The Hub 9/15/2023: 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.
The Inquirer: $3 SEPTA fares and dramatic service cuts loom as the agency lobbies for more state money – Transit riders should brace for SEPTA’s fare increase and service cuts if the state doesn’t provide more funding for public transit. More funding will help the agency to maintain services as SEPTA projects a $240 million annual deficit starting July 2024 after the federal pandemic aid for transit systems runs out. Transit executives from Pittsburgh and other agencies serving rural areas also need stable funding from the state in order to maintain services. To prevent this from happening Transit for All PA advocates created a petition to ask legislators to expand funding for transit.
PhillyVoice: Construction to add protected bike lane on Walnut Street will start this week – On Tuesday, construction crews began work on a project that will make Walnut St. between 33rd and 63rd streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and all road users. This project will improve road safety with the installations of new crosswalks, and a protected bike lane. This project will also include painted ‘bump outs’ to reduce crossing distance to protect pedestrians.
BillyPenn: Connecting the gaps in Philadelphia’s river trails: What’s open now, and what’s planned for the future – Philadelphia’s river trails are not fully connected. There are numerous aspects to building a trail such as land acquisition and structural issues which feed into gaps along these trails. Various sections of the Schuylkill and Delaware River Trail are under construction to install new infrastructure such as a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the Schuylkill and to help connect the gaps.
Other Stories
PhillyVoice: Vision of greener, more walkable Ben Franklin Parkway – with no outer lanes – released by city
The Inquirer: Learn about SEPTA’s new bus routes at one of these public meetings
Planetizen: How to Reduce Excess Vehicle Travel
Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh Regional Transit budget still treading water
The Conversation: Why we must address the interconnected harms to people, animals and ecosystem in train derailments
