Trail Tips

BIKE COMMUTING

Before you ride to work or school, do a test run on a weekend day to figure out the best streets or trails to get to there. Things to look for:

• Streets with heavy bicycle usage (the herd knows best!).
• Streets with bike lanes and lower travel speeds.
• Is there a trail you can take part of the way?
• Good views. Popular bike routes can include great views of rivers, green space, and the Philadelphia skyline, which will make your commute all the more enjoyable.

BIKING WITH KIDS

The best resource for how to ride with children is other parents! The Philadelphia Bike Coalition has partnered with Philadelphia Kidical Mass on a series of rides, workshops, and parent meet-ups.

• Join Kidical Mass’s Facebook group to meet a friendly and information-rich community of Philadelphia-area parents who ride with their children.
• Visit our Events Page to find rides and other family-oriented bicycling events like workshops and meetups.

BIKES ON BRIDGES

Only a handful of bridges that cross the Delaware River allow bicycles and pedestrians. These are the bridges which allow bicycles or pedestrians to cross:

Ben Franklin Bridge

Walkway open to bicycles and pedestrians 6AM – 8PM; open until 9PM from May-September.
During inclement weather, the bridge walkway may be closed. Follow @DRPA on Twitter for bridge updates

Tacony Palmyra Bridge

The sidewalk is open 24 hours weather permitting.
You are required to walk your bicycle across.
Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (Trenton and farther north)

Most bridges require you to walk across.
Bicycles and pedestrians not allowed on Lower Trenton (US-1), Scudder Falls (I-95) and US 202 Bridges.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BIKE

• Try to avoid locking your bike somewhere overnight, even in Center City or in front of your house.
• When locking in public, lock up in well-lit, well-trafficked areas.
• Take your bike lights and panniers with you when you lock up.
• Be aware of bicycle theft hot spots, but also remember that bike theft quantities are higher where there are more bikes. You can see a map of Philly’s bike theft patterns on the Philadelphia Bike Coalition’s Reports page.
• Record your bicycle’s serial number and take photos of you with your bicycle, so you can prove ownership if it is stolen.
• Your police district may offer bicycle registration services, which will also help its recovery should it be stolen. Call your local district office to ask about bicycle registration.
• There is an ever-growing constellation of gadgets, gizmos, and systems designed to help you secure your bike and track it if it is stolen. They include GPS tracking devices, QR codes, and more.

WHAT TO DO IN A CRASH

• Call 911 to request the police come to the scene and make a report.
• Treat it like a car crash and obtain:
  • The license plate of the car.
  • The names and phone numbers of any witnesses.
  • The driver’s name, date of birth, contact info, and insurance information.
  • The responding police officer’s name and badge number.
• Ensure that the motorist waits for the police to arrive. If they refuse or do not provide ID, get their license plate number, state of issue, and a description of the person driving the car.

GETTING THERE BY BUS OR TRAIN

Many Circuit Trails are accessible by bus or train. Most public transportation agencies in our region will welcome your bicycle with some restrictions. This map shows public transportation stops that are adjacent to the trails.

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View Interactive Map

SEPTA

• Regional Rail: Bikes are prohibited on weekday trains arriving at 30^th Street, Market East, or Suburban Stations between 6:00 – 9:30 AM, and prohibited on weekday trains departing those Philadelphia stations between 4:00-6:30 PM.
• Subway-Elevated and Rt. 100: No bikes between 6-9 AM and 3-6 PM.
• Bus: All buses have bike racks. Full size bicycles are not allowed inside buses. Here’s how you use those front-mounted bus racks.
• Trolleys: No full size bicycles permitted.
• Note: folding bikes are permitted on all vehicles but crowding may restrict their acceptance.

NJ TRANSIT

• Rail : 2 bikes per car. Bikes are allowed at all times on the Atlantic City Line and the RiverLINE. There are time and holiday restrictions on the Northeast Corridor Line (see here for full list). Folding bikes allowed at all times
• Bus: Local buses have bike racks, while long distance buses store bikes in the luggage compartment. No bikes, including folding bikes, are allowed inside buses.

PATCO

• 2 bikes per car, no time restrictions except during times of special construction projects.
• Hold bikes in doorways on the non-platform side of the train.
• Folding bikes allowed at all times

Amtrak

• Amtrak's 30th Street Station is just one block from the Schuylkill River Trail and is a great way for out of area residents to access the Circuit Trails. Amtrak has a launched a pilot program that allows unboxed bicycles on select Amtrak Trains for a $20 reservation fee. This Google Map shows which trains and stations can accommodate bicycles. We expect that more trains will allow bikes in the future.
• Folding bikes are allowed on all Amtrak trains for no charge in lieu of one piece of luggage