“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.
Happy Fourth of July! As we celebrate America’s 250th, learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!
Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania’s budget is late for the fifth year in a row – Pennsylvania legislators missed the budget deadline of June 30, for the fifth year in a row. Republicans that lead the Senate have stated they expect the budget deal in the days after the fourth. Democrats that lead the House were less positive about passing a budget soon. Clashes over state spending, revenue sources, and other hot topics all delay budget deals. Without a set budget, many schools, libraries, non-profits, counties, and other recipients of state funds suffer. With transit agencies in all counties across the state heading towards fiscal cliffs, service cuts, and fare increases, a revenue source is absolutely necessary.
PhillyVoice: Here are the road closures and SEPTA detours for the Fourth of July concert and fireworks – Drivers can expect roads around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to be closed this week as the city prepares for the Fourth of July concert and celebration on Saturday. The concert begins on the 4th at 5pm, with doors opening at 3pm, and concluding with fireworks at around 11:30pm. Several roads will be closed from Friday to Monday morning, the full list posted here. Several SEPTA routes will also be adjusted to accommodate the event.
PhillyVoice: PPA starts issuing speeding tickets using traffic cameras along Route 13 after warning period ends – Six traffic cameras have been active on Route 13 since April of this year, and will begin authorizing tickets to drivers exceeding the 25 mph speed limit. The 60-day warning period in Northeast Philadelphia is ending, and fines begin at $100. This is the latest in partnerships between the city and the PPA, aimed to improve traffic safety, and revenue brought in to cover further safety measures.
Other Stories
Philadelphia Today: Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts Completes First Phase of $150 Million AveArts 2.0 Transformation
CBS Pittsburgh: PRT unveils “Spirit of ’76”-inspired “T” train ahead of Fourth of July weekend festivities
BillyPenn: Here’s how road closures for America 250 events may affect your commute
CBS Philadelphia: NJ Transit fares increase by 3% starting July 1
The Inquirer: Spanning 100 Years: See how the Benjamin Franklin Bridge was built a century ago
“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.
The FIFA World Cup is here! Learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!
NBC Philadelphia: SEPTA announces next steps of mixed-use development at Germantown Station – SEPTA has announced it is seeking information from local developers to enhance mixed-use development at Germantown Station. The primary target for this development is a vacant lot at 120-128 E Chelten Ave in Historic Germantown. This is part of a larger program, SEPTA’s Transit-Oriented Communities, that develops areas near transit stops and supports the public transit network. Other mixed-use concept locations considered or announced by SEPTA include areas around East Armat St Bridges, Ambler Station, Conshohocken, and Langhorne stations.
Metro Philadelphia: How SEPTA plans to move tens of thousands of World Cup fans – SEPTA has been preparing for the World Cup to arrive in Philly this summer, and now that it’s here, tens of thousands of fans will be riding it around the city, with measured improvements as well. The Broad Street Line has trains going to and leaving from NRG every four to five minutes a few hours leading up to kickoff. NRG has had some upgrades recently as well, such as new roofing, a new ventilation system, and enhanced lighting and signage. These upgrades were in part funded by federal operating money to assist with the World Cup; the general SEPTA budget has yet to be announced by the PA state government, but is due at the end of this month.
The Burg: Regional bus system Rabbittransit to introduce mobile pay, fare raises in July – Buses in Harrisburg are part of the regional system known as Rabbittransit. This week, it was announced that a new smartcard and mobile payment system will be installed next month on the Capital Region, Gettysburg, Shippensburg, and York routes of the public transit system. The rabbitPAY system will launch mid-to-end July, and allow riders to load reusable transit passes through an app, and tap to ride. Also being added is fare capping, meaning riders can pay as they go, and once the cost of a daily or monthly pass is reached, the rest of the rides during that period are free.
Other Stories
The Inquirer: There are plans for an 86-unit apartment complex next to SEPTA’s Jenkintown station
Delco Today: Business Class Seating at Philadelphia International Airport Soars Past Pre-Pandemic Levels
92.5 XTU: Pennsylvania Braces for Record Traffic Amid 250th Independence Day Anniversary
WJAC: Cambria County officials press state lawmakers to fix outdated CamTran payment system
NJ.com: Here’s what N.J. e-bike owners and riders have to do now to avoid a fine under a new law
Block Club Chicago: Chicago’s Bike Lanes Don’t Hurt Businesses, City Report Finds
“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.
The FIFA World Cup is here! Learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!
WHYY: SEPTA, transit police reach tentative deal on new contract to avoid strike during World Cup – SEPTA police have been working without a contract since the end of March, and now they have reached a tentative agreement to avoid striking. Union members will now vote to ratify the agreement, and if agreed upon, it will move to SEPTA’s board for adoption. The agreement comes months after SEPTA reported significant drops in crime across the network. In 2023, the SEPTA police union authorized a strike, and after three days, it ended with a new contract.
NBC Philadelphia: 2000+ parking tickets issued during first weekend of FIFA Fan Fest in Lemon Hill – According to the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), over 2,000 tickets were issued this past weekend for illegal parking near Lemon Hill’s FIFA Fan Fest. The event began on June 11 and will end on July 19. PPA monitored 587 residential blocks in the enforcement zone and issued 2,497 tickets for illegal parking. 173 were written in error to residents with valid parking permits, making around 7% of the tickets incorrect.
Erie Today (via AOL): How does the Pa. budget serve public transit outside big-city hubs? – It’s state budget season in Pennsylvania, and the due date is June 30, and PA’s state budget hasn’t been approved on time since 2021. Last year, the budget was delayed for five months, heavily due to Republicans blocking $292 million for public transit. This year, Shapiro will ask for $300 million for the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Trust Fund to pay for public transit across the state. Around 7.7% of sales tax goes into public transit, and the proposed budget would increase that by 1.75%. There are over 30 fixed-route public transit systems across the state outside PRT and SEPTA, and these smaller systems rely on state funding to access healthcare, employment, education, and travel. 65% of the state’s public transit users have no other transportation option, underscoring the need for the service.
