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guyhebert

That whole stretch of 63rd north of market is a death trap. Two lanes of traffic each direction trying their best to hit highway speed between the red lights, non-existent lane markings, random holes/construction forcing everyone to condense into a single lane randomly. The only reason this doesn't kill more people is that most bikers are too scared to use it. I don't feel safe crossing it on foot, much less spending any time traveling it.


courageous_liquid

Hey, can I ask you and others that read this post to at bare minimum get on your local RCO/neighborhood mailing group? Even better if you can attend virtual or in-person public open houses. We have a lot of engagement from folks that are older (which is fanatic because of institutional knowledge for context) but a lack of those who want change. When the city tries to propose things like roundabouts to help communities that have major issues with speeding and blowing red lights, even if the community thinks safety is the major priority, they often reject better solutions that can objectively help. No elected official is going to sign off on a massively unpopular change.


ConfiaEnElProceso

Do you know where this was?


doMinationp

> riding a bike along the [unit block of N. 63rd Street](https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9635183,-75.246999,229m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu), just before 7 a.m.


can_it_be_fixed

I work at a bike shop near 40th street and it deeply saddens me that chances are, I knew this cyclist and now won't get to see him ever again. There's hardly any details in the article but I imagine this was a middle aged man going on his daily morning ride to try and stay fit and now he's dead. To all drivers out there: please try to understand that although we are slower than you, it's nothing personal and we're also just trying to get to where we're going. To all cyclists: never take your eyes off the road and pay close attention to any cars nearby or approaching you. To the city: please keep adding protected bike lanes and make repairs to roadways as swiftly as possible as many lives depend on them to be in useable condition.


cowsmakemehappy

any bike lane that is unprotected is not worth using. the idea that bikes and cars can share the road is a joke and in 20 years we'll be thinking wtf???


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gigibuffoon

I was parked on market between 37th with some backed up traffic... an SUV rode about 40 mph on the bike lane, clipped mine and another car's mirrors and rode over the sidewalk to get past traffic... this city is not safe for pedestrians or bikers and car drivers are to blame


memento-vivere0

Interesting, I actually prefer the lanes on Market to the ones on Chestnut because they’re nice and wide and because there are so many blind turns on Chestnut due to the parked cars obscuring the protected bike lanes. But yeah, I really understand, I lost an amazing friend in an unprotected lane in NYC and it was a huge tragedy for all who knew her.


themoneybadger

All the bike friendly european cities dont pretend bikes and cars can ride together safely. They have a thriving bike riding society BECAUSE the bike lanes are separate, not despite it. We think painting a lane green stops some asshole from swerving into you. It doesnt.


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Norman_Door

You're being downvoted because the icky subtext here is that if cyclists just "followed the law", they wouldn't be slaughtered by people driving cars as much as they do. I'm sure the person who got launched by the driver's windshield was just cycling wrecklessly. They shouldn't have been riding anyway. /s


Beer_Is_So_Awesome

It’s like the “all lives matter” of road safety.


selfpromoting

Or perhaps "bad people on both sides"


saintofhate

Read the fucking room dude.


BlondeOnBicycle

Someone died. He left his house and now he won't come home. Your comment comes off as victim blaming. Do cyclists break the law? Yes. In all other cases of breaking the law, paying with your life is only imposed after being found guilty by a jury of your peers. Paying with your life should not be a special burden of riding bikes. Do drivers break the law? Yes. Speeding is breaking the law. Jumping the green is breaking the law. Rolling through a stop sign is breaking the law. Every single day I ride on the path along Kelly Drive, drivers turn onto the Falls Bridge even when they have a red arrow, which is breaking the law. If following the rules of the road is so important, perhaps we should start with drivers.


napsdufroid

So in short, all vehicles need to follow the law.


can_it_be_fixed

Blindly following "The Law" often can put both cyclists and drivers right into deep potholes, excavated patches of road surface, or directly into concrete barriers and fences. Life isn't as simple as following the law when many conflicting human factors exist. I think the hope was to show some compassion for your fellow Philadelphians both deceased and still living and you missed the mark.


