Pennsylvanians are driving less

Timesonline.com: "“In Pennsylvania, driving miles are down, just as they are in almost every state — only more,” said Ashley Afranie-Sakyi of PennPIRG. “It’s time for policy makers to wake up and realize the driving boom is over. We need to reconsider expensive highway expansions and focus on alternatives such as public transit and biking, which people increasingly use to get around.”"

Want to live #carfree? Try Philadelphia

Credit: Kyle Gradinger on Flickr

Next City: "Philly has the highest rate of bike commuting of the 10 largest U.S. cities, with bicycle mode share twice as high as that of the next-best city, Chicago. Neighborhoods in Center City and South Philly are in the same league as all-stars like Portland and Minneapolis for bicycle ridership. With bike share allegedly rolling out next year, and car share networks gaining popularity, it’s only going to get easier and more convenient to live car-free."

Bucks county free connection to Septa trains with employer membership

Information: "The fare is $1.00 per trip.  SEPTA Trail and Trans passes are also valid on rushbus shuttles.  Additionally, if your employer is a member of TMA Bucks, you are entitled to ride the rushbus that services your employer FREE of charge.  Ask your supervisor or human resources department if you aren't sure whether or not your company is a member of TMA Bucks."

Pennsylvania being bankrupted by private auto costs, GOP solution? Cut #publictransit

Pa. GOP to propose another transportation-funding plan: "An advisory panel Corbett created in 2011 reported that transportation needs outstripped available funding in Pennsylvania by more than $3.5 billion a year."

#Climatechange interferes with golf. Oh my!

Tornado watch, more heavy rain in Philly area today: "The tornado watch comes after downpours today have snarled traffic, disrupted public transit, caused airport delays and halted practice rounds at the U.S. Open. The tornado and flood alerts are also just days after Tropical Storm Andrea brought record rainfall to the Philadelphia region."

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They have stopped ignoring and ridiculing #freetransit, now they are fighting it. Here's their latest.

With 19,000 readers a month, the U.S. based #freetransit blog network is making great progress in getting out the word. What is the word? Free. Free is cheaper than charging fares.

The case has been made thoroughly by many people and we have tried to link to them all. Here is the argument in a nutshell. If you look at the big, real, economic picture, there are so many deferred costs, direct subsidies, and damages done by the autosprawl system, that the pitiable few coins in the farebox are negligible compared to the benefits of breaking the critical mass the of the auto-system, something only free buses (or mother nature) can accomplish.

So how are the oil-auto-and-sprawl profiteers responding to the message of "free is cheaper?" They are framing the discussion in accounting terms. They write longs posts comparing things like price of fare and elasticity to sound like economics. But they want to lock us into accounting thinking. Don't fall for it.

Oh, and in case they claim microeconomics? Public investment is not a business. But some principles apply. Charging fares reduces return on investment by raising variable unit costs against fixed. 

Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. parklet. Awesome. 很好

Cars choking Philadelphia

Will I-95 always be a rush-hour highway to hell? - Philly.com: "The annual cost to the region from rush-hour traffic jams is more than $3 billion, according to a 2012 report by the Texas A&M University Transportation Institute, which has measured congestion impact nationally since 1982.

The rush-hour jams cost individual commuters more than $1,000 a year, and cause the release of 1.5 billion pounds of excess carbon dioxide and the consumption of more than 75 million gallons of fuel, the report said.

...Completion of the current interchange reconstruction is expected in 2015, but additional phases of the I-95 rebuild, which will end up costing a total of $1 billion, will continue into 2020."

In Tallinn, Estonia, #freetransit is as much about freedom as money

Chambersburg Public Opinion: ""It gives you freedom," said Tulp, as she boarded a bus on her way home to a suburb of Tallinn. "It's not just money.""

SEPTA invests millions to continue rationing service

SEPTA riders face big changes starting July 1: "More than 200 high-tech vending machines will be installed in subway stations and bus terminals to sell the new smart cards, as well as one-day magnetic-strip tickets for occasional riders.

"We will have to do a huge outreach on all this," acknowledged chief financial officer Richard Burnfield. "It's going to take a lot of education, marketing, and information about the new changes that are coming.""

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Groundbreaking set for $26M transit center | Lehigh Valley Business

Groundbreaking set for $26M transit center | Lehigh Valley Business: "After more than a decade of speculation, actual construction for Easton’s $26 million transportation center project starts next month, with a groundbreaking ceremony near the end of March, according to the city’s mayor."

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Lebanon, Pa, free transit Tuesdays

Lebanon Transit encourages residents to 'Break up with your car' - abc27 WHTM: "Lebanon Transit is offering an incentive for new riders -- a free round trip ticket for any route, any Tuesday, between now and the end of June. There is an also an incentive for current riders.

"For the commuters that are already using us and are encouraging their friends to get on the bus, they can also go online at and register for a $100 Visa gift card," said Giurintano.

It will give new riders a chance to experience the benefits of public transportation, in hopes that they will become regular riders."

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