At the Summer Heritage Jazz Series concert last night, the 18th Police District was out in force showing off its new (ish) Segways. This was the first time I’d seen them in the park, but the officers assured me they’d been patrolling with them for the last couple of months. As you might imagine, the bicycle-mounted officers (and this photographer) are a little envious:
I’d never heard of or seen this extraordinary contraption before reading this. But evidently somebody thinks it’s just the thing for a short route between the Philadelphia Zoo and part of Fairmount Park:
PHILADELPHIA – Super bikes may be making a comeback in Philadelphia.
A City Council committee plans to consider a bill Thursday to legalize bicycles which seat up to seven people.
A tour guide operator began offering rides on the big bikes in the summer of 2006, but the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections ruled that they weren’t safe and ordered them off the street.
A father-son duo, Samuel and Yaser Kuttab, now want to establish a mile-long route for the bikes in West Philadelphia between the Philadelphia Zoo and the Centennial area of Fairmount Park.
The bicycles are also known as conference bikes because the riders sit in a circle as if they were at a conference table. All the riders pedal while one steers.
This is more or less exactly what it will look like:
Somebody stole my commuter bike from Broad and Chestnut sometime Friday evening. Here’s what it looks like:
It’s an old KHS mountain bike converted to a road bike with black plastic fenders, drop handlebars, a ripped yellow seat, rear rack, two water bottle cages, and a rather strange shifter configuration. They’re affixed to the stem. If you see it: 267.290.7474 or andrew@malcolmxpark.org
Eat, drink and be merry at the inaugural Philadelphia Biketoberfest. Celebrating autumn with our favorite things…bikes, brats, music and beer! Be the first to taste the new Biketoberfest seasonal brew by Dock Street Brewery.
Date:
***Proceeds benefit the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia***
West Philly High School still taking auto-shop to the next level:
I heard this guy coming a block away, and, when he saw me fishing for a camera, he stopped short to let me take this shot:
He’s Squeaky Ray Ray, a member of Dead Broke Chevyz car club. You can see a few more pics of this sweet ride at his MySpace page.
Get your SEPTA fix at SeptaWatch and the Septa Haiku.
This was the scene a couple of weeks ago in front of Huey Elementary at 52nd and Pine across from Malcolm X Park. It’s like Road Rules but for Penn Dental Students.
That Road Rules tribute video’s a trip. It’s hard to believe the show ended (2003) before YouTube even existed (2005).
This is a nice little piece of investigative journalism on hacks–unlicensed cab drivers–from Kamali Whitney at Temple News:
A couple of hack mainstays are featured, the 56th Street Fresh Grocer and the 52nd Street El stop.
It’s not that far, and you can lean your bike up against most anything:
