“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 the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our State moving forward.
NBC Philadelphia: Philly lawyer files another lawsuit to stop SEPTA’s fare increase – This week the same Philadelphia lawyer whose previous lawsuit caused a judge to order the full restoration of SEPTA’s services is filing another suit. This class-action lawsuit aims for SEPTA to roll back its 21.5% fare hike. The previous lawsuit resulted in SEPTA tapping into their state capital assistance funding over the next two years. The Pennsylvania legislature continues to miss budget deadlines, leaving public transit without a state budget.
The Inquirer: SEPTA Regional Rail riders face delays, cancellations due to emergency order – SEPTA is performing emergency inspections on railcars this week, leading to delays across the Regional Rail system. SEPTA’s oversight body, the Federal Railroad Administration, issued an emergency order on Monday, removing all cars 50 years and older to complete a thorough inspection. SEPTA riders can expect shorter trains with limited capacity for the next few weeks, as the full inspection needs to be completed within 30 days.
WHYY: Delaware County debuts online interactive map for growing trail system – Delaware County is making information easier to access for the over 45 miles of trail currently open to the public. The online database has all necessary information in one place, with real-time status updates about the growing system. There are around 12 miles of trails currently under construction or in the design phase, with an additional 78 miles in the feasibility or planning phase. The informational hub is a collaborative effort between municipal and regional planning partners, with hopes that public access can increase in the weeks to come before cold weather fully sets in.
Other Stories
Philly Voice: After spate of e-bike deaths, NJ lawmakers propose restrictions and insurance requirements
BillyPenn: ‘Community is a top priority’: This S. Kensington bike shop is owned by its employees
The Inquirer: PHL has more flights this year but lost some low-cost routes
Chestnut Hill Local: New markers on Green Ribbon Trail improve Wissahickon safety
Fox Philadelphia: Philadelphia ranked #1 ‘worst’ city in US to drive in: report
Philadelphia Citizen: Can We Make Car-Free Streets Permanent?
For the 10th year in a row, Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center welcomes the community to celebrate the season at the free Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 25, 2025! All are welcome to this annual event, which features activities to connect attendees with the environment, as well as live music.
Starting at 1pm, trick-or-treaters will meet at Spruce Street and Cobbs Creek Parkway to make their way down the wooded natural surface trail to the Environmental Center. (Costumes are encouraged but not required!) Also from 1-3 p.m., children can enjoy face paint, balloon animals, a magician, and arts and crafts, or try their hand at archery starting at 2 p.m. Festival attendees can also expect to connect with new community resources and learning opportunities, including bird walks and nature education. We’d love to see you there!
See the festival map below for help navigating to the event.
Clean Air Council is thrilled to share that we have received William Penn Foundation’s Increasing Investment in Philadelphia Public Parks grant funding!
This funding builds on the Council’s previous KaBOOM! Playful Learning Spaces project to expand the project to four additional park areas that will include additional asphalt art murals painted on the paved trail, play and rest structures immediately adjacent in the park next to the trail, as well as wayfinding signs. The Council’s current project will continue to focus on connecting people to greenspace and directly incorporate the community’s ideas and hopes for new playful learning spaces. Our aim is tp create more welcoming entrances to the park, establish deeper connections to nature, and offer improved park and trail experiences for residents in West and Southwest Philadelphia.
The Council plans to meet with Cobbs Creek Community stakeholders over the 2025 summer and kick off our community engagement process in late 2025 and early 2026 with some fun activities and food. Residents interested in staying informed about this project can email transportation@cleanair.org to learn more.
By Teresa Hong and Alexander Chong – Clean Air Council Bridging the Gap Drexel University Interns
“Today, maintaining existing trails is equally as important as building new trails.”
That quote from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s (PEC) trail sustainability page hits on an often-overlooked truth: trails need regular care. Sustainability isn’t just about new growth—but also about upkeep.
