Thursday, July 28, 2011

Transit ridership demand up, so supply will go up too, right?

Despite the region's sluggish economy, SEPTA carried more riders in the last 12 months than it had in any of the 22 previous years.

For the fiscal year that ended June 30, SEPTA's buses, subways, trolleys, and trains had about 334 million passengers, up 4 percent from the previous year and the most since 345 million in fiscal 1989.



Monday, July 25, 2011

Have you had enough junk food and junk transportation yet?

Car crashes into junk-food retailer, ties up traffic for 20 blocks around. How much longer do we want this stupid culture to continue? Let's make transit free in Philly and get rid of the cars at least.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Walkshed Philadelphia | Personal and Precise Walkability Mapping

Walkshed Philadelphia | Personal and Precise Walkability Mapping: "Walkshed uses an advanced methodology to calculate and map walkability. It is the personal research project of Aaron Ogle, a software developer at Azavea in Philadelphia, PA.

While living in Seattle, Aaron became intrigued by Alan Durning of the Sightline Institute and his concept of a 'walkshed' that would score a location based on the quantity and diversity of amenities within a one-mile radius. A year later, Walk Score, which drew heavily from Durning's walkshed concept, became the first application to calculate walkability. Walk Score is a fantastic application with a clever methodology but it also has a number of acknowledged limitations.

Aaron wondered if improvements were possible. So as part of Azavea's 10% research project program, he has developed Walkshed Philadelphia and now Walkshed NY to demonstrate that it is possible to more accurately calculate and map walkability."

Monday, July 4, 2011

Must Love SEPTA: Car-Free in Philadelphia

Must Love SEPTA: Car-Free in Philadelphia: "Philadelphia is lucky to have the transit corridors it already has. They've made the kind of density we enjoy (or at least some of us enjoy) possible. Few cities have demonstrated the courage to build mass transit corridors with a future like Philadelphia in mind.
That's why I may never ever leave. "

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Public Transportation - How you can help - cazort.net

Public Transportation: There are a number of ways you can become involved in public transportation:

  • Become Familiar with Local Systems - Even if you don't frequently use your local transit system, knowing a little bit about how it works can help you answer questions and assist others who may want to use it.
  • Use It - As more people use public transportation, demand will increase and the level of funding and service will increase.
  • Promote It - Speak positively about public transportation. Buy and display gear and branding of your local transit agency.
  • Write and Talk to Key People - By making known to politicians and local business leaders that you value public transportation, you can help increase the public image of transit systems, and make people more likely to provide support.
  • Start a Parternship with a Transit Agency - If you hold a position of power or influence, you might benefit both a transit agency and your own organization by partnering with them. Examples of partnerships include colleges or universities providing some funding to the transit agency, in exchange for free passes for students, faculty and staff, or influence over the routes and schedules. Some businesses offer a program where one can buy monthly transit passes and have the cost deducted from your paycheck--this generates tax savings.