The Hub 4/5/2024: 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: MLK Drive will once again close to cars on weekends – The city announced that the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive between the East Falls Bridge and Sweetbriar Drive will be closed to traffic on weekends. This will provide a car-free space for pedestrians and bikers to enjoy, starting this Saturday through November from 7 am Saturday to 7 am Monday. This closure has occurred seasonally since 1995.
The Inquirer: SEPTA’s 69th Street station gets new, taller gates to combat fare evasion – At the end of the month, SEPTA is launching a 3-month pilot program to address fare evasion at the turnstile of 69th Street Transportation Center, which currently sees the highest amount of fare evasion. This program will use high-tech glass gates with alarm systems that activate when someone tries to access the transit platform without paying. 20 gates will be installed, for a cost of about $1 million. Cashiers generally make notes on the amount of fare evasion that occurs daily, but this new system will provide more accurate data. The agency estimates to be losing approximately $30-$40 million per year from fare evasion.
WHYY: Delaware has seen a 16% decrease in traffic deaths – In 2022 Delaware saw a spike in traffic fatalities, but in 2023 this declined by 16%. There were 137 fatalities in 2023 compared to 164 in 2022. Even since the beginning of 2024, there continued to be a decline in the number of fatalities compared to 2023. This decline varies across the different types of traffic fatalities. Importantly, among vulnerable road users, the state has seen a 50% decrease in bicyclist fatalities and a 42% decrease in pedestrian fatalities. Delaware’s Office of Highway Safety is focused on achieving Vision Zero.
Other Stories
Transportation Today: EPA finalizes strict greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty vehicles
BillyPenn: Here we go again: I-95 shut down after bridge hit by oversized truck
CBS News: Unused “T” lines could be revived during massive improvement project
The Inquirer: A viral tweet caused $10,000 in SEPTA merch sales — in one day
Transportation Today: FTA announces $17.6M to help communities add affordable housing near public transit
