DPS kicks off 'Share-the-Road'

One oblivious biker rode right past Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey on the sidewalk in front of the bookstore.

“Each of use are leaders. If we see something, it doesn’t hurt to educate them,” said Dorsey, who did not hesitate to stop the cyclist and explain to him that he was breaking the law.

There are many laws that bicyclists are unaware of, including those against riding on the sidewalk, disobeying traffic lights and riding on the wrong side of the street, he said.

“Share-the-Road,” an annual initiative led by the Division of Public Safety and the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, hopes to impart this knowledge to the public.

The campaign, which kicked off on Tuesday, will educate bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians about laws and safety practices for the road.

Dorsey said he has seen improvement over the years as DPS has continued the annual campaign, but it’s “important to continue that education effort” because so many new people move into University City each year.

“People are biking more and walking more,” said Charles Carmalt, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Transportation & Utilities. “University City is the center of that activity.”

The city is working to improve its environment for cyclists by adding bicycle lanes on Market Street, he said. This week, the bicycle lanes on the South Street Bridge will be repainted green for increased visibility. The city also plans to add bike racks added to about 30 meter posts in the area.

Cyclists aren’t the only problem. History and Sociology of Science professor David Barnes has been commuting to campus daily by bicycle for about nine years. “I have problems with drivers, pedestrians, other cyclists. Everybody is at fault,” he said. “Every time someone is attentive or courteous, I celebrate that — it’s the highlight of my day.”

Diana Owens, program director for the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, said that recently, the city has paid “more attention to infrastructure needs and demands,” including adding lanes and parking for bicyclists. However, it’s not uncommon that a car will park in a bicycle lane, obstructing the path for cyclists, she said.

A few years ago, Penn Police began cracking down on illegal cycling on Locust Walk after a Penn Trustee was hit by a bicyclist. “Maybe things have gotten a little bit better [since then],” Barnes said, noting fewer cyclists venture to ride on Locust Walk. However, “I haven’t seen a huge improvement.”

College sophomore Amy Beauchamp said she is aware of Philadelphia laws regarding bicyclists, but she doesn’t always follow them “to a ‘T.’” Beauchamp added she knows it is a possibility but would be “surprised” if she were pulled over by a policeman when on her bicycle.

Penn Police say otherwise. “When we don’t have voluntary compliance, we’re going to help you along” by issuing tickets, Penn Police Lieutenant Thomas Messner said. However, he’d prefer people comply “because it’s the right thing to do.”

Since the start of the Give Respect, Get Respect campaign, another safety campaign targeting cyclists, motorists and pedestrians launched by the city in May, Philadelphia Police have stopped about 1,200 cyclists for violating bicycle laws, said Captain Alan Clark, commanding officer for the Center City Police District. He estimated about eight percent of those bicyclists received some type of citation, ranging from $50 Code Violation Notices to $120 tickets.

“I don’t believe, quite frankly, that the tickets are the answer,” Clark said.

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