A new, protected bike lane has been installed on a portion of Chestnut Street as part of the Chestnut Street Transportation Project. The bike lane was added from 45th to 40th Street so far. The project was first announced by the City’s Streets Department in April, and includes safety features and improvements for all modes of transportation and pedestrians between 45th and 34th Streets, including a parking protected bicycle lane on the north side of the street, pedestrian islands, and removing one motor vehicle travel lane. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
August 23rd, 2017 at 4:34 pm
I’m all for protecting bike riders but this project was not well marked or explained. Losing a travel lane has increased the back up at rush hour. I hope this is an experiment and is being monitored.
August 23rd, 2017 at 9:48 pm
Now all we need is for the bikers to discover it.
I’ve seen many bikers riding in the car lane on the wrong side of the street who are unaware that there is a safe protected bike lane just feet away on the other side of the street.
Signage, anyone?
August 23rd, 2017 at 9:50 pm
I hope they do the same to Walnut Street. When I commuted by bike from CC to West Philly, I dreaded the 34th to 38th Street stretch of Walnut and nearly died there multiple times due to double parked cars and delivery vans and trucks.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:31 am
It’s about time that a bike lane was added to Chestnut St. I hope that it will be extended to Cobbs Creek / 63rd St. My main complaint about the new lane is that there is no notice that it exists on Chestnut St. The only notice is that there is a new traffic pattern ahead on a sign near 46th and Chestnut. It doesn’t alert drivers, or bicyclists, that the left lane ends and that a bike lane on the left is beginning.
I also saw a large delivery truck parked on my he left between 37th and 38th Sts Wednesday, 8/23, at 10:am that took up both the bike and the parking lanes and part of the left driving lane. How does that make things safer for bicyclists and drivers? Deliveries should be limited to low traffic times of day.
When major changes are being made to traffic patterns more thought needs to bo given to letting people know what they are. Not just “new traffic patterns ahead.”
August 24th, 2017 at 12:23 pm
I no longer ride a bike in the city due to safety concerns. But i a very glad to see what is basically a freeway reduced to a more reasonable size and protections put in place for cyclists. My experience with this section of Chestnut is drivers being particular aggressive.
August 26th, 2017 at 5:50 pm
I’m super happy with the new 2-way bike lane on the west side Spring Garden street, except when drivers take it upon themselves to use it as a car lane, half the time using it to go wrong way on a one way street.
August 28th, 2017 at 4:04 pm
Contrary to the uninformed first comment, I have driven this section of Chestnut every single day during rush hour for several years now, and adding the bike lane has not increased congestion once the lanes were fully installed. There is indeed congestion, but that is due to the construction of the new Ronald McDonald House addition and then rehab of the apartment building further up the block, both of which alter and frequently block lanes. (and also often the new building going up on the 3900 block as well.) But that has always been the case. If anything, having the bike lane has made things better as cars and bicycles are no longer mixing in the road.