The Hub 1/21/2022: Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-up of Transportation News
“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 Inquirer: State lawmakers must seize on an opportunity to upgrade public transit in PA – The Inquirer’s editorial board urged Pennsylvania lawmakers to secure funding for SEPTA in the state budget. While federal money from the infrastructure bill should bring much needed funds to transit, to get this money Harrisburg lawmakers need to provide local funds to help cover costs and take advantage of this opportunity to upgrade and repair a system that has long gone underfunded.
Billy Penn: 14 streetlight sensors are collecting data on a Center City block as part of a ‘smart cities’ pilot – Smart streetlights are collecting data in Center City to better understand how city sidewalks and streets are being used by pedestrians, vehicles, and cyclists and how weather conditions impact this use. Beginning in December 2021 and continuing through this year these streetlights will collect photographic data in order to count use, however some skeptics have raised concerns about privacy and surveillance in response to this project.
Wired: Cities Want Ebikes to Stay in Their Lane—but Which One? – As e-bike sales expand and transportation advocates look to the future of this active transportation method, across the country some cities are debating where e-bikes fit into roadways and parks. Particularly on multi-use park paths some officials are calling for more regulation of the speeds and behaviors of e-bikes, while others see this boom as just another way that people can experience the benefits of traveling through greenspace.
StreetsBlog USA: ANALYSIS: When Speed Cameras Are Racist – Last week a ProPublica study found that Chicago’s automated speed camera program was ticketing people from majority-Black ZIP codes at higher rates despite cameras not being more prevalent in these ZIP codes. This week, StreetsBlog USA analysts grappled with these findings, the ways that racist city planning impacts even automated enforcement, and how ticketing can be restructured to lead to safe and equitable streets in the long term.
WHYY: Buttigieg touts $1.6 billion for Pa. bridges as part of Biden infrastructure bill – Last weekend Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Philadelphia and announced federal funding for bridge repairs in front of MLK Dr. bridge. This particular bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic throughout the pandemic and has become a wonderful community resource for people to bike and walk, and many advocates including us have called for the bridge to remain closed to vehicles permanently.
Image Source: The Inquirer.
