The Hub 2/15/2019: Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-up of Transportation News
“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up to date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
PlanPhilly: Strollers pose safety problems for Philly families riding SEPTA – After a mother carrying her child and stroller on the stairs fell to her death in a New York City subway station, Philadelphian advocates are speaking out. Only 35 of Philadelphia’s 52 subway stations have elevators and those that do are often unexpectedly out of service. SEPTA is in the process of updating the remaining stations and redesigning the trolley system to be more accesibile, but the pace is slow and many families are dependent on transit in the meantime.
Philly.com: PATCO to mark 50th anniversary by charging 1969 prices Friday morning– February 15, 1969 PATCO made its maiden voyage from Lindenwold to Center City Philadelphia. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the opening, PATCO riders will pay between 30 and 60 cents on the morning of February 15, 2019.
Curbed Philly: #TrackTakeover brings local art to Philly’s subways – The space usually dedicated to advertisements at the Broad Street Line Walnut-Locust station will be used to display local artist’s work. City Fitness footed the bill, a cool $40,000, for the month of ad space, just as they did for the project’s predecessor #TrashcanTakeover. Getting art into public spaces helps people engage with their environment
Strong Towns: How the Modest Walk Can Connect You to Your Community Apart from its health and environmental benefits, walking builds community connections. Walk2Connect is a worker owned coop working to help communities across the globe connect through walking. The founder of Walk2Connect walked cross country and developed a passion for sharing how walking can help us connect to the places we live, the people in our community, and to ourselves.
Streets Blog: Is Subprime Auto Lending the Next Housing Bubble? – Auto loan debt has increased by 75% since 2009, meaning more Americans have car payments than ever before. A startling 7 million Americans are 3 or more months behind on their car loans. Due to autocentric design and land use, not having a car can be a significant economic disadvantage. Lenders are quick to get people into car loans that they can’t afford and often discriminate and overcharge people of color. The parallels between the 2008 predatory mortgage crisis and the looming auto loan bubble are cause for concern.
Image Source: WHYY
