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In stock vehicles only Scan to browse 7/6/15 7/6/15 our current deals! 10320 Wattsburg Rd Erie PA 16509 www.AutoExpressSuperstore.com Sales: (888) 308-4531 Service: (888) 476-0866 Parts: (888) 470-3276 2 | Erie Reader | ErieReader.com May 27, 2015 CONTENT — May 27, 2015 From The Editors Exile on State Street 4 ention bikes in Erie and al, charged with first-degree murder most people likely think of of cyclists and/or drivers. Is the City of Erie’s population Mmotorcycles and the rum- According to Citi Bike, the 8.75 mil- decline the final knockout bling hums signaling that summer lion trips that resulted in 14.7 mil- has arrived. And most come to this lion miles logged on its bikes led to punch? conclusion with good reason, as the just a hundred crashes — and zero stalwart summer festival, Roar On deaths. This news isn’t uncommon, Erie At Large: 5 The Shore — the multi-day gathering as bike-share programs throughout Editors-in-Chief: Let’s put Emerge 2040 in its of bikes, bikers, and the culture that the world aren’t leading to mass — or Brian Graham & Adam Welsh comes with the quasi-Sturgis that’s nearly any — casualties. Rather, driv- Managing Editor: proper place. heralded as sound economic develop- ers are learning, adapting, modifying Ben Speggen ment for the City of Erie — is becom- their driving tendencies as they ac- Contributing Editor: To Uber or Not To Uber 7 ing a rival in size and scope to Cele- climate to the increased presence of Jim Wertz brate Erie. Some even consider it the cyclists. Arts & Culture Editor: Reader riders take on the opening act to the August festival. Realizing that bicyclists and in- Alex Bieler question. Beyond ROTS — and its effect on creased bike traffic won’t correlate Contributors: the City — there are bike nights, too, to an increase in biker deaths means Lisa Austin, Civitas that reinforce the notion that when that biking isn’t just for small towns Mary Birdsong Harrisburg Happenings 9 Katie Chriest we think of bikes in Erie, we think or rural paths. Rather, it means bik- Pen Ealain State Senate draws clear party motorcycles first and bicycles, well, ing works in bigger cities and the use Rick Filippi hardly at all. of bikes has the potential to build Eric Kisner lines on one bill while unifying One of the things that motorcycles better transit by at the very least cre- James R. LeCorchick John Lindvay in bipartisan celebration over and bicycles have in common are the ating more alert drivers and at the Lili Morton the other. perceived risks inherent in opting for very most reducing the number of Bob Protzman two wheels instead of four. As dan- citizens opting for motor-powered Dan Schank gerous as motorcycles may be (think: transit to take them a mere mile. Jess Scutella Street Corner Soapbox 10 Tommy Shannon no helmet law in Pa.), bicycles aren’t After all, that AJPH study notes that Ryan Smith Hindsight’s 20/20, but Jeb without controversy, too (think: mass of the nearly 140 million commuting Jay Stevens hysteria over bike lanes in New York trips made daily, less than 1 percent Rebecca Styn Bush’s vision of the invasion City and the introduction of a bike- are made by bicycle. What’s more Sara Toth Bryan Toy of Iraq may be blurred by bad share program). shocking is that approximately 25 Jim Wertz intelligence seen through rose- Bike lanes, some argued, would in- percent of trips made total less than Cover Photo: crease bicycle-related accidents, be- one mile in distance and 75 percent of Brad Triana tinted glasses. cause they’d promote more bicycling those trips are made by car. Cover Design: and more bicycles sharing the road Aside from the obvious conclusion Liz Venuto Art in Tandem 15 at the same time as cars creates the that if any of these short trips were Photographers: more bikes plus cars equals more ac- to be made by bike people would get Ryan Smith An exploration of love, art, and cidents all around equation. more exercise, which could lead to a Brad Triana bicycles. “Evaluating the Safety Effects of Bi- reduction in obesity, bikes can also Designers: cycle Lanes in New York City,” a study help to build stronger communities. Liz Venuto published in the American Journal Take for instance the work the Sis- Leah Yungwirth How Safe is Erie? 31 for Public Health, revealed that the ters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Interns: Lauren Griffith The Jefferson Educational “installation of bicycle lanes did not Network are doing in Erie. And con- Emily Hanisek lead to an increase in crashes, despite sider Erie’s Eastside Opportunity Candice Martone Society looks for answers in a the probable increase in the number Corridor being developed by County 1001 State St. Suite 901 new essay. of bicyclists.” Rather, the study not- Councilman Jay Breneman and City Erie, Pa., 16501 ed, “the most likely explanations for Council President Dave Brennan. [email protected] Creativity on Display 31 the lack of increase in crashes are Katie Chriest covers both of these — reduced vehicular speeds and few- and more — in a riveting feature on The Erie Reader is the local voice for news, arts, and culture, and is Erie’s only Erie Arts & Culture's 2015 er conflicts between vehicles and Erie’s bike (read: cycling) culture and independent, alternative newspaper. Founded in 2010, the Reader has quickly become Summit highlights our bicyclists after installation of these how these examples demonstrate the region’s award-winning source for arts lanes.” That is, creating a lane for cars how people are endeavoring to make coverage, a strong cultural compass, and a dynamic resource for news and opinion. community's artistic potential. and a lane for bicycles means a clear Erie a bikeable city, one more bicy- With a dedication to long-form journalism and a commitment to provoking thoughtful separation leads to an increase in cle-friendly while making Erie a bet- discussion, the Reader tells the stories of the Bikeable Erie 32 people and places making and shaping Erie, safety for all travelers. ter city. while highlighting the events and issues But it doesn’t stop there. When Citi Is promoting bikes, bikers, and biker influencing life in northwestern Pennsylvania. The push to make Erie more The Erie Reader is published every other week Bike, the recently debuted bike-shar- culture revolutionary? No. Is it con- and distributed at over 250 high foot-traffic locations in Pennsylvania from North East to bicycle-friendly. ing program in NYC, launched last troversial? Not really. Girard to Edinboro. In addition to appearing year, critics cried foul, suggesting that But it gives us hope that people see in print, Erie Reader adds new content daily at ErieReader.com as well social media sites. Geeked Out 38 cabs would inevitably end up mow- that bikeable cities mean improved All rights reserved. All content © Flagship Multimedia, Inc, 1001 State St., Suite 901, ing down cyclists, spilling the blood cities, and they aren’t afraid to dare Erie, Pa, 16501. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The Edinboro’s video game design of innocent pedaler making their way to have such dreams in a smaller opinions of our columnists and contributors through the Big Apple. Fast-forward (read: shrinking) city — especially be- are their own and do not always reflect that program takes off. of the editorial board or organization. Direct a year later to the shocking news in cause the current population statis- inquiries to 814.314.9364 or contact@ErieReader. com. NYC: No one found bike lanes on tri- tics don’t have us all that revved up. May 27, 2015 ErieReader.com | Erie Reader | 3 NEWS & OPINION Exile on State Street Is the City of Erie’s population decline the final knockout punch? Erie’s population continues to plummet, but no one at City Hall seems to have a plan. just not competitive. How do you avoid raising taxes? In one respect we have to run the City more efficiently. In my administration, we implemented the “DROP” plan, a re- tirement incentive that allowed us to reduce the City’s workforce by nearly 200 through retirements. The savings from that program delivered benefits for years. Other savings ideas, which the current administration has failed to adopt, in- clude the electronic payroll system. The City still employs numerous pay- roll clerks to calculate wages. Why not do this with 20th century technology? That’s right – 20th century.