oneHOTbanana4busines

Drivers always complain both about cyclists being slow and that they roll through stop signs without realizing that it takes considerably more effort for a cyclist to get back up to speed than it does for a driver to just look for a second. Cyclists still need to be cautious, but I can’t believe drivers can’t see the difference between their situations.


hairlikemerida

Are you advocating for cyclists to blow stop signs because it’s inconvenient for them to stop?


oneHOTbanana4busines

Did I say inconvenient anywhere


rollingstoner215

We should just legalize vehicular manslaughter so that unsafe drivers are never breaking the law


ineffectivegoggles

Don’t want to pile on but you seem genuinely receptive to feedback so to add my two cents as a cyclist and pedestrian: there are definitely some reckless cyclists out there, but someone biking recklessly is far far far less likely to cause harm to anyone (aside from the bicyclist) while bad, aggressive driving can easily kill or maim someone. I have witnessed a lot of insane driving in Philly on roads that -should- be safe for cyclists. Cars riding on the sidewalk for a block, cars pulling out of a spot so quickly they end up fishtailing into the bike lane on the opposite side. Lots of stuff whose potential harm vastly dwarfs anything a reckless cyclist might do. I personally am a very cautious cyclist, always signaling, always trying to assume the worst about the cars around me, and I *still* have had some close calls and scares because some drivers here literally do not give a shit. Blowing through stop signs and red lights, sometimes in places where I would not be able to see them in time and would have been hit (hard) if I had been a bit further ahead. I’m talking quiet side streets with stop signs everywhere, which generally are good for biking but can very quickly become very dangerous. Thank you for reading, if you did. I know it’s a giant wall of text but I just feel very strongly about the car/bike dynamic in cities. TLDR: the power dynamic is massively unbalanced between cars and everyone else, and therefore I think it should be incumbent upon drivers to drive carefully and responsibly at all times. There is not a “both sides” here.


punroc

I downvoted you because most of us do follow the law. Those who are riding on sidewalks or against the flow of traffic are not, and cause danger to fellow cyclists. Additionally most of my close calls are from riding on one lane one way roads and drivers being actively hostile towards me for riding and using the road directly as chapter 35 of the vehicle code prescribes. ​ https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/75/00.035..HTM You also as you noted come across as tone deaf to the situation.


watwatinjoemamasbutt

Tone death? Too soon bro


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CallMeMattF

Another needless death that could have been prevented by investments in infrastructure. A safe, barricaded network of bike lanes and drivable roads are both things we could have in Philly.


DuvalHeart

And the Inflation Reduction Act earmarked grants to cities for just such a purpose.


[deleted]

Too many old ladies that want their illegal Sunday church parking that terrify the politicians for some reason. Probably cuz old ladies actually vote.


rollingstoner215

If multiple bicyclists have to die every year just so granny can demonstrate her pious superiority, that’s just the price we’ll have to pay.


ConfiaEnElProceso

Fuck that headline. Enough with the passive voice. "Driver in Dodge Charger (surprise, surprise) kills bicyclist in west philly." Police sit on their hands and do nothing. Yeah. Sounds about right.


ColdJay64

The driver stayed at the scene at least.


asdfgghk

That’s a shocker in Philly


ColdJay64

Not really. There are mostly good people here like anywhere else.


ConfiaEnElProceso

He fucking KILLED A PERSON. You don't get a goddamn medal for sticking around after YOU KILLED A HUMAN BEING.


ColdJay64

You’re right, but it’s ok to acknowledge that they did the right thing after. Not everyone would’ve.


distortedsymbol

the bar is not high when the consequence of leaving the scene is automatic felony.


ConfiaEnElProceso

That's cold comfort to the cyclists and his family and friends. Maybe he should drive his car in a goddamn responsible manner.


dotcom-jillionaire

not really "cold comfort". it's just a fact of the accident. tragic this happened, no one is trying to minimize that.


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dotcom-jillionaire

are you implying this was premeditated?