In its Trail Maintenance Resource Guide, PEC illustrates why trail sustainability and maintenance are so important. A lot of energy goes into building trails and parks—budgeting, planning, construction—but over time, those features wear down. Keeping trails in usable condition takes ongoing effort. Think of it like a daily shower—sometimes you just need a rinse to feel refreshed. And who doesn’t feel better after a clean-up?
When trails are neglected, issues pile up. Degraded trail paths, worn-down amenities, and broken safety features all need attention to keep trails maintained, or even improve it. Smaller maintenance issues like broken lights impact safety and vandalized signs can prevent vital information. Natural debris or blockages can make sections of trail inaccessible, especially wheelchair-accessible paths.
Taking care of these problems early can help keep costs low for the city and its taxpayers. It’s much cheaper to maintain a trail than to tear down a worn-out structure and start over. Good maintenance also helps prevent damage to nearby infrastructure, like roads or buildings by preventing spillover. But to preserve and maintain, you need a good system of documentation for track trail quality, logging changes to quality and reporting to let staff know of issues. Which introduces PEC’s new trail maintenance system.
Because public resources for trails are often limited, PEC developed a new tool called the Trail Maintenance Toolkit (TMT). This toolkit is designed to help document and categorize park trails and structures. It’s a great starting point for trail upkeep.
We first learned about the TMT through a webinar on PEC’s trail sustainability page. It turned out to be a great introduction for understanding the mindset behind the tool. A lot of positive repairs have happened on trails, and this tool is a way to monitor trails qualities and assets. For further insights on the TMT, PEC offers an online trail assessment guide, a podcast episode, and a recorded version of the Trail Maintenance Webinar on their YouTube channel. For us, getting into the rhythm of upkeep and learning the language of documentation really helped get us in the right headspace for trail maintenance.
Using the TMT on site, we became obsessed with data collection. Like a new video game, we did not want to leave any stone unturned. We would often go up and down the trail trying to consistently document resources and assessments, knowing this data may be important for regular maintenance of the trail. Knowing that we made an impact has made all the difference.
The TMT will soon be publicly available online on the web and mobile app!
Clean Air Council is thrilled to announce the installation of the Cobbs Creek Park and Trail Playful Learning installations. With the financial support of KABOOM! and William Penn Foundation’s Play Everywhere Philly Challenge grant, four installations that span almost two miles across Cobbs Creek Park offer opportunities for different neighborhoods to connect to green space at the safe crossing location closest to them.
The project locations along Cobbs Creek Trail at Cedar Ave, 61st St, Thomas Ave, and Florence Ave encourage residents to explore playful learning sites that include both asphalt art murals on the ground and vertical play learning structures. In addition, the project connects the locations through maps to encourage residents to explore playful learning sites throughout the park. This project brings learning and play opportunities that center around nature and community history to draw residents into green space at safe crossing locations along Cobbs Creek Parkway, and invites residents to explore Cobbs Creek Park and Trail.
The Council is excited to see neighbors and stakeholders interacting with the Playful Learning installations over the last three months and incorporating them into weekly walks and regular programming. A big thanks to all of the residents and team of community stakeholders, including Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center, Cobbs Creek Neighbors, and Southwest CDC, who helped advise the project and provided input and feedback to inform the project’s design and locations. Thanks also to the design teamat Tiny WPA and Amber Arts and Design for their dedicated efforts in bringing this project to fruition.
“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 for All PA, Transit Forward Philadelphia, and more, on Wednesday, August 6th, 11:00 AM at City Hall, to rally for transit funding that keeps SEPTA running and hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians rely on. Register here.
Mass Transit: PA: As Philly residents and schools brace for SEPTA cuts and late state funds, there’s no rush for a budget in Harrisburg – 52,000 public school students who rely on SEPTA services to commute to school may soon have to figure out alternative transportation, as the start of the school year looms without resolution on the overdue state budget. Without more funding, SEPTA will be forced to enact drastic service reductions beginning August 24th. School district officials, who are scheduled to meet with SEPTA officials next week, are also contending with the possibility of starting the school year without state funding.
