A crazy driver recklessly drove through a bunch of wheelie kids on the Grays Ferry Bridge, then minutes later shot and killed one of them and wounded another. A friend shot this video with their kid on the back of their bike.
Driving culture in Philly is out of control.
Definitely obeyed the 25mph speed limit
In what capacity will no phones be enforced? It could definitely save some lives
It’s been SO busy the last few evenings with a few groups of 50 or more people walking and taking up the whole trail. I try yelling “passing on left!” and other similar phrases with no success. I’m newer to cycling and not sure of the etiquette to navigate this. How do you handle this? Do I just need to suck it up? Thanks for any advice.
A friend and I want to do an easy cycling trip, like, 40 miles or so on a Saturday and less than that on a Sunday. We are happy to drive a couple of hours in any direction from Philly to get started and we would want an air bnb or a motel for the overnight Saturday. Neither of us has ever done any long bike rides—I bike commute daily with a kid on the back, but that’s just a few miles. So if 40 mi in a day is too ambitious, I’m open to hearing that!
Ideally this would be on paved trails and relatively flat, with nature around us. Any ideas? I looked at the east coast greenway but it seems as if a lot of it is on-road near Philly, and I don’t know where it gets pretty.
Thank you.
Hi,
I’m visiting philly for a graduation and am staying in center city. Would it be foolish to leave two bikes on the bike rack on my car if I park it in a parking garage? I would put 2 u-locks and a chain lock on the bikes. I know a determined thief could get through those but is that likely to happen in a garage? What if i use one of those valet garages?
last year, i brought the bikes into the rental but I’m in a 3rd floor walk up this time and don’t want to ding the walls or otherwise damage the place.
thanks in advance!
Great report on this important story told by Emma Thebault, struck by habitual reckless driver Inson Wood. (Disclosure: my law firm, Vaccaro Law, represents Emma and her minor children in a suit against the driver, Inson Wood). NYT story linked here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/nyregion/nyc-speed-limiters-cars-frequent-speeders.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
We need to focus on stories like Emma's which are all too common, as we approach a critical vote in Albany for a "Super Speeder" law that would put automated mechanical speed governors on the cars driven by people like Wood (Wood would get a speed governor under the law, because he exceeds 11 MPH over the speed limit in school zones in NYC more than 16 times a year.)
The Times story only scratches the surface of this horrible and ironic incidence of reckless driving and super-speeding, but for a deeper dive check out the civil lawsuit for compensatory and punitive damages we filed against Wood, linked here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/j01y16gte2psabipyk8kh/Thebault-Filed-Summons-and-Complaint.pdf?rlkey=6t35bs3b7ivr0ln0liq2rwdyh&st=ru40o886&dl=0
Also check out this earlier report from Streetsblog's Sophia Lebowitz, which includes links to video of rhe crash (if you can stomach it), posted to this subreddit reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/s/WElNMQtFy4
Some key takeaways:
- Emma's story represents the fourth time in three years Wood has crashed his car into other people or their property (4th time *resulting in a police report*; there may be other unreported incidents that we learn of in litigation).
-Wood is not just a super-speeder but apparently also super-rich, using his cash to operate as if he is a law unto himself: racking up hundreds of tickets, then paying them off ~$20,000 at a go, and then just continuing on, speed, crash, lather, rinse, repeat;
-Wood's driving record proves that his likelihood of killing or severely injuring someone behind the wheel is *two orders of magnitude* greater than the likelihood of an average NYC driver doing so.
-Truth is stranger than fiction: Wood is a noted bike racer, philanthropist to bike community charities, and the alleged co-founder of fabled bike racing team Foundation Racing. Go figure! (We hear Foundation asked Wood to leave the team when Emma's story broke, but this rumor is unconfirmed).
Check out Wood's driving record on "How's My Driving" (howsmydriving [dot] com), using his plate # from the linked complaint, and share in the comments whether you think Wood has chilled out on his reckless driving sufficiently since October 18 when he hit Emma that he should be spared a speed governor in his car!
The teams in the race have just been announced:
Women's:
Men's:
Likely local racers will be Kim Stoveld on Automatic and Robin Carpenter on Modern Adventure. Are there any others I'm missing?
Hey all - quick heads up for anyone who rides or spends time in the Wissahickon.
