Law Allowing Protected Bike Lanes Moves Forward In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently approved a bill that would let municipal authorities install parking-protected bicycle lanes between the curb and parking lanes.

H.B. 291 got the house's approval Monday in Harrisburg with a vote of 183-19.

The state senate will now consider the bill.

House Bill 291 is also referred to as Susan’s and Emily’s Law. In October 2015, Susan Hicks was struck from behind and killed at the corner of Forbes and Bigelow in Pittsburgh. In November 2017, Emily Fredricks was riding her bike to work on Spruce Street in Philadelphia when she was struck and killed by a sanitation truck.

State Rep. Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery) introduced the bill in the 2023-24 legislative session, but did not advance in the senate.

"Under current law, a vehicle has to park within 12 inches of a curb. This bill will update the law and allow vehicles to park farther away from these curbs, creating a bike lane between the curb and the parked car," Daley said. "This change has been a long time coming, and I hope that the Senate picks up this critical work soon. Lives are depending on it.”

State Rep. Ed Neilson (D-Philadelphia) joined the push for the bill after Dr. Barbara Friedes, a pediatrician with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, was killed by a suspected DUI driver while riding her bike in an unprotected bike lane on Spruce Street in Philadelphia last summer.

“My priority as transportation chair is to ensure the safety and well-being of anyone who uses Pennsylvania roads," Neilson said. "We worked hard during the last legislative session to pass legislation that protects children in school zones, enforcing speeding violations through work zones and we strengthened our distracted driving laws."

This bill does not require changes to be made; it simply provides local authorities with a legal option to consider.

This measure is supported by PennDOT’s Pedalcycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, BikePGH, and the Pennsylvania Municipal League, among others, according to Daley's office.