May 2026 Newsletter

Philadelphia Transportation Firsts

To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and Philadelphia’s central role in our nation’s founding, each month of 2026 we are sharing a Philadelphia Transportation First.

To celebrate Bike Month in Philadelphia, we first need some bikes! The 1876 Centennial World Fair in Philadelphia spread the “high wheel” (also known as “ordinary” or a Penny-farthing) bicycle widely to Americans. Access to this bike by wealthy Philadelphians led to the creation of the first bike club in Philadelphia – the Philadelphia Bicycle Club (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia).

However, the “Golden Age of Cycling” in the US did not begin until the “safety” bicycle was unveiled in Philadelphia in 1891 (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia). Philadelphia was the beginning of the bicycle revolution in the US, even though the safety bicycle had previously been introduced in Europe. After the introduction of the safety bicycle to the US, annual bicycle production rose from 200,000 in 1889 to 1,000,000 in 1899 (National Museum of American History).

Broad St viewed from Walnut St (1897)

Like today, early Philadelphia bike riders pushed the City to improve conditions for people using bikes. “Improvement of City Streets” and “Highway Improvement” were documents advocates published in support of bicycle-friendly infrastructure projects. Bicycle paths in Fairmount Park were advocated for as early as 1897 (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia). While May officially became Bike Month in 1956 (The League of American Cyclists), Philadelphians have been celebrating the joys of biking since 1876!

Continue the tradition of advocacy in Philadelphia and RSVP to join us for a group ride on Bike to Work & Wherever Day on May 13! Routes start at Clark Park, Athletic Rec Center, Palmer Park, Dickinson Square Park, and Wharton Park. Coffee will be provided at City Hall when you arrive. Thank you to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Philadelphia Bike Train for hosting this event.

Please also consider joining for the 22nd Annual Philadelphia Ride of Silence on May 20 at 6:45pm at City Hall. This is an opportunity for us to honor those we have lost and join with their friends and family to commit to safer streets 

Bike & Roll to School Day

Thank you to all the students, educators and families who celebrated Bike & Roll to School Day this past Wednesday! We were so pleased to support the following schools with their biking and walking celebrations this month:

  • Alexander Adaire School in Fishtown
  • Alexander K. McClure School in Hunting Park
  • Bache-Martin School in Fairmount
  • Newlin Fell School in South Philadelphia
  • Edward Gideon School in Strawberry Mansion
  • George W. Nebinger School in Bella Vista
  • John H. Webster School in Harrowgate
  • John Moffet School in Olde Kensington
  • Penn Alexander School in Spruce Hill
  • Southwark School in South Philadelphia
  • Vare-Washington School in Dickinson Square West
  • William M. Meredith School in Queen Village

Newlin Fell School in South Philadelphia is the featured school for this year’s National Bike & Roll to School Day. Each May, students at Newlin Fell gather to honor student Julian Angelucci, who was killed in a 2018 crash not far from the school. This annual gathering gives space for students to remember Julian and learn bike safety basics with Safe Routes Philly. This year was extra special, as Bernadine Magee, Julian’s teacher and youth traffic safety champion, was presented with the Greg Wright Safe Routes Philly Leadership Award. The Phillie Phanatic even joined in on the fun at Newlin Fell!

Recipient of the Greg Wright Safe Routes Philly Leadership Award, Bernadine Magee, with the Phillie Phanatic 2026

Bike Month with Indego

May is National Bike Month, and a time to celebrate all things cycling! This month-long event encourages folks to get outside and enjoy the many benefits of cycling. Whether you’re commuting to work, running errands, or simply enjoying a leisurely ride, there’s no better time to embrace the joy of cycling. 

Don’t have a bicycle? Our friends at Indego have got you covered! May 1 – May 31 use the code INDEPRO26 at www.rideindego.com to get one month of the Indego30 pass for just $1. Please note, this discount will not work if you already have an active Indego pass. 

Lifesavers 2026

Last month, Philadelphia had a strong presence at the Lifesavers Conference for Roadway Traffic Safety 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. The City’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS), the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) joined roadway professionals and subject matter experts from across the country. Vision Zero champion, UPenn researcher, and emergency room physician Dr. Kit Delgado spoke at the general session about the role of research and technology in reducing fatalities on our roadways.

In addition to the general session, Philadelphia presenters were on five breakout panels sharing our traffic safety successes and lessons learned.