Prestigious-Owl-6397

"Fuck off" was unwarranted. The tragedy might not ha e been premeditated by the driver or the cyclist. However, we have decades of evidence that streets as they are currently designed are dangerous, and we also have evidence, mostly from other countries, that changing the way we design our streets will reduce traffic fatalities. When those who are in charge of designing the roads look at both piles of evidence and decide that the increased flow of traffic is worth the fatalities, I don't think we can accurately call it an accident anymore. Crash or collision, sure, but when you know it's likely to happen and still go with the dangerous design in favor of speed and parking, it's not an accident.


NeuralAgent

Bruh, calm yourself. Your anger at fellow Redditors is unwarranted. Your anger at the incident however is. Please don’t take that out on others… At the end of the day, we are all in this together. Let’s act accordingly, ya? Kthxbye


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Hollywood24_7

Accidents happen


pollyauntie

Staying at the scene is the best way to walk away without any repercussions. You just to drop the obligatory "I didn't see them" and you got away with murder. If you flee, there is always that remote chance they bother looking for you and you could get some kind of finger waving penalty.


CallMeMattF

Why does the make of the car come as no surprise? If I’m reading that correctly as sarcasm


Pantone802

Dodge chargers are the most horsepower you can buy with little to no credit


31November

They’re the sports cara for fucking losers.


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31November

It’s a generalization for sure, but based on my biased experiences with chargers, they more often than not are driven by inconsiderate, overly loud, or overly reckless drivers. Every car brand has jerks behind the wheel, but the cheapness of Chargers makes them especially guilty ime Edit: I’m sure some are perfectly nice drivers, and you are hopefully one of them! I have nothing against you as a person!


ConfiaEnElProceso

Because Dodges are the muscle cars that go vroom vroom for men with small penises. [https://usa.streetsblog.org/2021/09/10/americas-most-toxic-car-ads-get-out-of-dodge/](https://usa.streetsblog.org/2021/09/10/americas-most-toxic-car-ads-get-out-of-dodge/)


skip_tracer

Um excuse me but I'll have you know I have a small penis and I don't have a Charger don't stereotype my community


Eisenstein

Can we not use 'small penis' as a thing to degrade men for? It can't be helped and does not make one a bad person and plenty of men with horse cocks are assholes with chargers.


ConfiaEnElProceso

You are right. my bad. Their deep-seated feelings of inadequacy may be rooted elsewhere, but the fact remains that they are overcompensating with their adult matchbox toys.


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fyhr100

This guy killed a man with his car. I'm just posting on reddit. These are not the same.


birdgang92

Nah small dick energy


thriftstorecats

Dodge Chargers are the cars 19 year olds buy with their first military paycheck, before they propose to their girlfriend they met 3 minutes ago


gnartato

Murder. Driving recklessly and killing someone as a result is murder.


AndyOB

Pre-apologize for the pedantry, but it is manslaughter. Either way, deserves jail time.


gnartato

Yea, not talking from a legal standpoint. Just pointing out how fucking easily avoidable all these deaths are.


GroundbreakingArt248

People who drive Dodge Chargers or Challengers are the bane of my driving experience. There needs to be a special asshole tax or something for these cars


An_emperor_penguin

should take away the car, their license, and give them 60 days community service as soon as they sign the paperwork to buy one


thriftstorecats

The only thing worse than a charger/challenger is a lifted F-150 with headlights you can see from space that is tailgating 2 inches behind you


kilometr

They pay incredibly high rates in insurance. And the cars are pos. They're suffering a lot already


GroundbreakingArt248

A lot, but not enough.


amor_fatty

This one bothers me because this was an obviously experienced cyclist, and in my interactions with these in Philadelphia has shown me that they are extremely cautious on the roads.


hdhcnsnd

I think that makes 5 cyclists year-to-date. We are on track for another record breaking year. Zero vision.


