Love Philly? So do we. Let’s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today.
Hundreds of Philadelphia cyclists joined the 22nd annual Philly Ride of Silence on Wednesday, paying tribute to the 13 cyclists in the Delaware Valley region killed by motor vehicles over the past 12 months.
“We hope that you, as cyclists pedaling silently through the streets of Philadelphia, convey our message, ‘No more bicycle deaths,’” organizer Ray Scheinfeld said before the group embarked on the ride.
The ride, co-organized by Scheinfeld, John Siemiarowski and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia was postponed from the week before due to unsafe weather.
It began outside of City Hall and finished in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where everyone lifted their bicycles in unison. The Philadelphia Police Department escorted the group and helped organizers block traffic at many intersections.
Before the ride, Scheinfeld read out the names of all 13 victims, including the ones that have yet to be identified. He described the incidents that killed them and listed the loved ones they’ve left behind.
The list was as follows:
- Andrew Dormer, 61, who died after he was hit near the Manayunk Bridge Trailhead on June 5.
- John Stone, 55, killed in Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County on June 25.
- Jerald “Jerry” Matt, 60, killed on August 11 on the Schuylkill River Trail.
- Harry Fenton, 67, killed on September 2 in Fairmount Park.
- An unidentified male cyclist, 26, killed in Cinnaminson, N.J. on October 25.
- An unidentified male cyclist, 39, killed on November 6 in Glassboro, Gloucester County, N.J.
- Eduard “Teddy” Einstein, 38, who was killed in West Philly on December 3.
- Hector “June” Rodriguez, 54, killed in West Philly on December 20, riding home from working his D.J. shift at Bob & Barbara’s Lounge on South Street.
- Anthony Caprio III, 49, killed on December 29 in Mount Laurel, N.J.
- Luis A. Colon, 60, who was killed on March 30 in Deptford Township, N.J.
- Susan White-Scalia, 61, who was killed in Hadden Township, N.J. on April 1.
- Glenn Colville Jr., 43, who was killed in Port Richmond on April 12.
“People on bikes belong on these streets, and we remember those who showed us why that fight can’t wait,” said Lana Harshaw, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “There’s real grief here today, and we won’t pretend otherwise. Showing up on a bike in this city has always been an act of hope, and everything we’ve won for safer streets in Philadelphia came from people exactly like you, who refused to look away.”
Philly’s ride is part of a global movement across the U.S. and seven other countries, with the goals of honoring the cyclists killed by vehicles, supporting the ones who’ve been injured and educating drivers about sharing the road safely with cyclists.
Unlike other protest rides held by groups like Philly Bike Action, the riders in this procession remain as silent as possible throughout the trip. Scheinfeld said the route passes through the busiest parts of the city, to emphasize the somber tone of the riders to onlookers.
“We’re not just having a bike conversation or a general ride, but it’s something that’s more serious,” he said.
The only noise during the ride, besides the muttered warnings of potholes and the whirring of bike spokes and gears, was two bells being rung by organizers standing next to white-painted “ghost-bikes,” to mark the spots on the route where two cyclists were killed in previous years: near Spruce and 11 streets where Emily Fredericks was struck by a sanitation truck in 2016, and by Spruce and 18th streets where Barbara Friedes was killed by a drunk, speeding driver in 2024.
Colville’s sister, Shannon Colville, joined Wednesday night’s ride and described it afterwards as an amazing experience that touched her.
“It’s awesome. It shows that we still have good people around, trying to make it safer for people,” she said.
When a year comes with zero cyclists killed, Scheinfeld says it will be a “Ride of Noise” to celebrate.
“What we’re going to do is ring our bells the entire time to show people that it’s a celebration, that we finally achieved ‘vision zero.’” he said.