  • Virginia Lynn (OTIS) — Safe System, Bold Vision: Auditing Your Agency’s Readiness for the Future of Road Safety
  • Caroline Robertson (OTIS) — Layer Up for Youth Safety: How Changes to Routes, Education, & Partnership Work Together for Change
  • Allison Curry (CHOP) — Invisible Barriers: Mental Health, Neurodiversity, & Driving Safety
  • Jasmine Siyu Wu (UPenn) — Navigating the Road: Bridging Barriers in Driver Training Across Cultures
  • Flaura Winston (UPenn & CHOP) — Approaching Driver Training from Safe Systems: Building Safer Drivers from the Ground UP
(left to right: Tom Seacrist, Flaura Winston, Gina Duchossois, Sara Freed, Caroline Robertson, Virginia Lynn, Marco Gorini, Cole Appelman)

Grant Announcements

This month the federal Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) grant awards have been announced. These funds go towards projects and activities that provide mobility and safety for people getting around without a car. 

  • $1,000,000 to construct 1.3 miles of ADA accessible trail that will connect Fairmount Park in West Philadelphia to the Bala Rail Station in Lower Merion Township of Montgomery County. It will start at 53rd and Parkside, go around the Wynnefield Rail Station, and terminate at the Bala Rail Station on City Avenue. This trail will be accessible to the Cynwyd Heritage Trail.
  • $593,218 for improvements to street crossings and implementation of a road diet between 15th Street and Old York Road to add a two-way bike facility on Hunting Park Avenue to provide safe biking access to the nearby park.
  • $500,000 to add concrete separation to an existing parking separated two-way bikeway on Tabor Avenue between Godfrey and Devereaux Avenues, a semi-protected intersection at Devereaux, and expand the signalized intersection at the Navy driveway to include Cheltenham.
  • $1,494,267 to replace and upgrade bumpouts, gateways, and other traffic calming devices in the area surrounding Willard Elementary. The project will include final design and construction of the Slow Zone elements.
  • $450,000 to implement a 2-year pilot of the Bike Safety Program Pilot for Elementary Students to equip elementary-aged children in under-resourced neighborhoods with essential cycling safety knowledge and practical skills to ride confidently, safely, and responsibly.
  • $841,120 to construct concrete bus boarding islands at locations where temporary bus boarding islands were installed with paving and creation of a northbound parking-separated bike lane in 2024.
  • $500,150 to expand the Indego bike share system at four of the nine planned locations. Two stations will be located along the lower Schuylkill banks trail, connecting one of the City’s most important pieces of biking infrastructure to Kingsessing, Bartram’s Garden, and the Lower Schuylkill Innovation District, and two stations will be placed along Forbidden Drive, linking the communities of Germantown and Mt. Airy to Fairmount Park, Manayunk, and the Schuylkill River Trail.

Upcoming Events

These events include those hosted by our team as well as events OTIS staff or Vision Zero Ambassadors will be joining to share information about Vision Zero with the community. 

Partner Updates

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

May is National Trauma Awareness Month, focused on empowering communities to prevent injuries and protect lives. In partnership with members of the Trauma Prevention Coalition, the 2026 theme “Stay Focused. Stay Safe.” highlights how a single moment of distraction can place any of us at risk. This year’s campaign reminds us that focus is one of our strongest tools for staying safe. Whether we are crossing the street, driving, working, or enjoying everyday activities, being fully present helps us make safer choices and avoid preventable injuries. When we tune out distractions and pay attention to our surroundings, we protect ourselves and the people around us. Through simple daily actions, we can reduce risk, build safer routines, and strengthen a shared culture of injury prevention. Together, we can keep our communities safer and support a future where preventable injuries are far less common.

Philadelphia Department of City Planning (PDCP)

We are still accepting survey responses for the Philadelphia Trail Plan: Taking a fresh look at Philly’s Trail Master Plan | Department of Planning and Development | City of Philadelphia

Vision Zero in the News

Philadelphia

Warning period ends for school speed zone cameras (6abc)

Philadelphia pushes ahead on loading zones while lawsuit stalls bike lane upgrade (BillyPenn at WHYY)

Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Announces Statewide Initiative to Combat Aggressive Driving and Enhance Road Safety (USA Today)

Pennsylvania traffic fatalities fell to an all-time low last year (Philly Voice)

High-speed Center City crash at busy intersection injures 2 women, triggers calls for safety changes (6abc)

Philly travelers cheer reopening of intercity bus station, mostly (BillyPenn at WHYY)

Fewer motorists are dying in Philadelphia traffic crashes, but peril remains for pedestrians and cyclists  (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Vision Zero Jobs

School Crossing Guard, Streets Department

Senior Capital Project Manager, Roosevelt Boulevard, Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS)

Join the Conversation

Vision Zero aims to eliminate all traffic deaths and severe injuries on Philadelphia streets www.visionzerophl.com. Follow OTIS on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and help us share safety messages with your networks using the hashtag #VisionZeroPHL.

Do you have events, accomplishments, or calls to action to share with the Vision Zero Task Force, subcommittees, and community? Send your updates for next month’s newsletter by Friday, June 5 to Virginia Lynn at virginia.lynn@phila.gov.

Virginia Lynn

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