Four hundred thousand bus passengers in Philadelphia are fending for themselves by foot, bicycle, and car pool after 5,000 transit workers went on strike Monday.
Newspaper accounts reported that Philadelphia was installing extra bicycle racks last week in preparation of the transit strike. This week, stories mention people using bikes to get to work and school.
A “Bike the Strike” station has been set up at Municipal Services Building at 15th Street and JFK Boulevard. Sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition, Neighborhood Bike Works, and the City of Philadelphia, the station offers free guarded bike parking, safety checks, and suggestions for cycling routes through the city; also free use of tire pumps.
Just as helpful, the Bicycle Coalition also has set up a “Bike the Strike” blog, which features Bike Buddy Rideboard, suggestions about bicycle lighting (it gets dark at 5 p.m. now), bike lanes and bike routes, and how to safely lock up your trusty two-wheeler. The blog also links to a Share-the-Road.org website for safe riding tips.
The center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. With warm weather forecast in Philadelphia, the staff is expecting more visitors as the word gets out.
Meanwhile, striking bus drivers in Santa Cruz, California, have agreed to go back to work after about a month off the job, the Sentinel reports. To help commuters deal with that strike, the police department released about 100 bicycles that it in storage. The Santa Cruz Hub for Sustainable Transportation and transit workers repaired and gave them away to people needing rides.
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