“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.
Week Without Driving started on Thursday! Join us in the nationwide movement to call for true mobility options for all Pennsylvanians. Take the Week Without Driving Pledge here.
Thank you to everyone who participated, the Pretzel Pedal Challenge is now complete! If you missed this year, you can still create a Share-a-Ride profile and earn points towards gift card drawings all year round. We’ll be back next with more prizes and experiences while cycling towards a cleaner and healthier Philadelphia!
Transit Forward Philadelphia: Drexel Students Share Their Transit Research – Drexel student Sydney Wieczkowski assessed the first phase of SEPTA’s New Bus Network and how it balanced transit efficiency and health equity in the region. When formulating the New Bus Network, SEPTA categorized existing routes as minority or non-minority routes, and low income or non-low-income routes. Sydney then analyzed the effects the proposed changes would have on each route. The research found that several minority and low-income routes could be disproportionately burdened by the changes. While the plan could benefit public health by improving access to public transportation and reducing air pollution, some route changes could create new challenges for riders, including longer walks or additional transfers.
The Conversation: What Philly can – and can’t – do to reduce the number of people killed in car crashes – Research has found that Philadelphians are killed in traffic crashes at much higher rates than comparable cities such as Chicago, Boston, and New York. Speeding and hit-and-runs occur at higher rates, and crashes are more likely to occur in dark conditions than the average in four peer cities. Data shows a 27% drop in fatal crashes in Philadelphia in 2025, and 2026 so far has been mirroring this. Automated speed enforcement cameras, such as the ones installed on Roosevelt Boulevard in 2020, have been associated with an 11% decrease in serious crashes. Similar cameras have been installed in other parts of the city, such as on Broad Street, with results still a few years away. However, other traffic-calming measures, such as increased lighting and pedestrian-focused infrastructure, are also needed to improve safety.
Billy Penn: Indego e-bikes dominate Philadelphia bike-share fleet – In July, around 75% of Indego bikes on racks were e-bikes, and some users are skipping them altogether. However, research has shown that while traditional bikes are healthier, e-bikes still improve aerobic fitness. In the first half of 2026, 72% of Indego rides in Philly were on e-bikes. Indego plans to add more traditional bikes to the fleet over the next two years to respond to demand.
Other Stories
PhillyVoice: Fishtown man is biking from Indiana to Pittsburgh to raise money for cancer research
StreetsBlog USA: Transportation Reform Has an Imagination Problem
CBS Pittsburgh: Parkway East and Parkway North seeing heavier traffic patterns lately, PennDOT says
Transportation Today: Pennsylvania begins work on more than 400 miles of “Rapid Deployment Projects”
SEPTA: SEPTA Bus Roadeo Brings Back Competition and Camaraderie
National Bike Month is right around the corner. This May, join people across the Philadelphia region and beyond embracing biking as a great way to travel while doing your part to improve air quality and reduce your carbon footprint. Beyond the benefits of biking for you, your community, and the world, this May Bike Month you can win prizes and compete with your friends and coworkers. Learn more about the Love to Ride May Bike Month challenge and how you can ride an Indego bike to participate.
Looking for a way to stay motivated to bike all month? Sign up for the Love to Ride Bike Month Challenge. This free, online, biking competition gives you a place to record all your bike rides, set goals for yourself, and earn points to win prizes by biking and encouraging others to bike!
How does it work? Just create a team of up to ten people; these can be friends, family or co-workers. Together, your team earns points by riding, and encouraging each other to ride and will compete against other teams of similar experience levels. Regardless of your experience level, this challenge is right for you. In fact, new riders earn DOUBLE the points, so if you are new to biking this is a great way to get involved. Prizes, including a bike worth $1,500, are up for grabs, so if you are already planning to bike this month, make sure you are signed up and logging those rides.
Don’t have a bike of your own? No problem! Philadelphia’s favorite bike share, Indego, is turning 7 years old this April 23rd! To celebrate this milestone, as well as Bike Month, Indego is offering the first month of the Indego30 and Indego30 Access pass at a greatly reduced price. From April 23rd – May 31st new riders can use the code INDEPRO22 at www.rideindego.com for a $5 Indego30 pass or $2.50 Indego30 Access pass! With this Indego pass, riders get an unlimited number of 60-minute rides for 30 days! This pass is great for exploring the city and trails on your schedule. Indego is excited to give folks who have always wanted to try bike share the opportunity to do so! Once you have signed up for your Indego pass remember to log your rides with Love to Ride, for the chance to win a full free year-long Indego pass!
Since last Bike Month there have been some major improvements to bike facilities, bike lanes, and bike paths around the cities. In addition to the numerous new Indego stations installed this year (check out the map below!), the Chestnut St. bridge has finally reopened with a parking protected bike lane, and Circuit Trails have been extended including at Bartram’s Garden. You can see existing bike lanes, find Circuit Trails, and see all the Indego stations on GoPhillyGo, as well as map out your bike routes – including using an Indego bike. So if you are looking for a trail to bike on, or just want to map out the safest route to your destination this bike month, there are plenty of tools to help you.
So grab your bike or sign up for an Indego pass and commit to biking this May!
This blog was written jointly by the Clean Air Council and Indego Bike Share.
