PA’s Parking Protected Bike Lane Bill Update: Looking for a May Vote

With over 30 years of experience, GVF is a Transportation Management Association inspiring mobility choice for all and focusing on climate, equity, health, and overall quality of life through Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies.

One of the goals of GVF’s Connected Communities Committee is to have 50 of protected bike lanes throughout our service area. We are working hard to educate and advance this goal and through “The Parking Protected Bike Lane and Pedestrian Plaza Bill” our communities will be able to provide safe, efficient transportation options for all.

Municipalities in Pennsylvania and PennDOT lack the ability to easily install "Parking Protected" bike lanes and pedestrian plazas on state roads. These types of bike lanes use parked cars to physically separate pedestrians and people on bikes from car traffic. However, due to a technicality in the PA Vehicle Code which has not been updated by the two Houses to reflect current usage and needs, requires cars to be parked within 12" of the curb, Pennsylvanians are denied this life-saving tool, which has been used successfully in states and municipalities across the country.

The passage of this legislation will modify the Commonwealth's vehicle code. Representative David Maloney (R-130), introduced HB140 on January 8, 2021 and it passed in March 18, 2021 (201-0). The Senate Transportation Committee has yet to take the bill up for a vote.

We need YOUR HELP! Please take action now to reach out to the Senate Transportation Committee and Senate leadership and ask that they schedule the Parking Protected Bike Lane bill for a committee vote. Session will resume on May 23rd so please take action on reaching out to these members between now and mid-May.