At the end of a week that saw a cyclist killed in a hit-and-run crash in West Fairmount Park, hundreds of cyclists gathered outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Friday evening to push for progress on the project to increase safety along Pine and Spruce streets, then rode to City Hall.

The protest ride was organized by advocacy group Philly Bike Action, and comes after a leaked internal memo from the city recommended adding speed bumps and concrete obstacle-separated bike lanes in limited sections of the Pine-Spruce corridor. The city formed a working group to address bike safety along the corridor after CHOP physician Barbara Friedes was killed by a drunken driver last summer.

Calling for “CONCRETE NOW, EVERY BLOCK,” group leaders said they were concerned and frustrated.

Hundreds of Philadelphia cyclists gather in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art ahead of a protest ride to City Hall on September 5, 2025. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)

“The city has made promises that concrete is going to go in there, and it’s been a year and we haven’t seen any concrete. What we have seen are plans that don’t cover all the blocks of Spruce and Pine,” said David Talone, a District 5 organizer for PBA. “That’s not acceptable. A half-baked plan is not going to keep the cars out of the bike lanes.”

The protest ride also paid tribute to the cyclist who was killed Tuesday morning. Harry Fenton, 67, was a PBA member. Members of Fenton’s family were at the steps of the Art Museum, and some rode in the protest.

“It feels tremendous to see the community come together and show their support,” said Fanton’s daughter Hallie. “Obviously, there’s not enough done in this city to protect cyclists, but it feels positive to see everyone out here tonight.”

Jane Fenton speaks about her brother Harry, who was was killed in a hit-and-run crash while cycling in West Fairmount Park. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)

Hundreds of Philly cyclists took part in the ride from the museum to City Hall. The six-mile ride took under an hour and weaved through the Center City neighborhoods, with riders chanting slogans like “paint is not protection; concrete now” along the way. 

Riders blocked cars at intersections to let the group pass safely, which drew a few car horns and threats from drivers at the tail end of the group. Police blocked some roads and followed the ride as well. Along the way, pedestrians watched as the bike train rode by, with some applauding and cheering.

A similar protest ride drew a large group of cyclists last July, after the deaths of Friedes, pedestrian Christopher Cabrera, and others. 

Since then, measures to better protect the bike lanes on Pine and Spruce and many other parts of the city have been proposed, and legislation has been signed and challenged by groups that want to see alternative safety measures put in place.

The raised concrete barriers that PBA and other groups have asked for have not come.

What’s happened since last year

After last year’s protest ride, the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) presented proposed bike lane safety upgrades for the Spruce and Pine streets corridor for public review. Among these were the recommendation to add some combination of raised concrete barriers and crash-resistant planters, to change the curbside regulations along the bike lanes to “No Stopping Anytime,” to increase Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) enforcement, and to relocate the relaxed parking rules for religious institutions, which some churches had already withdrawn. 

In December, Mayor Cherelle Parker signed the “Get out the Bike Lane” bill, making it illegal for motor vehicles to stop in any of the city’s bike lanes. The bill classified over 35 miles of curbside bike lanes as “No Stopping Anytime,” raising fines for vehicles to $125 for stopping, standing or parking in a bike lane in Center City and University City, and $75 in other parts of the city. 

In the city’s 2026 budget, Vision Zero, the city’s program to improve traffic safety, received $5 million funding for the financial year and $30 million total through 2031, and set aside $5 million for concrete barriers on Spruce and Pine streets.

Cyclists hold up sign ahead of Philly Bike Action’s protest ride from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to City Hall on September 5, 2025. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)

As the city began the first phase of its bike lane safety project this past June, the resident group Friends of Pine and Spruce sued Philadelphia officials, seeking to halt the concrete barriers being built and stop the city’s plan for replacing permit parking with new “neighborhood loading zones” at sections of the streets. 

That same month, Philly Bike Action released Laser Vision, a smartphone app that helps streamline reporting illegally stopped vehicles through the PPA’s mobility access violation reporting form.

This July, Michael Vahey, the man who fatally hit Dr. Friedes, was sentenced to six to 20 years in prison, after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence.

In August, a judge ordered the city to halt signage installation, enforcement efforts and public works while the Friends of Pine and Spruce case goes through the courts. The resident group’s lawyer, George Bochetto, told the Inquirer they plan to amend the lawsuit to include the “no stopping” ban.

Among the list of alternative safety measures that Friends of Pine and Spruce have suggested implementing are “a 20-minute grace period for vehicles stopping in the bike lane,” “speed tables speed reduction measures,” and potentially moving the bike lanes entirely to wider east-west streets across the city.

All the while, an impasse with the state budget has led SEPTA to make service cuts — recently restored after a Philly judge’s ruling Thursday — and fare hikes that could lead to more cars and gridlock on the city’s roads.

  • Cyclists ride through Center City neighborhoods during Philly Bike Action’s protest ride on September 5, 2025. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)
  • Cyclists ride through Center City neighborhoods during Philly Bike Action’s protest ride on September 5, 2025. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)
  • Cyclists block traffic to let others approach City Hall during Philly Bike Action’s protest ride on September 5, 2025. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)
  • A cyclist attaches a sign to their bike for Philly Bike Action’s protest ride. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)

Going forward 

Caleb Holtmeyer, PBA’s chairperson whose focus is District 1, said progress has been made over the past year, but that it’s not enough.

“I think we’ve taken some major steps of progress there, but we’re still wanting for actual physical protection that would have prevented the death of Dr. Friedes,” he said.

What the group doesn’t want to see happen was the phase two outlined in the internal memo.  

“It was very disappointing to see the leaked memo of only half of Spruce and Pine being protected,” PBA press team member Guarav Shetty said. “I think it’s very clear that all of it should be protected or else we’re going to have another tragic accident, which is going to be another name that gets etched into this history of people dying for absolutely no reason —other than terrible bike infrastructure.”