“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.

Today, February 4th is Rosa Parks’ birthday and across the country people are celebrating her legacy, and the legacy of other civil rights heroes that fought to desegregate transit, with a day of action called Transit Equity Day. You can get involved by thanking SEPTA workers as well as posting about what transit equity means to you and for Philadelphia on Twitter with #TransitEquityDayPHL2022. On this day of action we are highlighting some transportation news about equity and the importance of a public transit system that is affordable, reliable, accessible, and safe for all. You can read more about Transit Equity Day and its history here.

Pennsylvania Capital Star: Safe, Reliable, And Affordable Transit Is The Fastest Route To An Equitable Society – As the funds from Act 89 run out, transit riders and union workers call on the Pennsylvania Legislature to adopt the Transit for All PA! platform which would set aside direct funding for public transit. Good public transit, they point out, plays a vital role in creating a more equitable society, supporting Pennsylvanians across the state, and protecting our environment.

The Inquirer: No Lights, No Sidewalks: A Deadly Bus Stop Needs Big Improvements From SEPTA – Earlier this year 64 year old Angela Kee was killed in a hit and run crossing from a terrible bus stop at Cheltenham & Adams Ave. Bus stops like this one that leave riders stranded with no sidewalks or ways to cross busy streets make taking transit dangerous and inaccessible. Investing in sidewalks, safe crossings, and adequate lighting around bus stops is vital to making transportation an equitable and accessible way to get around the city. 

WHYY: Before Rosa Parks: The Fight For Philly Transit Equity And The Black Women On The Frontlines – Revisit this article from PlanPhilly about Caroline LeCount and Octavius Catto’s fight to end segregation on Philadelphia transit and what their efforts mean for our modern transportation system.

Boston Globe: Lyft Makes Largest One-time Political Donation In Massachusetts History, Fueling Gig Worker Ballot Fight – In Massachusetts, Lyft is pouring money into a ballot initiative to cement drivers as independent contractors instead of employees so that they do not need to provide benefits and health care to workers. This fight comes after rideshare companies spent huge amounts of money on a similar initiative in California in 2020. We need an expansive public transit system that people can rely on to help reduce rideshare trips, and stop growing the wealth of companies that are environmentally unsustainable and reliant on underpaid gig workers. 

Austin Monitor: Austin To Spend $65 Million This Year To Reduce Displacement Near Future Transit Lines – In Austin, city leaders are working to counteract potential displacement of residents near new transit stops by investing in affordable housing and supporting community-initiated projects. This comes as Austin is adding two new light-rail lines and four high-speed bus lines. Although the role of transit stops in driving up housing costs is debated, investing in existing communities helps to ensure that they are able to enjoy the benefits of the new transit system. 

StreetsBlog USA: Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse Underscores Urgent Need For Fix-It-First Policy – The terrifying bridge collapse in Pittsburgh last week highlights the need for infrastructure investments before tragedy happens. Although luckily no one was killed, a Port Authority bus had to be rescued from the collapsed bridge, showing that dangerous bridges are not just hazards to cars traveling across them, but to buses and transit as well. 

Image Source: Pennsylvania Capital Star.

July, 5, 2021 – Communities identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Environmental Justice communities are more likely to experience issues that negatively impact pedestrian safety and result in higher rates of pedestrian fatalities from traffic crashes. According to PennDot, fatal or serious injuries from crashes are three times more likely to occur in low income communities and 30% more likely to occur in communities of color. These communities face real challenges to pedestrian safety including poor sidewalk conditions, lack of access to green space, and under funding for maintenance and safety enhancements. 

Sidewalks are the foundation for walkability, and sidewalk condition is a major factor in deciding how people travel. Philadelphia  has hundreds of miles of sidewalks in poor condition, with no concrete plan to fix them. The Council and its volunteer pedestrian advocacy group Feet First Philly work to improve the pedestrian environment in every neighborhood, protect the rights of pedestrians, and encourage walking as a mode of transportation, exercise, and recreation through public education, outreach, advocacy, and technical assistance to communities.

