Residents suing Philadelphia to stop bike lane upgrades in Center City neighborhood

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- On Thursday, the City of Philadelphia will begin installing new "Loading Zone" and "No Stopping Anytime" signage along the Spruce and Pine streets corridor in the city's 1st and 2nd districts.

It's phase 1 of a project that will add more protection for cyclists in the most-used bike corridor in the city.

"It is nice to occasionally be able to pull into the lane, but at the same time, I think the lives of the bikers, protecting them, is more important," said Ethan Wollman of South Philadelphia.

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Ultimately, vertical concrete barriers would be installed according to the city's plans. Right now, flexible delineators are all that separate cyclists from cars passing by.

The flexible posts proved fatally inadequate last summer when a speeding, drunk driver killed CHOP Doctor, Dr. Barbara Friedes, as she rode her bike in the bike lane on Spruce and 18th streets.

"The city needs to protect bikers and pedestrians. We do a pretty bad job of it right now," said David Grillo of Rittenhouse Square.

However, not everyone supports the safety upgrades.

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A neighborhood group called "Friends of Pine and Spruce" is suing the city to stop the installation of those concrete barriers and other improvements. They say the projects will reduce parking and cause congestion.

"It's inconvenient, I guess, but we're talking about people's safety. Bikers have a right to be able to legally follow the law and ride around safely," said Kimberly Rotter of Center City in response.

The group also says accidents will increase, driveways will be blocked and even first responders will be impacted, amounting to irreparable harm to property rights and neighborhood infrastructure.

Plaintiffs referred to their lawyer for comment on Wednesday. Action News reached out but did not hear back.

The group's complaint can be viewed here: friendsofpineandspruce.org

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City Council President Kenyatta Johnson is not named or involved in the lawsuit, but according to the city, the new curbside regulations are a direct result of Johnson's "Get Out The Bike Lane" legislation adopted last fall. It upped penalties for parking or temporarily stopping in bike lanes.

"This piece of legislation goes toward not only bicycle and pedestrian safety, but also public safety," Johnson told Action News in October 2024.

On Wednesday, the city also did not respond to comment on the neighborhood groups' lawsuit, but phase 1 of the Spruce and Pine Bike Lane Safety Upgrades Project is moving ahead as scheduled.

Work begins on Thursday and will last two weeks.