The Hub 3/22/19: 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: ‘Hip’ new SEPTA Key site is one of many fixes in the works – The SEPTA Key beta site, revealed last Friday, is one of several costly and needed updates to the Key card system.

 

Mobility Lab: Benches and transit shelters make riders happier, study finds – A new study has shown that benches at transit stops directly correlate to happier riders. Providing opportunities for rest allows us to recover from stress, increasing our overall sense of wellbeing. Driving alone, in contrast, requires mental alertness and provides no respite from stress.

 

Smart Cities Dive: 3 cities to charge for curb space in new micromobility pilot – Charlotte, NC; Detroit, MI; and Omaha, NE are all planning to implement a collaborative pilot program aimed at managing the influx of dockless scooters and bikes. The agreements will charge companies based on the curb space their vehicles occupy. Dockless operators will also need to share their data with local governments.

 

Next City: Crackdown on Transit Smokers in Twin Cities Could Intimidate Riders – Plainclothes Minneapolis Transit police officers have been issuing an increasing number of citations for smoking on transit platforms. Concerns have been raised that this enforcement unfairly targets low income people and people of color.

 

Streetsblog: Finally, a commercial for buses that delivers – This bus ad is exciting but reminds us about one of the best parts of taking public transportation: riders don’t have to pay attention to driving.

 

Image Source: Mobility Lab