Construction begins Monday morning for the creation of a new bike lane project.
Construction and lane closures will take place overnight on Market Street and JFK Boulevard from 15th Street to 20th Street.
The closures are part of the Market/JFK Vision Zero Project, which will run for up to nine months and include parking protected bike lanes and new turn lanes on JFK Boulevard and Market streets. The bike lane will hug the curb while parking will move one lane over, creating a buffer between the bicycles and moving traffic.
“You have to understand and learn that this is shared space for everyone,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said. “We need to be safe together and these bike lanes do help.”
The pilot project will test re-configuring the roadway from four traffic lanes to three to reduce speeding and weaving. The project will also feature pedestrian safety improvements, including shorter crossing distances and painted pedestrian areas defined by flexible delineator posts.
NBC10 spoke with both cyclists and drivers who endorse the plan.
“I was dropping somebody off on the corner and they opened the door,” Michael Simbo said. “The biker was coming and they didn’t see the biker and hit the biker.”
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The project is part of the city’s goal to eliminate traffic deaths by 2030. The project also comes after the death of cyclist Pablo Avendano, a cyclist who was struck and killed in an unprotected bike lane.
To find out more about the project, click here.