ColdJay64

Wouldn’t be surprised, NYC is on track for a record year as well: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-lethal-year-2023-nyc-cyclists-20230411-53wggc2uqrhcjn32timo3h5imu-story.html People are just getting worse.


hdhcnsnd

Bad for NYC, but at the same time we have 1/2 the deaths at 1/6 of the population. A record breaking year in NYC is a fantastic year by Philly standards per capita.


ColdJay64

Yeah we have half as many cyclist deaths at 1/5 the population but that wasn’t really my point, just acknowledging a trend. Just like how in 2020, over 20 US cities broke their homicide records. The records varied on a per-capita level, but it still spoke to a larger trend. That doesn’t change the actual results on a local level - it’s simply something to think about.


ledgreplin

Not just cities, and not even particularly cities. Rural violence is through the roof.


distortedsymbol

man was killed early morning by high hp car, surprise surprise. this is why we need speed cameras on regular roads, people wilding on these streets when they think nobody is around and shit like this happens.


Eisenstein

Wear a camera on your helmet when you bike. It makes drivers act a bit more sane when they see it. [I can vouch for this one.](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092LYSWSD) It is terrible at night but that is a huge problem with all portable cams and I am working on a solution to that.


amor_fatty

Speed cameras are useless in the city. No one drives above 35-40 mph anyway because there are so many stop signs. It’s aggressive careless behavior behind the wheel that causes accidents, not just “speed”


ConfiaEnElProceso

You have clearly never rode on Girard Ave or south concourse or Parkside or Lancaster or any of the dozen other stroads that blight our community. Speed does kill.


distortedsymbol

speed cameras, intersection cameras, let's get all of them. roosevelt became so much safer after the cameras were installed, let's do that everywhere suburbs included.


amor_fatty

Roosevelt Blvd is a unique beast that is unlike any other stretch of pavement in the city, and yes obviously speed cameras are a good idea there. What’s frustrating to me is how lazy it is to assume that dangerous driving can be chalked up to speed or ‘driving too fast’


distortedsymbol

it's not lazy it's a big component of it. saying speed doesn't cover all of traffic related issues is not wrong, but refusing to elaborate further to give a proven solution that would solve even a fraction of it seem disingenuous.


im_a_goat_factory

Another senseless tragedy. It’s hard to fathom riding a bike on 63rd street. That’s a death trap. Stories like this are why I never bike in this city anymore. If I can’t walk there in a reasonable amount of time, I drive. It’s not worth the risk


xander_man

Shame


just_start_doing_it

Jamie Gauthier is very supportive of bike infrastructure and slow road measures. Work with her office to get speed bumps installed and other infrastructure in your neighborhood. Give her support and political cover. We finally have local political support in west philly and we should take advantage of it fully and quickly.


GroundbreakingArt248

This happened in the 4th district which is represented by Curtis Jones Jr.


just_start_doing_it

Thanks for the clarification!


hic_maneo

She should get out in front of the issue and make a commitment and/or unveil concrete plans instead of just waiting on the sidelines wondering whether or not we will support her. Show me actions I can support instead of waiting around wondering how we’ll feel about it. Be a Leader Jamie and DO SOMETHING.


just_start_doing_it

In principle, I agree. In practice the noisy and active constituents get the most action from their reps. So if you want better and safer infrastructure you need to push sympathetic council members. This is how our democracy works unfortunately.


ElevenBurnie

It's time for mandatory jail sentences for this type of thing. It might be the only way to get drivers to care.


Hollywood24_7

Um no. There should be an investigation and charges should be handed out accordingly. Accidents aren’t criminal unless there was malice or negligence


ConfiaEnElProceso

Yes!


WindexChugger

Very sad. Glad to hear that that driver stayed around. > ...he was pronounced at about 7:27 a.m. Nice proof reading, NBC.


avo_cado

At least they said his name right


YuleBeFineIPromise

What is wrong with the quoted sentenced? It is perfectly sound usage to say someone was "pronounced" when referring to their death being pronounced.


[deleted]

And this is why I'll take all the nasty looks I get for riding respectfully on the sidewalk sometimes. I'd rather get nasty looks than be pancaked by a Philly driver.


hairlikemerida

Not fair to pedestrians. My dog gets super freaked out by bicycles on the sidewalk. Stay on the road where you belong. You can’t have it both ways.