In 2020, Feet First Philly launched a sidewalk campaign to fund sidewalks like streets. Currently, homeowners are responsible for costly sidewalk repairs, which forms a barrier and liability for many residents who cannot afford to fix damaged sidewalks. Feet First Philly’s sidewalks campaign asks the city to set aside $500,000 to hire a full time sidewalks coordinator, conduct a sidewalk master plan, and create sidewalk repair funding strategy, as recommended by a 2018 Sidewalk Policy Transportation Community Development Initiative (TCDI) to the Office of Transportation & Infrastructure Systems. 

Feet First Philly and the Council advocated for the sidewalk campaign through an op-ed in  the Inquirer calling for the city to take action, by meeting with Councilmembers in preparation for budget season, and sending an action alert urging Mayor Kenney and City Council to fund sidewalks in the next budget. This spring, the Council and Feet First Philly joined 24 organizations advocating for Livable Communities budget requests, including dedicated funding for Vision Zero, transit, and sidewalks.

In addition to this budget campaign, the Feet First Philly Pedestrian Advocacy Guide connects people to city agencies and helps them navigate services to address safety concerns. Feet First Philly also developed two walk audit tools to engage residents, neighborhood leaders, students, and stakeholders to identify risks to pedestrians and connect residents to resources that can address these concerns.

Highway design that prioritizes vehicle speed over pedestrian safety is a legacy issue that disproportionately affects communities of color in Philadelphia. Pedestrians accounted for just 7% of people involved in crashes from 2014 to 2018, but made up 40% of people killed in crashes during this period. Highly trafficked roads like Cobbs Creek Parkway make up the High Injury Network, the 12% of all Philadelphia roads that claim 50% of all traffic deaths and severe injuries.  

For the past two years, the Council has connected residents, stakeholders, elected officials, and city agencies to work together to address the largest hurdle to accessing Cobbs Creek Park and Trail, which is the dangerous Cobbs Creek Parkway. The Parkway is a physical and mental hurdle for residents trying to access the park and connected trails and dangerous speeds, reckless driving, and lack of safe crossings are barriers that make the park and trail difficult and dangerous to visit. Tragically, the lives of three people were taken along the Parkway in the past year. 

The Council partnered with Cobbs Creek residents to address their concerns and demand change. This resulted in the installation of speed hump and delineator posts. The Council continues to advocate for safety upgrades, and the City recently applied for funding to install new state of the art pedestrian crossings along Cobbs Creek Parkway. These would fill crossing gaps that stretch more than a mile and a half long and increase accessibility to this important trail and greenspace in one of the most dense areas of the city. 

For more information contact Will Fraser, Transportation Project Manager, wfraser@cleanair.org

On February 26^th, 2021 members of the Philly Transit Equity Day Coalition hosted the third annual Philly Transit Equity Day on Zoom. Transit Equity Day celebrates the legacy of civil rights leaders like Octavius Catto who fought to desegregate Philadelphia’s horse-drawn trolleys in the 19th century, and continues to affirm that public transit is a civil right, as well as an important strategy to combat climate change.    

This year groups including Clean Air Council, Philadelphia Climate Works, People’s Emergency Center, Transit Forward Philly, 5th Square, Transit Riders Union, and Scribe Video hosted the event which focused on the four areas that are central to improving transit equity in the Philadelphia: an improved fare system, cleaner and easier to understand system, accessible vehicles and stations, and better service frequency. 

The event included an update from SEPTA general manager Leslie Richards, presentations from the 5^th Square about the Fair Fares Program, Transit Forward Philly about the Better Buses campaign, and a collection of transit rider stories about their experiences using transit during the pandemic. You can watch the full program for yourself here:

Want to get involved with transit equity moving forward, or have a specific transit equity idea that you want to share?

Email us to share your transit equity ideas and sign up for the Clean Air Council email list to keep up to date on transportation equity and the other work we do.

Sign Transit Forward Philly’s Better Buses Petition. 

We hope to see you at next year’s event! Learn more about Transit Equity Day 2022.