“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.
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Have a community project you want to fund and support? Check out the Public Space Enhancement Mini-Grant from Feet First Philly! Applications are due October 1st. The full list of requirements and further information can be found here. Check out the recording of Feet First Philly’s informational webinar for more information on this opportunity!
The Inquirer: It’s official: SEPTA cuts will be reversed next week, following PennDot approval – Full SEPTA services will resume next week, following an ordered reversal from a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge last week. To fund its services, SEPTA has been approved to withdraw money from the state’s Public Transportation Trust Fund, a fund that holds money for operational and infrastructural purposes for transit agencies across Pennsylvania. The money, which was earmarked for specific projects and not general operating expenses, will act as a temporary solution. For SEPTA’s new timeline, see here.
PhillyVoice: Improved MLK Drive Bridge to reopen this month after more than two years of repair work – The Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Bridge, closed for federally-funded maintenance since March of 2023, will reopen to pedestrians and cyclists on September 19 and to vehicles on September 22. Besides repairs, the bridge was altered to accommodate three lanes for vehicles and a shared-use path that links the bridge to the MLK Drive Trail. To mark the reopening, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on September 19th.
Billy Penn: Smile! You’re on camera, Broad Street drivers – Speed cameras installed at 15 intersections along Broad Street will start capturing footage of speeding cars starting Monday, in an effort to slow down vehicles and improve road safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Violators traveling at least 11 miles over the 25 mph speed limit will receive written warnings, as the first stage of the program’s roll-out; after a 60-day grace period, violators will receive fines up to $150 per incident. The cameras are part of the city’s Vision Zero program and aim to emulate the impact of speed cameras installed on Roosevelt Boulevard in 2018, which decreased crashes, speeding, and fatalities.
Other Stories
PhillyVoice: SEPTA to restore full service by Sunday by using funding for capital projects
Pittsburgh Union Progress: Pittsburgh Regional Transit looking into state funds that restored Philly’s transit cuts
AP Press: Philadelphia transit agency will use project reserves to avoid cuts. Pittsburgh’s might do the same
WHYY: SEPTA avoids cuts for another 2 years. Pa. agency grants request for SEPTA to use maintenance funds
Mass Transit: UPDATED: SEPTA moves forward with full service restoration, fare increases
BillyPenn: Philly cyclists ride through Center City to call for ‘concrete’ action on Spruce and Pine streets
The Inquirer: I tried the new Acela train from NYC to Philly, and back. Here’s how it really is.
The Inquirer: SEPTA’s Chestnut Hill East Line is back! (Sort of.)
