North 3rd Street Biking Hazard
Hear about the SEPTA hike? Convinced that biking is the best way to get around town yet? Good, then let’s talk about a route you shouldn’t take: North 3rd. “Hey bike, let’s take N 3rd, an obvious road that goes most directly back to our house!” I said on a lazy afternoon a few weekends ago. “Good idea!” replied my darling bicycle. We rode for a bit through Olde City, enjoying the intimacy of quaint galleries and lovely restaurants with brick facades. That is, until we closed in on Vine Street, finding ourselves on the most bulbous, weather-torn pavement in Philadelphia—accented by potholes, a poorly managed construction zone, and cavernous gutters of rocky death feeding on my bike’s front tire. I thought I could ride it out in a few blocks, but it really did not get better until I was on the verge of exiting Northern Liberties. Even the number 57 bus was having trouble. So if you’re curious about the tire-eating monster road, I’d suggest taking that bus there. And bike up 5th instead.
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