The Hub 8/4/2023: 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 launched the 4th round of their Public Space Enhancement Mini-grant Program. Applications open now through October 9th at 11:59 pm.
Billy Penn: Fishtown neighbors banish sidewalk parking at rec center, putting PPA’s new quality-of-life emphasis to the test – Illegal parking on sidewalks has been a major problem in Fishtown and many other neighborhoods for years. But due to the recent emphasis on quality of life issues by the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), and Fishtown residents making constant reports of illegal parking on social media and to local officials, something is finally being done about it in front of one recreation center. PPA is now making daily stops at Fishtown’s Shissler Recreation Center to ticket violators illegally parking on sidewalks. With this increased enforcement, now the sidewalks at the recreation center are clear.
The Inquirer: Students at this local college can now ride SEPTA for free – Swarthmore College is the first higher education institution to participate in SEPTA’s UPass, which is open to any school/university in Philadelphia, and is an extension to the Key Advantage Program. Approximately 1,600 full time students at Swarthmore college can ride SEPTA for free this semester. The agency hopes that this will encourage students to use SEPTA more and even in their careers after school. This will help to boost ridership for the agency, which has remained below pre-pandemic levels.
Metro Philadelphia: SEPTA ups safety reminders, considers training changes in response to crashes – Recently, SEPTA experienced 5 crashes of buses and trolleys in one week. This series of crashes resulted in an unscheduled “safety stand-down” where officers conducted training with employees. SEPTA is also considering implementing changes to its safety curriculum following these recent crashes. For the first half of the year SEPTA vehicles were involved in 884 crashes – including all minor incidents – which is 42% lower than the same time last year. Despite the decrease overall, the recent spike of serious crashes is concerning and needs to be investigated completely.
Other Stories
The Washington Post: States siphoned away $750 million in infrastructure law climate funds
The Inquirer: What to look for in a bike shop when getting ready to hit the road
WHYY: Trenton’s Route 29 Boulevard Project takes a step forward
Streetsblog USA: Study: Most US Cyclists Say They’d Move To Cities That Offered to Buy Them E-Bikes
WHYY: Delaware Memorial Bridge gets a $93 million upgrade to protect against ship collision
