and urbanist political action committee 5th Square wants Philadelphians to know as they reimagine the city beyond the pandemic. Formed in 2014, 5th Square supports candidates for local
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In 2019, after two years of saving, I was finally able to buy the bicycle of my dreams: the Brompton M6. Given Philadelphia’s tight living spaces, and the relentless thieves who often prowl for bikes locked up outdoors, the Brompton—a folding bicycle with 16-inch wheels—is a fantastic choice for the city. Because it quickly converts
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Everyday when I commute to work on my giant orange bike, American cultural values are on full display. There in the bike lane, a UPS truck has come to a halt. An Uber driver is looking at their cell phone, waiting for a passenger. A moving truck is slowly filling up with a lifetime’s worth
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When Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf shut down “all non-life-sustaining” businesses as a public safety precaution in March, Philadelphia created its own list of businesses it deemed essential, which included bike shops. Such was the beginning of a national bike boom throughout the country. As many businesses, like gyms and fitness studios, were forced to shut
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Nafis Middleton, a local rapper and anti-violence activist known as Fis Banga, was detained on Tuesday, December 15, by Philadelphia police from the 35th District in what he describes as “a traffic ticket gone wrong.” Middleton, 27, has been writing and producing anti-violence skits and raps for more than five years, but this week he
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Suppose you hopped on a vehicle that not only took you to another neighborhood but to a different place in your spirit. For Philadelphians, a journey with such a touch of magic is as close as SEPTA driver Gary Mason’s trolley. Mason tricks out his trolley for different holidays and revels in riders’ responses. Mason,
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Eager to put the last four years in America’s rear view, President-elect Joe Biden and his transition team have published their first batch of plans for their time in the White House, some of which include exciting news for bicycling, public transit and walking. Pledging to allot federal funding for alternative transportation modes, the Biden
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