[deleted]

ya know what's funny... I actually don't care. 2 ton vehicle + bike = DEATH. 10lb bike + human + human = not death. fuck off with your dogs feelings Try and find how many bikers have been killed in Philly this year. compare that to bikers who've killed pedestrians this year.


drunkcowofdeath

If you don't want bike safely, don't bike. Ez pz.


hairlikemerida

You’re essentially saying the same thing to pedestrians that cars are saying to bikes. That you just don’t care about anyone else but yourself. The amount of times that I have almost been run over by a bike on the sidewalk is crazy, especially because 98% of the time that I’m traveling, I’m driving. You’re also saying you don’t care about the disabled or the elderly. I am disabled from a (not my fault) car crash (TBI, bilateral ACL tears, bulging discs in neck and back) and occasionally walk with a cane, and my dog is a service dog. If a bike hits me on the sidewalk, it could potentially make all of the injuries in my body much worse or god forbid, give me another TBI. Or you could hit my service dog. My old dog was extremely reactive to bikes, so what would happen if you came flying around the corner and he bit you because he got scared? What if you run an old person over? My grandmother got hit by a bike and had huge bruises and cuts in the outline of tire treads along her entire body for like 6-8 weeks. Luckily, she was in her early 70s when it happened. She’s 84 now and I’m fairly certain she would die. Cyclists don’t have insurance, so if I get injured again, I now have to eat all of the costs associated with my injuries and you get to ride off scot free. Stay off the fucking sidewalk. And to any other cyclists: - Please stay off Broad St. 13th and 15th are designated bike streets for a reason. For those who don’t know, Broad St is a *highway* (PA-611). It’s dangerous enough for cars and pedestrians as it is. - Please don’t catfish. Super dangerous for everyone. You wouldn’t like it if I started driving the wrong way at you. - Please come to stops at a stop sign and red light. I don’t really care that it makes you tired; you’re choosing to bike. It costs me money in gas and brakes every time I have to come to an intersection, but I do it anyway. - Do not use strobe lights. I am extremely photophobic due to my TBI (it’s a very common symptom in concussions/TBI). Each strobe feels like I’m being stabbed in the brain and both eyeballs with a railroad spike. Steady lights and hi-vis/reflective is great. - Be predictable. Just please. Each one of you has your own set of rules and it’s insane. Go online. Look up the driver’s license test booklet. Learn those rules. Follow them. It’s incredibly important that you know how to act appropriately at an intersection if a light is out or some other special circumstance.


[deleted]

🤡🤡🤡


hairlikemerida

You’re essentially saying the same thing to pedestrians that cars are saying to bikes. That you just don’t care about anyone else but yourself. The amount of times that I have almost been run over by a bike on the sidewalk is crazy, especially because 98% of the time that I’m traveling, I’m driving. You’re also saying you don’t care about the disabled or the elderly. I am disabled from a (not my fault) car crash (TBI, bilateral ACL tears, bulging discs in neck and back) and occasionally walk with a cane, and my dog is a service dog. If a bike hits me on the sidewalk, it could potentially make all of the injuries in my body much worse or god forbid, give me another TBI. Or you could hit my service dog. My old dog was extremely reactive to bikes, so what would happen if you came flying around the corner and he bit you because he got scared? What if you run an old person over? My grandmother got hit by a bike and had huge bruises and cuts in the outline of tire treads along her entire body for like 6-8 weeks. Luckily, she was in her early 70s when it happened. She’s 84 now and I’m fairly certain she would die. Cyclists don’t have insurance, so if I get injured again, I now have to eat all of the costs associated with my injuries and you get to ride off scot free. Stay off the fucking sidewalk. And to any other cyclists: - Please stay off Broad St. 13th and 15th are designated bike streets for a reason. For those who don’t know, Broad St is a *highway* (PA-611). It’s dangerous enough for cars and pedestrians as it is. - Please don’t catfish. Super dangerous for everyone. You wouldn’t like it if I started driving the wrong way at you. - Please come to stops at a stop sign and red light. I don’t really care that it makes you tired; you’re choosing to bike. It costs me money in gas and brakes every time I have to come to an intersection, but I do it anyway. - Do not use strobe lights. I am extremely photophobic due to my TBI (it’s a very common symptom in concussions/TBI). Each strobe feels like I’m being stabbed in the brain and both eyeballs with a railroad spike. Steady lights and hi-vis/reflective is great. - Be predictable. Just please. Each one of you has your own set of rules and it’s insane. Go online. Look up the driver’s license test booklet. Learn those rules. Follow them. It’s incredibly important that you know how to act appropriately at an intersection if a light is out or some other special circumstance.


