The Hub 3/04/2022: 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.
Feet First Philly, Philadelphia’s pedestrian advocacy group sponsored by Clean Air Council, launched its #FundSidewalks campaign. We are requesting the Mayor adds funding for sidewalks to this year’s budget. Take this action and tell the City of Philadelphia and Mayor Kenney to fund sidewalks like they fund streets.
The Inquirer: Washington Avenue Will Be Changing – On Tuesday, the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability announced its latest final plan for the redesign of Washington Ave. The new plan is the mixed option which will allow the Avenue to have a mixture of three, four, and five traffic lanes in different areas. This is a change from the original proposal to shrink most of the avenue to three lanes and was the safest and preferred option.
NextCity: The Alpine Country Going All-You-Can-Ride – In October 2021, Austria launched a “Climate Ticket” for all forms of public transportation for a standard annual cost. This ticket gives users unlimited rides all year round. This is very cost-effective and the country hopes it will put a dent in its carbon footprint.
WHYY: SEPTA Is Replacing Security Guards With Guides – SEPTA will replace its current private security guards with new workers from the SEPTA Guides program. These new guides will serve as ambassadors to offer kinder service to riders. They will have a variety of tasks such as reminding riders about the rules of the system and helping with quality of life issues. The first set of guides will begin working as early as this month (March).
BillyPenn: Transit Workers In 1910 Sparked A General Strike That Brought Philadelphia To A Standstill – There have been many transit strikes in Philadelphia’s history. “SEPTA has been called the most-strike prone transit agency in the nation.” In 1910 Philly had its biggest transportation strike with over 75,000 participants which spread to other cities like Newark, New York, and even San Francisco.
BillyPenn: Philly Becomes The FIrst Big U.S. City With A Law Banning Minor Traffic Stops – The Achieving Driving Equality Law took effect on Thursday 3/3 in Philadelphia. This law prevents drivers in Philly from getting stopped for minor infractions such as missing brake lights. The law was developed after data confirmed that these minor violations overwhelmingly affected Black drivers.
Image Source: WHYY
