This is this time of year when Penn students start moving out of their dorms, which causes temporary closure of several blocks of Spruce Street. This year, Spruce Street will be closed to traffic from 34th to 40th on Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., according to Penn’s Division of Public Safety announcement.

SEPTA Routes 40 and 42 will be re-routed during the move-out. Please go to SEPTA’s website for more information.

Here are some additional advisories:

• Access will be provided to the Ryan Vet Hospital.
• No taxi cabs will be permitted access.
• Vendors will be permitted access to enter the street prior to the 8 a.m. street closure.
• Bikes will need to be walked on Spruce Street while the streets are closed to traffic.

Penn police will be on site to assist with traffic flow.

The Indego bike station at 44th and Walnut.

The planned bike share station at 44th and Walnut is now in place, marking (for now, at least) the furthest west the new Ride Indego program will go (map). The last time we checked the station only had a couple of bikes, which has been an early complaint about the stations in West Philly, including the one near 40th and Spruce.

The bike share program plans to add another station near Clark Park. They are still working with the community to determine the best placement for it. We’ll let you know when we have an installation date.

Get ready, get set, go! A bike package from Spruce Hill business Keswick Bikes (kids’ 20” bike, helmet, bell) is just one of the exciting auction items featured at the 11th annual Saint Mary’s Nursery School (SMNS) “Spring for Our School” Silent Auction & Cocktail Party Fundraiser. SMNS is a non-denominational, Reggio Emilia – inspired nursery school and afterschool program located at 3916 Locust Walk.

The fundraising event will include catered hors d’oeuvres, Yard’s beer, wine, great community, and an exciting silent auction to benefit the program. The after party will take place at City Tap House from 8:30-10:00 p.m. Proceeds will help SMNS make essential playground improvements including an organic “green” shade for the playground.  Continue Reading

Finally, we have the launch date for Philadelphia’s inaugural bike share program, Indego. Mayor Michael Nutter announced today that the program will kick off on April 23, 2015. The festive kick-off event will take place on that day, starting at noon, at Eakins Oval in Center City. Indego members will also hop on their bikes at the event and demonstrate how to ride them. Another preview event will be held on Thursday, April 2 from noon to 2 p.m. at Paine Plaza across from City Hall. During the event, a docking station and bikes will be on display, and visitors can try the system, find out about membership options, and purchase memberships.

Starting today, memberships are available from www.rideindego.com, and users are encouraged to sign up before the April 23rd launch. A few membership plans are available. Indego30 ($15 per month) is a 30-day membership plan that provides members unlimited one-hour rides (you can pay with a credit or debit card, or cash). With a pay-as-you-ride option, you pay only for the rides you take (each Indego station has a kiosk for payment).

The bike share stations will operate 24 hours a day all year round at 70 locations across the city. Here’s the map of the docking stations in West Philly (click here to access the full map):

For more information, visit the Indego website.

Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW), a great local non-profit teaching youth how to bike safely and how to repair bikes, is offering two FREE entry level after-school programs starting next month. Anyone ages 8 – 18 can join these programs (see more details below). Also, check out NBW’s Summer Cycling Day Camp. Registration for Summer 2015 is not available yet, but you can email camp@neighborhoodbikeworks.org with questions. NBW’s West Philly shop is located at 3916 Locust Walk (behind St. Mary’s Episcopal Church).

Earn A Bike
March 3 – April 16, 2015
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Youth learn the basics of bike repair and maintenance, safe urban riding, and health and nutrition while refurbishing an abandoned bike. Program participants get to keep the bike that they refurbish in the course! For more information and to sign up, click here.  Continue Reading

If you have passion for active modes of transportation that you want to share with other community members and if you have good communication and problem-solving skills, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia would like to hear from you.

Philly’s first bike share program is launching this spring, and the Bicycle Coalition is currently hiring Bike Share station ambassadors to work with communities in the following West Philly neighborhoods: Mantua, Powelton Village, West Powelton, Saunders Park, and Spruce Hill. This is a part-time (approximately 5 hours/week) and seasonal (until October 2015) position and comes with a $1,000 stipend.

Bike Share Ambassadors will work primarily from home and at community events and will need to complete a two-week training.

A Bike Share Ambassador’s duties and responsibilities include:  Continue Reading