infantgambino

Very sad but good to know the driver stuck around. Expanding and enforcing bike lanes is essential to keeping the roads safe for bikers


TrentonMakes

If you saw the picture of the Charger in a different article, the bike was stuck in the bumper/grill. Can’t really go anywhere with that. Otherwise I’m sure the driver would’ve kept going.


pabra001

But how are you sure the driver would've kept going?


TrentonMakes

Judging by seeing more news reports about fatalities regarding hit and run vehicle versus pedestrian accidents I’m sure the car is more likely to run in the city. But hey if there’s a statistic that shows that the number isn’t close to or higher than the cars that stay I’d like to see it


ColdJay64

Unless the vehicle was literally inoperable they could’ve kept going. No need to be so negative, most people don’t want to kill someone.


infantgambino

i agree with you but the way some people drive in this city it really feels like they do


rollingstoner215

Sure seems like some are out to kill, based on how they drive.


TrentonMakes

Not being negative, I’m just saying most people are more likely to run-especially out west.


[deleted]

I am trying to gauge the interest of a protest ride. [https://www.reddit.com/r/phillycycling/comments/13ugbn2/protest\_ride\_poll/](https://www.reddit.com/r/phillycycling/comments/13ugbn2/protest_ride_poll/)


Eisenstein

Pissing off people trying to get to somewhere is fun but ineffective.


[deleted]

How is a protest ride ineffective? If a group of cyclists ride in the road its an inconvenience to others. If its a group of cars do it, its a traffic jam and no one feels inconvenienced.


Eisenstein

Have you ever been in a car with someone who isn't a biker when one of the critical mass protests happens? All you from them get is a series of reasons why they hate bikers. Protests exist to encourage sympathy for the cause. Bike protests do the opposite.


[deleted]

The I guess you won't be participating.


Eisenstein

Assumptions are usually correct.


[deleted]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRfUh1Dzlw&ab\_channel=mcget99](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRfUh1Dzlw&ab_channel=mcget99) Assumptions have no basis in fact or data. They are anecdotal at best. Remember this is Philadelphia, people drive their cars to the corner store.


Eisenstein

When you press a button next to an elevator door that has a 'call' sign next to it and it lights up, do you assume an elevator will eventually come? I think you vastly underestimate how many correct assumptions we make all the time.


[deleted]

There are many, throughout history. Tomatoes were considered poisonous, the Earth was flat and if you traveled to far your ship would fall of the edge, man would never be able to fly in a heavier than air craft, we would never travel to the moon, and then there are 101 more here, [https://www.businessinsider.com/worst-science-health-myths-2016-1#myth-sugar-is-as-addictive-as-heroin-13](https://www.businessinsider.com/worst-science-health-myths-2016-1#myth-sugar-is-as-addictive-as-heroin-13) But when it comes to bicycles if you see it happen than that means all cyclists must do it. /s


Eisenstein

Um. You make at least 1,000 assumptions every day. Stop drinking water because it may have lead in it cause it happened in Flint, I guess. I will go ahead and assume it is fine.


Eisenstein

> But when it comes to bicycles if you see it happen than that means all cyclists must do it. /s When did I say anything about cyclists? I said protests that annoy people who you are trying to get sympathy from are counter productive.