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đŸšČ Keeping bike lanes clear | Morning Newsletter

And the allure of ‘buy now, pay later’

Even where cyclists have dedicated bike lanes, they’re often obstructed by vehicles that are unlawfully blocking bike lanes.
Even where cyclists have dedicated bike lanes, they’re often obstructed by vehicles that are unlawfully blocking bike lanes.Read moreGabe Coffey
    by Paola PĂ©rez
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

It’s Monday again. We’ll start off with rain, but the forecast says the sun will gradually begin to shine with a high of 42.

Blocked bike lanes are nothing new to cyclists. The Philadelphia Parking Authority vowed to better enforce these offenses. Our lead story takes a ride through the city to see if anything has changed.

— Paola PĂ©rez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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How blocked are Philly’s bike lanes?

Blocked bike lanes are a persistent problem. But ticketing cars is a big job, even for the PPA.

Earlier this year, the PPA set up a dedicated enforcement unit to combat this issue. Inquirer data reporter and developer Aseem Shukla wanted to see if the new patrol made any difference.

How he did it: Aseem rode 26 miles across Center City and South Philly to see how often he encountered a car blocking a bike lane. Then, he used PPA data to see where they are ticketing violators.

An issue beyond convenience: Blocked lanes are also a matter of safety. Nine cyclists have been struck and killed in the city this year, a record since at least 2019, while countless others have been hit and injured but survived.

Has the PPA’s renewed push on enforcement helped? Hop on to go on patrol and see the most commonly blocked lanes in this interactive.

The value of ‘buy now, pay later’

More and more people are purchasing goods now and paying later through Afterpay, Klarna, and Affirm.

For Timothy L. Hudson of Chester, the allure of using “buy now, pay later” makes sense. It helps him space out the cost of photography equipment, and most of his clients use it to pay for his services.

Last Christmas, Hudson used Afterpay to buy an iPad for his daughter. It helped reduce the “mental anguish” that accompanies the holiday shopping season. “Christmas is taken care of, and I’ll take care of Christmas after,” Hudson said.

Breaking up big payments into smaller chunks is especially welcomed at a time when people are saddled with the rising cost of groceries and resumed student loan payments. But some consumer experts worry about the growing popularity of short-term loans.

This past Cyber Monday alone, the services led to a record with online shoppers spending $940 million — a jump of more than 42% over the prior year.

Get a closer look at what financial experts are saying about the long-term value of installment-loan services.

What you should know today

  1. Two Philadelphia police officers were shot early Sunday morning after an attempted traffic stop and pursuit that began in the Northeast and ended in Frankford. A separate shooting incident on Saturday night in the city’s Olney section left one 17-year-old boy dead and another 17-year-old boy wounded.

  2. Hundreds of people gathered Sunday under the dome of Rodeph Shalom Temple on North Broad Street to decry antisemitism and advocate for resilience and hope in the face of hate.

  3. President Joe Biden is back in Philadelphia today for his first fundraiser here since shortly before he launched his reelection campaign at the beginning of the year. Biden will also visit a Fairmount firehouse that is slated to reopen thanks to a federal grant.

  4. After Liz Magill’s resignation as president of the University of Pennsylvania and Scott L. Bok’s departure from the board of trustees Saturday, Penn has announced that Julie Platt will step in as interim chair. Here’s what we know about Platt.

  5. After two years and many rounds of public feedback, SEPTA has finally finished their comprehensive redesign of the city’s public bus system — but don’t expect big changes until late next year.

  6. State lawmakers will return to Harrisburg this week in hopes of finally ending nearly six months of partisan deadlock on the last pieces of Pennsylvania’s $45.4 billion budget.

  7. The Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy honored Chuck, an All-American Quarter horse, who died at age 29. His passing was felt across Philly’s horse-riding community.

🧠 Trivia time

NBC tapped one of Philly’s biggest stars to record a special opening for the Sunday Night Football game between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

Who was it?

A) Bradley Cooper

B) Bryce Harper

C) Quinta Brunson

D) Kevin Hart

Think you got it right? Check your answer.

What we’re...

đŸ„“ Craving: Bacon burnt ends from Philly’s first bacon-themed bar.

đŸ§Ș Curious about: How CHOP played a role in the first gene-editing treatment, now approved by the FDA.

đŸ§© Unscramble the anagram

Hint: in the shadows of the South Street Bridge

DIVE LOCKSTEP

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Stacy Stone who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Walt Whitman Bridge.

Photo of the day

That should get you started for the week. Have a great one.

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