The Hub 8/30/19: 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: Philly’s dangerous sidewalks violate federal law protecting people with disabilities, lawsuit alleges – 4 disabled individuals and 3 advocacy organizations have joined together to sue the City of Philadelphia, alleging that the city’s neglect of sidewalks violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The plaintiffs are not seeking financial compensation, they simply want people to be able to use one of the few urban common spaces we have left, the sidewalk.
Billy Penn: New hope for lonely Broad-Ridge Spur, part of the Center City Loop that never was – Between Broad and Fairmount and 8th and Market there is an underused offshoot of the Broad Street Subway line. It was originally built as part of grand vision for a robust subway network beneath Center City that was never realized. Since The Gallery shopping mall at 8th and Market Streets closed, the ridership on Broad Ridge Spur has declined. A new fashion district coming to 8th and Market could revitalize the forgotten line.
Stongtowns: The Mobility Trap: Why We’ll Never Fix Congestion by Speeding Up Traffic – Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) released the 2019 Urban Mobility Report, which includes many claims about traffic data. Transportation advocates have criticised each Urban Mobility Report stating the it is simply meant to increase revenue for the road-building industry.
Next City: Kansas City Considers Doing Away with Transit Fares Citywide – Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is considering expanding fare free transit from the posh downtown street car to the rest of the Kansas City area. KCATA already has some of the most affordable fares in the nation, but low income residents in far flung neighborhoods still struggle to afford transportation, while tourists enjoy free street car rides.
City Lab: Skateboarders Are Saving Your City – Skateboarding as a means of transportation and recreation is carbon neutral but the positives don’t stop there. Skateboarders across the world are also responsible for DIY mixed use placemaking, even in the cities hit hardest by the most recent global recession. Many municipal governments are taking notice and partnering with skateboarders to create new public spaces.
Image Source: Billy Penn
