The Hub 6/1/18: 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: PUP begs for a scrap of funding for its vanpool program for reverse commuters– Philadelphia Unemployment Project operates vanpools for low income reverse commuters, mostly from 30th Street Station to transit inaccessible employment centers in Delaware County. This service is a lifeline for at-risk employees, and funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is under threat. PUP is appealing to City Council, saying the program needs more funding, not less.
Philly.com: SEPTA’s Key card readers will soon accept new PATCO fare cards – PATCO will begin testing new FREEDOM cards that pay fares on Philadelphia area transit. The new fare cards are compatible with the SEPTA Key card readers. They will be available for purchase at a few locations at first. Riders will need to register them online in order to use them.
Mobility Lab: “Unbundling” parking costs is a top way to promote transportation options – When the cost of parking is built into the cost of housing more people opt to own cars since parking is included. A recent study shows that where parking is bundled, there are 12.5% more drive alone commuting trips and 40% more drive-alone non-commuting trips.
CityLab: Dedicated Bus Lanes, Without the Extra Lane – “Pre-signals” are a traffic measure that create a temporary bus lane on a two lane street seemingly out of thin air. The technology could speed up bus travel by as much as 30 seconds per intersection during rush hour.
Next City: Who’s Afraid of Fare-Free Public Transit? – When the fare is no longer a factor, transit becomes even more attractive to the masses. As employers struggle to provide parking for growing work forces, fully paid transit benefits are increasingly more appealing.
Image Source: Philly.com