Other Stories
Talk PA Transportation: Officials Seek Public Opinion: Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
Philly Voice: SEPTA moves forward with mixed-use development at Germantown Station
Urban Wire: Congress’s Transportation Reauthorization Bill Would Drastically Underfund Transit and Rail Projects
StreetsBlog USA: In New Jersey, Mayors Show How Quickly We Can Slow Down Drivers
Business Insider: Uber now keeps most of the fare from your ride in some cities, according to a new driver study
CBS Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh cyclist pedaling across the country for a good cause
“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.
The FIFA World Cup is here! Learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!
The Inquirer: Philly has a new law to boost development around transit. Which neighborhoods will benefit? – City Council has approved a bill to incentivize denser and taller development around Philadelphia transit stations. City Council expanded the existing housing agenda to a quarter-mile radius around SEPTA rail, intercity bus stations, PATCO, water taxi, and some bus or trolley stops. However, the unique caveat making it different from other cities is that City Council must opt stations into the transit-oriented development policies. West Philadelphia representatives have opted in most Market Frankford Line stations, but no stops on the Broad Street Line have yet to be included. Factors making this difficult include different representative districts on the same transit lines and other political disagreements.
NBC Philadelphia: Safety, accessibility upgrades debut in along Market Street in Philly’s Old City – Ahead of the 250th celebrations in the city this summer, Market Street between 2nd and 6th has completed safety and accessibility improvements. Upgrades include new traffic and pedestrian signals, wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and accessible curb ramps. Improvements should continue across the city ahead of the 250th celebrations this summer.
BillyPenn: World Cup fans can take a hike — literally. Soccer enthusiasts in Philly can access Lemon Hill fan fest and other sites via trails – Philadelphia will host its first FIFA World Cup game this weekend, with an influx of fans heading to East Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill. To avoid extreme traffic congestion and parking scarcities, the Circuit Trails Coalition is reminding the public of over 400 miles of trails in the greater Philadelphia area. The Schuylkill River Trail is 120 miles long, and fans can access many World Cup festivities without cars. Find other ways to access summer 2026 events with Clean Air Council’s GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes interactive map.
Other Stories
PhillyVoice: With the World Cup set to kick off, SEPTA touts refurbished stations and additional train capacity
The Inquirer: City Council bans horse-drawn carriages in Philadelphia
BillyPenn: First modular shelters arrive for eventual inclusion in Chinatown Stitch cap park
The Inquirer: SEPTA is expanding daily bus service to the Navy Yard by extending Route 45
CBS Pittsburgh: Parkway East will close in 1 month for Commercial Street Bridge replacement project
Anthropocene: A landmark MIT study debunks persistent myths about electric vehicles
PhillyVoice: Walmart plans to bring delivery drones to Philly in 2027
“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.
Join Transit Forward Philadelphia for events and actions to fight for transit funding and other wins in the City Budget. Attend City Council Budget Hearings, and learn how to advocate with Transit Forward Philadelphia.
Are you interested in improving the health and built environment of Philadelphia? The Nutrition and Physical Activity Team in the Health Department of Philadelphia is hiring a Built Environment Coordinator, and a Community Health Infrastructure Coordinator. Click the links in the titles to learn more about these roles and their impact!
BillyPenn: ‘Pop-up concrete’ event shows what bike lane protection on Spruce and Pine could be – Philly Bike Action (PBA) members set up their ideal bike lane protections, eight-in tall concrete barriers. Models made of cardboard were placed out on Spruce and Pine on Saturday, along with four pop-up stands, handing out coffee and pretzels for free, as well as information about safety improvements. The event’s goal was to highlight what proposed safety measures would look like and dispel common misunderstandings of cyclist and pedestrian safety initiatives.
The Inquirer: SEPTA will keep $2.90 fare for World Cup transit rides. Boston is charging $80 – There is no plan to increase the base fare of $2.90 for SEPTA riders on the Broad Street Line to Lincoln Financial Field for World Cup matches. This is different from other World Cup host cities in the United States. NJ Transit will be charging over $100 for the 18-mile train ride from NY Penn Station to NJ Meadowlands. Boston transit will be increasing its prices from $20 to $80. SEPTA will be handling demand by operating extra trains to support sports complex lines, but regular service hours and open stations can be expected. Additional buses are also being dispatched to serve the FIFA Fan Festival in East Fairmount Park from mid-June through mid-July.
The Philadelphia Tribune: SEPTA reports progress on crime, need for capital funding – SEPTA reported on Wednesday that the system has seen 51 consecutive months of rider growth. They also reported crime is down 30% for the first quarter of 2026, and fare evasion dropped 37%. Over the next decade, billions in improvements are planned, including new fleets for the Market-Frankford Line, trolleys, and regional rail lines. The New Bus Network will streamline bus service across the city, and these changes will result in 660 service hours to the system.
Other Stories
NBC: PennDOT crews to repair potholes on more than 35 highways in Philly region
PhillyVoice: NJ Transit unveils first of 40 new train cars expected to enter service this year
The Inquirer via MSN: Waymo robotaxis are helping cities map potholes. Could Philly be next?
PhillyVoice: Speed cameras activated on stretch of Route 13 in Northeast Philly
The Inquirer: Comcast Spectacor reveals new location for Sixers and Flyers arena
Amtrak Media: Amtrak Joins SEPTA to Celebrate Completion of Ardmore Station Improvements
NBC Philadelphia: SEPTA Transit Police welcoming four new K-9 recruits this spring
