Philly Cyclists, Lookout

Sharon Gekoski-Kimmel/Philly.com

Cyclists in Philadelphia have been feeling the heat heavy in recent weeks. In October two pedestrians were hit and killed by cyclists in Philadelphia within the span of a week. As you might imagine there’s been some backlash against cyclists, not only from the public but from the law. Philadelphia police began heavily ticketing cyclists not obeying traffic laws. And some of the backlash has been specifically aimed toward “brakeless” fixed-gear cyclists opening up yet again the debate over mandatory brakes on bikes and what actually is the definition of a brake. Yesterday dozens of messengers and cyclists gathered at LOVE Park to counteract the “anti-cycling” mood that they feel has been bubbling up over recent weeks. It will be interesting to see how things play out in Philly and what ramifications if any it will have on New York’s relationship with cyclists. Until then we can all only dream of riding on Copenhagen’s bicycle superhighways. [via Spokes, Philly.com]