The Hub 9/21/18: Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-Up of Transportaiton 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: Petition wants to make visiting the dead at Woodlands Cemetery safer for the living – Woodlands Cemetery is a popular destination for West Philadelphians seeking a green escape from the urban landscape. There is no safe or legal place to cross Woodland Avenue from the 40th Street Trolley Portal to the gates of the cemetery. Local advocates are petitioning to add a crosswalk, making the chaotic streetscape of 40th and Woodland safer for the most vulnerable road users, pedestrians.
PlanPhilly: Philadelphia officials promise crackdown on Center City traffic scofflaws – SEPTA, City Council, and the PPA have all teamed up to tackle congestion in Center City. Bus and bike only lanes, right turn only lanes and no stopping zones are all seldom enforced, making travel sluggish much of the time. We can expect to see an uptick in tickets for double parking, blocking the box, and other safety violations, especially on Market and Chestnut Streets between 10th and 22nd.
Mobility Lab: Yes, being surrounded by other people is a strength of public transportation – Private vehicles give commuters control over their environment, as opposed to public transportation, where you are rubbing shoulders with strangers. When surveyed, people who commute by car reported being less trusting and less socially connected than those who use other modes to get to work. Humans thrive on interconnectivity, so it’s no surprise that taking public transit regularly can combat feelings of isolation.
Philly.com: Philly to consider new class of officer to fight Center City gridlock – City Councilman Darrell Clarke proposed a new enforcement strategy to combat the growing problem of congestion in Center City Philadelphia. Traffic officers, who would not carry firearms or have the power to arrest, could be deployed to enforce traffic laws and keep things moving downtown. However, the police department is resistant to the idea of shifting power away from police officers to traffic officers.
Next City: Denver Approves Low-Income Discount for Transit Riders – Beginning in early 2019, Denver households making below 185% of the poverty level will qualify for a 40% discounted fare on transit. Advocates were pushing for a steeper discount of 50%, but budget concerns led to a compromise of also increasing the discount for riders between aged 6-19.
City Lab: This Blockchain-Based Startup Wants to Pay You to Map – Google Maps raised its prices significantly for sites with embedded mapping functions, so startups are looking to get a piece of the market which had previously been cornered. One startup, Streetcred, plans to pay people in cryptocurrency to populate maps with points of interest.
Image Source: Plan Philly
