Nearly two decades ago, Pottstown became the first municipality in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to reduce travel lanes on one of its major streets in favor of bike lanes and back-in angle parking, writes Patrick Monahan for the Bicycle Coalition.

This was achieved in big part thanks to the advocacy of Tom Hylton, a former Pottstown Mercury reporter and founding member of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania. Hylton continued to advocate for improved multi-modal access since then, positioning Pottstown as the region’s leading example.

In 2018, Pottstown officially opened an award-winning two-way separated bike lane. The more than four miles of bicycle boulevards connect residents to various destinations, including local schools, businesses, and connections to the Schuylkill River Trail.

The project has been completed by a partnership of Simone Collins Landscape Architecture, Traffic Planning and Design, local stakeholders, and the general public. The aim was to create a low-stress bicycle network that would have on- and off-street bicycle facilities, sidewalk/crossing, along with intersection safety improvements.

A new video by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia takes a trip down the lane to explore the route and its connections to the circuit trails.

Watch the entire video about the Bicycle Coalition at the Bicycle Coalition.

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