Philly Voice: New swing bridge along Schuylkill River Trail in South Philly nears completion – This winter, a long-awaited swing bridge connecting Grays Ferry Crescent Park to Bartram’s Garden will be completed, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross the Schuylkill River. Dubbed “Schuylkill Crossing,” the project will extend the River Trail by 1.5 miles farther south. Crucially, the mechanism of a swing bridge allows it to swing open, on its vertical axis, to allow boats to pass.
WHYY: Glassboro-Camden Line closer than ever, but hurdles remain before construction can begin – The proposed 18-mile Glassboro-Camden Line would connect Glassboro to Camden’s Walter Rand Transportation Station, a nexus for Philadelphia rail connections and the River Line. Although the line would connect communities with sites like Rowan University and ultimately Philly, potentially boosting economic prosperity in South Jersey, residents have raised concerns over noise
Other Stories
BillyPenn: The Philly airport ranked 3rd-worst in the U.S. in a recent survey. Is it really that bad?
The Inquirer: A plan to improve SEPTA emerges from the GOP state Senate, with no funding attached
Trenton Daily: Mercer County Announces New Shuttle Service Between Trenton Mercer and Philadelphia Airport
MSN: Extreme heat causes SEPTA & Amtrak delays in Philadelphia
The Inquirer: As SEPTA cuts loom, patience is wearing thin for Democrats in Harrisburg
On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, Clean Air Council’s Trail and Transportation Teams, along with the help of East Coast Greenway, celebrated 2025’s World Bicycle Day with a bike ride from Center City Philadelphia to Southwest Philadelphia. Starting at City Hall, the ride navigated bike lanes in Center City and West/Southwest Philadelphia. Participants cycled sections of the Schuylkill River Trail and East Coast Greenway, including the newly opened Christian to Crescent Trail and Cobbs Creek Trail.
The 10+ mile ride highlighted opportunities for employees to commute sustainably to work while enjoying the safety and green space off off-road ADA-compliant trails offer. A flat tire during the ride didn’t stop riders from reaching their final destination and receiving regional maps of the Circuit Trails to further explore the region’s almost 500 miles of trails. Participants were also given instructions on how to use GoPhillyGo to plan their sustainable trip using a combination of walking, biking, and public transit. GoPhillyGo.org can be used to find directions to trails and environmental centers throughout greater Philadelphia. Participants were also left with swag gift bags including t-shirts, stickers, and more.
A big thanks to all of the riders who joined the Council and made Philadelphia’s air quality a little better while getting their exercise for the day. Learn more about the Council’s Trail Team and Transportation Teams work.
Monday September, 9th 2024 | Will Fraser
Clean Air Council recently held a trail maintenance workshop as part of our work with the Circuit Trails Maintenance Committee. The workshop was funded by We Conserve PA and DCNR was held at Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center and offered community members, volunteers, and trail managers the opportunity to learn from local, regional, and national trail experts including Friends of the Wissahickon, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Morris County Parks Commission, National Park Service, and Appalachian Mountain Club.
The full day workshop was split into a morning classroom session and afternoon hands-on field session. Three specific maintenance topics were identified by a regional trail manager survey prior to the workshop: volunteer management, stormwater management, and vegetation management. Attendees learned basics on volunteer management including recruiting, training, and retaining volunteers and how to set up a volunteer day from start to finish including a breakdown in the types of tools used for trail maintenance. Workshop attendees learned about identifying common native and invasive plants and how to properly remove invasive plants with gloves and shears provided to them as part of the workshop. Participants also gained an understanding of ways in which stormwater can affect trails and learned how to identify stormwater runoff erosion and different solutions to prevent stormwater damage.
In addition to the workshop offering education on specific trail maintenance topics it also provided the opportunity for community members, trail managers and government and municipal partners to further connect on trail maintenance issues. Built-in breaks during the workshop allowed participants to discuss trail maintenance challenges and successes and share lessons learned from their experience while hearing from other attendees.
66tyThank you to We Conserve PA and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for funding this workshop and to the speakers who brought their passion, skills, and expertise to the workshop. A special acknowledgement to Friends of the Wissahickon and Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society for helping plan and organize the workshop and to Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center for hosting.
