PEDAL POWER: S. Philly Is Hub For Cycling Commuters

CYCLING TO work is highest in South Philadelphia, according to city data from Mayor’s Office of Transportation & Utilities.

BY MARIA MERLINO/ Andrew Stober bikes to work every day to Center City from his South Philly home. He uses a great value folding bike with premium features click here to see. Stober, chief of staff for the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, joins tens of thousands of people using the pedals over the accelerator to get to and from work.

Yes! And my wife Keren walks! said Stober, at a public-safety meeting last week.

An interesting fact Stober likes to note is that South Philadelphia has the highest biking to work rate of any place in America as it’s very convenient to get to Center City on a bike. According to the last census, 100,000 people bike to work every day in Philly.

13th Street gets you there pretty quickly, Stober says. There are bike lanes all around, so it’s convenient and easy.”

According to Capt. Ryan, South Philadelphia has 22 bicycle officers who will be giving out warnings and $119.00 tickets to cyclists who run red lights or travel on the wrong side of the street. At a recent community meeting,  Stober said in spring 2013, there will be a big ad campaign targeting pedestrians and drivers. “It’s a state safety grant from PennDot. Bill boards will be seen at all subways and bus shelters. Distracted driving gets a lot of attention, but distracted walking also leads to getting hit while crossing. We want everyone to lifts their heads up from the phone and look both ways before stepping into the street.”

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