As discussed in our recent monthly meetings, the leadership of Bike North Penn needs to expand and become more formalized. Our group has been around since August of 2022, and it is time for an upgrade!

Therefore, the group is seeking candidates to run for one year terms (calendar year 2025) in the following positions:

• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Membership Director

Interested parties should declare their intentions no later than our organizational meeting on November 14. 

Each candidate is asked to:

• Submit a short written appear for their candidacy
• Take a few questions from members about their intention and vision for their service in the position at either the October, November or December organizational meetings.

The election will be held at the group organizational meeting on December 12, with mail-in voting (for those who cannot attend the Dec. 12 meeting) starting on November 15.

For those interested in running for office, please send your written appeals via email ASAP: [email protected]

Upper Gwynedd Township has released a draft version of their Comprehensive Recreation, Park and Open Space Plan – available here.

The report covers many details which are relevant – by extension – to the bikeabilty of Upper Gwynedd Township, but information directly affecting bikeability is on pages 92 and 93. Here, there are recommendations for streets to get bike lanes, others to get sharrows and in one case, a “Buffered Contraflow Lane.”

The township will hold a special meeting to review the report on Oct. 14. All Bike North Penn members are asked to turn out for this.

They are also asking for citizen feedback to the report in advance of the Oct. 14 meeting. Comments to should be submitted via email to BOTH of these email addresses:

• Tim Adams at [email protected]
• Sarah Prebis at [email protected]

showing proposed trails, bike lanes and sharrows.

Page from Upper Gwynedd Draft Report – Particular to biking and active transportation.

Street Map of Lansdale Borough

On Oct. 30, 2024 there will be a Lansdale Borough meeting to specifically review the report from the recent traffic study, meant to address traffic, moving at excessive speeds on neighborhood streets by those trying to avoid congested primary streets and intersections.

In addition to presenting the reports findings, there will also be a review of proposed solutions and there will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and make comments.

Here is a link to a recent article in The Reporter by local journalist Dan Sokol.

Lansdale Borough residents and Bike North Penn members are encouraged to turnout for this important meeting.

Below is a link to the presentation deck from the August 2024 Bike North Penn organizational meeting. This meeting marks the second anniversary of the founding of Bike North Penn!

Key items discussed:

• Two serious bike crashes in the North Penn area in the past month
• Bike North Penn Bike Valet at Lansdale Farmers Market on August 24 – Looking for Volunteers!
• Partnership TMA of Mont Co. Activity in Hatfield – looking for input from locals – not just for Hatfield Borough/Township residents
• Proposed Bike North Penn Elections – consider running for office!
• Proposed Bike North Penn Committee to draft bylaws and priorities for calendar year 2025 – consider volunteering for this committee!

Link to August, 2024 Presentation Deck

Link to August, 2024 meeting recording  – Sorry folks – I guess I did not successfully start the meeting recording.

Call for Volunteers – The Partnership TMA of Montgomery County.

The Partnership TMA recently announced they were selected as a recipient of the AARP Community Challenge grant for 2024. This is a highly coveted nationwide grant that is only awarded to roughly 10% of all applicants.

Now that the award has been granted, there is lots of work to do!

The AARP grant will support community engagement to assess “bikeability” in Hatfield Borough and Township, and will include volunteers conducting “bike audits” August -November, 2024.

They are looking for a few volunteers from Hatfield and the surrounding areas to assist with this audit. All training will be provided, you do not have to be a bike rider to participate, and all ages are welcome!

For more information please contact: Lucas Oshman, Program Leader. Email [email protected] or call 215.997.9100

Thanks all for attending our July general meeting in person and online. Our next meeting will be Thursday, August 8, at 7 PM at Eclipse Center for Creative Community – 30 Vine Street, Lansdale, PA 19446. Meetings are also streamed live via Microsoft Teams.

