Safety advocates came together Sunday morning near Rittenhouse Square to remember and mourn recent victims of pedestrian and cyclist traffic deaths and to demand action to improve safety on the city’s streets, even as more deadly incidents had occurred just hours earlier.
The vigil was held for Barbara Friedes, who was struck and killed by a speeding vehicle while riding her bike in Center City last Wednesday. Friedes was a resident at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she worked with pediatric cancer patients.
Cyclists, pedestrians, and supporters alike gathered around the 1800 block of Spruce — where Friedes was struck from behind and flew more than 20 feet before landing. Despite wearing a helmet, she suffered severe head injuries and died shortly after at the hospital.
The crowd stood in between the bike and motor lanes, holding signs with messages, including “no more bicycle deaths” and “protect the bike lane.” Others held up photos of other pedestrians and cyclists who had been killed by vehicles.
Hundreds attended the vigil, filling most of the street with people and bikes. In spite of the large crowd, the street was very quiet — most stood in silence or spoke at a whisper.
A deadly week
The past week has seen an increase in traffic deaths, with Dr. Friedes being one of three deaths caused by a vehicle crash in the past week. Barely 12 hours before the event, a 22-month-old was killed and her mother and teen sister were injured in a vehicle crash in Feltonville, at the intersection of North Front Street and East Wyoming Avenue, police said.
“They’re both still in the hospital. We are heartbroken and we are furious,” Steph Davis, a chair of the urbanist political action committee Fifth Square said. “These deaths, these critical injuries, are fully preventable.”
And hardly unique. There were two other incidents in the 12 hours before the vigil.
- A man was found early Sunday morning on Aramingo Avenue in Frankford with injuries consistent with a hit-and-run accident and was pronounced dead, police said.
- Another man crossing the street at Rising Sun Avenue was struck by a vehicle Saturday night. He was at Temple University Hospital in critical condition Sunday.
Tears and possible solutions
“I am tired of holding vigils and funerals,” said Nicole Burnet, the Greater Philadelphia Bike Coalition’s Policy Director. “It is unacceptable that the Vision Zero budget [to address traffic safety in the city] was cut. With that money we can build bicycle lanes that protect people, that save lives and encourage people to move around the city in one of the most joyful ways.”
Caleb Holtmeyer, a co-founder and organizer with Philly Bike Action, said that one of the key provisions of their petition, to prohibit parking in bike lanes, was not enacted because neighbors wanted to be able to park temporarily in front of their homes.
He says that the solution could be temporary loading zones on every corner — a provision that is already happening on some city blocks. This way, bikers and motorists could both take full advantage of the road.
“It’s very heartbreaking that City Council doesn’t take this seriously, that some of the neighbors opposed protecting this bike lane because they wanted to park there,” Holtmeyer said. “I understand that people need to be able to drop things off in their home, but that’s not the highest need. The highest need is that people are getting around safe.”
Both Davis and Holtmeyer stressed the need for physical protections for bike lanes in the city. The 1800 block of Spruce Street has plastic bollards that failed to protect Freides.
“We need our city government to respond with real change and real investment in roadway safety,” Davis said. “We want everyone to be safe whether they are riding in a bike lane in Rittenhouse, standing on a corner in Kensington or crossing a street in Germantown. Paint and plastic posts are not protection.”
Jamie Gauthier, a city councilmember representing the 3rd District, attended the vigil. She stressed the importance of City Council’s role in making the streets safer for pedestrians and promised the crowd that they would do better.
“This is impacting every City Council district and every neighborhood. And as a Councilperson I tried to do my best in my district to make sure that we have real protected bike infrastructure,” she said. “All of what you’re asking for is completely in line with the goal to have a cleaner, greener, safer city for everybody.”
Philly Bike Action will hold a ride at 6 p.m. Friday from the Art Museum steps to City Hall.
