For Northwest residents who like using two wheels to get around, the bright green bike racks and pumps that have begun popping up along Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy are a sudden - and very pleasant – surprise. 

These new installations, found in several micro-parks, represent a small but significant step towards making the neighborhood more bicycle-friendly. The Mt. Airy Business Improvement District (Mt. Airy BID) recently installed 13 bike racks and four pumps across Friendship Park, Sedgwick Park, Trolley Car Park, and Freedom Park. 

"We'll see how they do," said Janis Risch, executive director of Mt. Airy BID. "I was glad to see some really happy stuff popping up on social media, people just discovering them on their own and being delighted to find a pump."

Known for its leafy streets, spacious front porches, and expansive yards, Northwest Philadelphia has traditionally been much more car-centric than Center City, where parking is difficult and bike lanes are everywhere. 

This push for increased bike accessibility in Mt. Airy reflects a broader conversation about sustainable transportation and community development in Philadelphia's outlying neighborhoods. While the Northwest may never match the extensive biking infrastructure found downtown, these small changes could mark the beginning of a significant shift in how residents think about getting around their community.

Janis Risch, executive director of Mt. Airy BID said she hopes that the addition of the racks and pumps will encourage more people to bike to local shops and restaurants, potentially easing the area's parking issues. 

"We don't think people are crazy enough to bike ride on Germantown Avenue, but people are crossing Germantown Avenue,” said Janis Risch, executive director of Mt. Airy BID. “They are biking the other streets and many young people will bike to the businesses and stores if there's a place to lock up their bikes," she told the Local.

"Bike parking is an easy, affordable and effective way to encourage sustainable bike travel, said Will Fraser, the transportation outreach coordinator for the Clean Air Council who helped the Mt. Airy BID get the required city permits. “Bike racks offer much more than secure places to park bicycles, they strengthen businesses’ relationships with their local community, promote healthy active living, inspire the use of non-polluting transportation, and encourage people to patronize businesses that regard bicycles as an important part of Philadelphia’s transportation infrastructure.” 

However, the road to a more bike-friendly Mt. Airy is not without its challenges. 

"There are some key roads that I would just never ride on, so mostly I look for those smaller roads, which adds distance and time to rides," said Elly Porter-Webb, deputy director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and a Mt. Airy resident. "Lots of people will not get on a bike because they don't feel that it's safe, that there's the infrastructure to protect them."

While bike pumps and racks are important for raising "biking visibility" and encouraging ridership, Porter-Webb said the Northwest still has a pressing need for more comprehensive infrastructure, like separated bike lanes and paths. Recent pedestrian traffic accidents on Germantown Avenue underscore these safety concerns, she said. 

The new bike infrastructure is spread across four micro-parks along Germantown Avenue, each strategically located near local businesses and intersections. Friendship Park, near Töska Restaurant & Brewery, intersects with East Mt. Pleasant Avenue. Sedgwick Park, across from ACME, intersects with East Sedgwick Street. Trolley Car Park, opposite Malelani Cafe, intersects with Slocum Street. Freedom Park, at the border of Germantown and Mt. Airy, intersects with Washington Lane.

These parks, built by Mt. Airy BID between 2018 and 2022 in partnership with local property owners, have now become focal points for the neighborhood's nascent cycling infrastructure.

The Clean Air Council identifies transportation as the largest source of carbon emissions nationally, underscoring the environmental importance of initiatives that promote biking and walking.

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, which had discussions with the Mt. Airy BID about improving bike access in the area, reports that more than 14,000 Philadelphians across the city bike to work at least three times a week. Nicole Brunet, policy director for the bike coalition, expressed enthusiasm about the Northwest’s new installations.

“I always love to hear business improvement districts working together to make a neighborhood plan, so glad it has moved forward,” she said. “There's a lot of different kinds of barriers that people have when they're thinking about using a bike as transportation or for recreation and having access to things like pumps or basic maintenance or helmets can be a barrier. So I think that it’s (the racks and pumps) are a great way to get more people the option of getting out there.” 

The Mt. Airy BID plans to add a fifth bike pump at Carpenter Park near Carpenter Lane after construction concludes on the nearby crosswalk.