Safer bike lanes, water supply concerns, and environmental justice grants

Catch up on the latest sustainability news.

Philadelphia’s bike lanes will soon be safer for cyclists. The “Get Out The Bike Lane” bill, signed into law last week, will prohibit motorists from stopping in curbside bike lanes for any amount of time. Violators will face a $125 fine in Center City and University City, and a $75 fine in other parts of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Parking Authority is set to start fully enforcing the law sometime next Spring, after signage is fully updated. Billy Penn.

Will this week’s rain be enough to end the drought? The last few days of storms will help with the current precipitation deficit, but won’t be enough to end drought conditions in Philadelphia. Philly and surrounding areas remain in “extreme drought conditions”, and will likely stay that way until the region sees a sustained period of normal rainfall. The Inquirer.

Philly organizations to receive environmental justice funding from the PADEP. $600,000 in grants will be distributed to community-based organizations throughout the Commonwealth. Of the 12 recipients, two are Philly-based: Alianza Latina and Hunting Park Green. The funding can be used to ensure equitable access to environmental protection resources for the communities they serve.

The Delaware River Basin Commission is keeping an eye on dry conditions. At last week’s DRBC Business Meeting, a resolution was adopted which included a “water supply emergency” declaration for the entire basin. The meeting came not long after the Commission’s newest Executive Director, Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, P.E., stepped into the role earlier this month.

Cover photo: VISIT PHILADELPHIA®

Suzanna Cook

Suzanna Cook is a lifelong Greater Philadelphia resident and graduate of Stockton University, where she obtained a B.S. in Sustainability with a concentration in Policy. Recently, she held positions on the editorial staff of her school’s independent student newspaper and as a Sustainability Specialist at Grand Canyon National Park. You can often find her riding the PATCO to Center City, crocheting with thrifted yarn, or practicing her latte art.