The bike lane on a well-traveled street through Philadelphia has faded beyond recognition. Appeals to restripe the lane have focused on a forthcoming visit from the pope.
"On parts of Pennsylvania Avenue between Spring Garden Avenue and 27th Street, the bike lane paint is so faint on both sides of the street that it can barely be seen," according to an article by Holly Otterbein. "It leads cyclists and drivers alike to believe that the bike lanes simply don’t exist."
The state of the bike lane in Philadelphia even prompted criticism from the U.S. Department of Transportation on Twitter.
The article goes into more detail about the important of regular, consistent, and well-marked lanes. Philadelphia, of course, is expecting a visit from Pope Francis in September. Otterbein has made more than one appeal for repairs to be made in the public realm prior to the pope's visit—which shouldn't detract from the importance of everyday users of public facilities. And Philadelphia is, at least, lucky in having that motivation—as other cities around the country have also dealt with bike infrastructure not standing up to the wear and tear of city life.
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
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