City Cast

How to Bike Safely in Philly

Natalia Aldana
Natalia Aldana
Posted on July 25
A bicyclist in motion on a bike lane with Skyline behind them on the South Street Bridge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

A cyclist on the South Street Bridge in Philadelphia. (Jon Lovette/Getty Images)

Philly was recently named the fourth-best place to bike in the U.S. But is Philly actually bike-friendly? We got the scoop from some local bike safety experts on the City Cast Philly podcast:

According to Stuart Leon and Zach Leon, a father and son lawyer team focusing on bicycle safety, Philly is ultimately safe for bicyclists and the city is working on building a network of safer bike lanes. One advantage to biking in Philly is that it’s easily navigable from the immediate suburbs, says Stuart. He primarily blames drivers on their smartphones for bicycle crashes. Zach says many bicyclists get forced out of bike lanes due to construction sites or drivers but this situation has been improving in the past few years.

However, accidents can and do happen. What should you do if you’re involved in a hit-and-run? Take a photo of the car's license plate and file a police report. Although a lot of people like to start recording videos, this can lead to more escalation and a tenser situation.

While you can’t always avoid certain lanes or areas, the team has identified some dangerous intersections or hotspots you may want to be wary of. For more on that, listen to this conversation.

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