Lawsuit filed over Philadelphia's plan to expand bike lane infrastructure on Pine and Spruce streets

CBS News

a day ago

A legal battle is unfolding in Center City as residents of Pine and Spruce streets push back against the city's latest efforts to bolster bike lane safety.
A newly filed lawsuit seeks to block the Philadelphia Streets Department from installing neighborhood loading zones and future concrete barriers adjacent to protected bike lanes.
The complaint, submitted Monday by attorney George Bochetto on behalf of the advocacy group Friends of Pine and Spruce, argues that the city overstepped its authority.
"The administration by regulation is now trying to overrule City Council and completely reconfigure what happens on those two streets," said Bochetto. "And it's gonna create a disaster."
"It's going to create congestion, there are gonna be emergency vehicles that are not going to be able to get through," Bochetto continued.
The lawsuit claims the Streets Department acted beyond the scope of existing ordinances by implementing new loading zones through regulation, without formal changes to city law.
The defendants named in the suit include the Philadelphia Streets Department and the city's Office of Infrastructure and Transportation Systems.
City officials said the loading zones are essential to support a recently enacted law banning vehicles from stopping in bike lanes, a move driven by safety concerns.
Advocates argue that the new zones are a common-sense solution to reduce conflicts between parked vehicles and cyclists, especially on high-traffic corridors like Pine and Spruce streets.
Tensions around the bike lanes are not new. The roots of the conflict date back to 2009, when protected lanes were first introduced. An agreement under then-Mayor Michael Nutter allowed residents to stop briefly in the bike lanes for loading and unloading.
Enforcement has been an issue and has left cyclists vulnerable, as cars routinely block the lanes. Currently, the bike lanes are protected only by flexible plastic posts.
In July 2024, an alleged drunk driver swerved into the Spruce Street bike lane and killed a pediatric oncologist. The accident galvanized support for stronger bike lane protections and led to the city's no-stopping law.
Still, not all residents are on board. Some said the planned barriers and reconfiguration of the streets could worsen congestion and impede emergency vehicles. Longtime Spruce Street resident Ollie Chernihivski expressed concern over reduced lane access for deliveries and services.
"There's a problem, there's only two lanes here," said Chernihivski. "If we lose one lane, any delivery or anything that happens on the street becomes impossible."
On the other side, advocates like Jacob Russell with Philly Bike Action said the city is simply giving cyclists the same safety infrastructure already afforded to pedestrians.
"We already protect people who walk with concrete curbs. Bicycles should get the same level of protection," Russell said.
The city tells CBS Philadelphia that the lawsuit is currently under review.
The Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems announced that the city and the Philadelphia Parking Authority will start the first phase of the Spruce and Pine Bike Lane safety Upgrades project Thursday, and that stage will last at least two weeks.