There’s a mountain biking group ride called WNR (Wednesday Night Ride) that regularly rides in the park, and they have a consistent pattern of using trails clearly marked as off-limits to bikes. These aren’t gray areas - signage and park maps make it explicit. Off-limits means off-limits. That includes sensitive areas like Andorra Meadows, maintained by Friends of the Wissahickon. Riding there damages protected land and undermines volunteer conservation work.
And it’s not like this is accidental. Riders in that group have openly acknowledged they know those areas are off-limits, and some even brag about it publicly. There are also ongoing issues with unsafe riding - high speeds on shared trails, not yielding, and disregarding other users. I’ve personally had a rider from this group veer toward me and bark in my 8-month-old puppy’s face.
Just putting this on folks’ radar. Be safe out there.
Long-time WNR riders and faithful volunteers, Dan Powers and Jacob Elliott, will take us on a tour riding through and by new infrastructure like the Old City Market Street project, Walnut Street bus/bike lanes, the cable stay bridge on the recently opened Schuykill River Trail extension, and the soon-to-open swing bridge that will connect the SRT to Bartram's Garden!
Dan and Jacob are members of the Bicycle Employee Resource Group (BERG, for short), an employee affinity and resource group to connect and encourage employees of the City of Philadelphia to bike to work and beyond. Dan is a city planner with the planning commission who works on trail planning and Jacob is a planner/engineer with OTIS working on planning and designing bike and transit facilities in the city.
We're expecting some special guests on this ride--Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear--co-hosts of The War on Cars podcast and author of the recently released book Life After Cars. They're in town for a book event hosted by our friends at 5th Square Advocacy and Philly Bike Action on Thurs, May 14th, 7pm at Resurrection Philadelphia. Tickets are still available for this amazing event where they'll discuss the negative affects of car-dependency and how we can make Philadelphia a more people-centered city.
Ride Details:
Start: Southwest corner of Dilworth Park
Time: Meet at 7pm, roll at 7:10pm
End: Parks on Tap at Matthias Baldwin Park. Outdoor seating available.
Length: 9 miles, flat
Level of difficulty: Standard
Route: Ride with GPS | Komoot | .GPX download
First a fender bender, then an suv using the trail to make a very slow u turn during 5pm rush hour. Flowed by a box truck that looks like it hit a tree.
Resurrected my fixie and started riding again after ten years hiatus. The seat is too uncomfortable and I don’t want to be hunched over anymore.
Thinking of getting a Brooks saddle and some Nitto or VO bars. I need help ordering the parts and getting the sizing right.
What bike shop would you trust to help dial this in?
First pic is my bike now and second pic is a bike I spotted locked up that’s pretty much the vibe I’m going for.
Hi 👋 Starting a new job in June and my commute will take me to Manayunk from Art museum area. The bus is an option but I’m hoping to bike whenever the weather allows. I stopped biking a few years ago after a pretty bad spill but have been aching to start again and this feels like the perfect opportunity. Any recs on how to get back on the proverbial horse? An aside- I plan to bike down Kelly and through East Falls.
Saw a lot work going on at the intersection of CVT and SRT on a ride this week. Trail detour is in place.
It is supposed to provide amenities for trail users including restrooms, drinking water, trail information, places to rest, bicycle repair, and the sale of refreshment.
https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/4201/Trail-Junction-Center---Coming-Soon
Most weather apps give you numbers. Velowindow gives you an answer.
58°F, 14 mph wind, 25% chance of rain — is that a go or a no? A regular weather app makes you figure that out yourself. Velowindow calculates a 0–100 ride score so you don't have to.
It accounts for things normal weather apps ignore: apparent temperature not just air temp, gusts separately from sustained wind, dew point instead of humidity percentage, and recent rainfall for trail conditions. The score is also personalized by ride type — a windy day scores differently for a road cyclist than a mountain biker, because it is a different day.
It also identifies your best 3-hour window and warns you if conditions fall apart right after it.
Free PWA, works on iPhone and Android, no account needed.
I want to know if the score feels right. Pick a day you rode recently and check what it would have said. Where is it wrong?
Built in Bucks County.
Sedgley and Glenwood are in the way no matter what I do. Need to get from 2nd and Erie to a bit west of Temple Hospital without dying.
Google maps wants me to either take Erie most of the way and die at the Erie/Broad/Germantown triangle, or take Sedgley for miles and die there.
What am I missing?