Sharing the road: Why cyclists feel vulnerable in Philly’s bike lanes
It's been years since Philadelphia put in bike lanes to make the streets safer, but it hasn't always worked. Why have bike lanes if they don't protect cyclists?
Listen 14:35
A ghost bike memorial to Laura Fredericks still stands at the intersection of 11th and Spruce streets, where she was struck and killed by a garbage truck while riding in the bike lane. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
It’s been years since Philadelphia first put in bike lanes to make the streets safer, but it hasn’t always worked. Two weeks ago, the city’s District Attorney Larry Krasner charged a distracted garbage truck driver for the 2017 killing of cyclist Emily Fredericks. Fredericks was struck in a bike lane. So why even have bike lanes if they’re not protecting cyclists? On this episode of The Why, PlanPhilly managing editor Ariella Cohen explains how bike lanes came to be, and why cyclists still feel vulnerable while riding in them.
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