Here is a link to the July meeting recording

Here is a link to the presentation deck used for the July meeting

Meeting Notes:

Bike Valet

• Been going well. No customers at the July 2, Whites Rd. event – but it was a very hot night
• July 30 – Tuesday night Whites Rd. Music Program – Dominic Frascella will be leading this event (Bill Jackson will not be able to attend)
• August Lansdale First Fridays – Dominic Frascella will be leading this event (Bill Jackson will not be able to attend)

Hatfield Township

• Bike Lanes on Derstine Rd.
  1. Line paining planned for August
  2. Lanes will run an additional 400 feet south of Elroy Rd. than originally expected!
  3. Will add an additional community ride in Hatfield incorporating these lanes
• The Partnership TMA of Montgomery County has been awarded an AARP grant which will focus on Hatfield Borough and Township
  1. Community Challenge Grant
  2. Creating a more livable community
  3. Audit of Hatfield
  4. Community Input – Meeting in August

Week Without Driving

• https://weekwithoutdriving.org/
• Sept. 30 – Oct 6
• Encourages local elected and government officials to ride instead of drive to better understand local challenges for those without cars
• BNP will attempt to get an editorial placed in local media
• BNP may try to organize a ride to at least one local government meeting that week
• BNP may send out an email to local governments in advance of this week, call it out and encouraging participation.

Sorry folks. We will try to re-schedule this for later in July.

Bicycle riders using bike lanes on South Broad Street in Upper Gwynedd.

On Tuesday, June 18, Bike North Penn will lead two community bike rides in Upper Gwynedd Township in celebration of the new bike lanes just installed on South Broad Street between Sumneytown Pike and Morris Road. These rides are in conjunction with the Upper Gwynedd township’s “Unplugged Week” activities. Riders should gather at Parkside Place at 6:30 PM, with the rides to start no later than 6:45.

The Young Family Ride is for families with younger children and will head out through the back of the park to do a short loop of the neighborhood there before coming back into the park and returning to the starting point. The length of the ride will be about 1.5 miles and go at a very gradual place. Riders must wear bike helmets. All children must be accompanied by adults.

Handout Promoting Community Bike Ride in Upper Gwynedd on June 18.

The longer ride will be about six miles. It will also exit through the back of the park, but will head over to South Broad Street for an out-and-back on the bike lanes, and then take a winding path through neighborhoods along the intended route of Power Line Trail to return to Parkside Place. Again, bike helmets for all riders are required and kids under the age of 15 need to be accompanied by adults.

These bike lanes are a first for Upper Gwynedd Township and add an important option for biking between Upper Gwynedd and Lansdale Borough. They are the result of more than a year of planning as part of the re-surfacing of the road. Bike North Penn has been advocating for bike lanes on South Broad Street since 2022 when plans for the re-surfacing of the road between Morris Rd. and Lansdale Borough were announced.

Bike North Penn would like to thank Upper Gwynedd Township for their leadership in making the first move to add these lanes to South Broad Street and to The Partnership TMA of Montgomery County for their continued guidance, with their “Bike More, Drive Less” program which has been instrumental in working with the local government entities involved.

Thanks all for turning out for the June monthly organizational meeting of Bike North Penn.

A couple of key items:

• June 18 – 6:30 PM we encourage all members and their friends and family to come out for a community bike ride starting at Parkside Place in Upper Gwynedd. There will be a six mile ride over to the new bike lanes on South Broad Street and a short ride for young families through the neighborhood behind the park.
• We will also be doing some photography of riders on S. Broad Street bike lanes at 9 AM on Saturday, June 15, meeting at the intersection of S. Broad and Garfield Rd.
• Also, the bike count cameras for South Broad Street will be active starting on Sunday, June 15 for about a week. Everyone is encouraged to get out on their bikes, use the lanes and get counted.
• There is now a plan to a bike valet at the Lansdale Farmer’s market on Saturday, August 24. We may also try to do a “bike bus” from various parts of North Penn to the farmers market.

Link to PDF of the June Agenda Deck

Link to the June Meeting Recording – (MS Teams)