Hundreds of billions of dollars are going to coming from the federal government to states and cities for infrastructure spending in the next year.
Are we prepared in our region to seek it and spend it wisely?
Preparation here means two things:
1. Do we have plans ready to go? The states and regions that are ready with plans to spend more money are likely to be funded first. And even in this climate, the money available is not infinite so the sooner we are funded, the more money we are likely to receive.
2. Do we have plans that make sense? Will our plans lead to more development in the built up parts of our region and less suburban sprawl? Will they lead to more walkable communities in our region, the reinvigoration of our commercial corridors, and pmore transit oriented development? Will they lead to fewer strip malls and low density housing projects? Will they build on the incredible potential of our existing transit infrastructure? Or will they create a lot of new roads?
The list of projects that might meet the criteria of smart development has been discussed extensively here and elsehwhere.
They start with using our rail system more intensively and running trains more frequently and later into the night and adding wi-fi service on them. They continue with a more innovative renovation of our rail system that would transform it into a modified light rail system. This would make it possible to run trains every fifteen minutes, open more stations in the city and run express trains out to the suburbs.
Similar proposals could be made for our bus system. We should start with adding buses and extending service. But then we should start thinking about dedicated busways that would speed up service and make the system more attractive to more people.
And then there are the grander projects, such as the expansion of the Broad Street line up the Roosevelt Boulevard and to the Naval Yard. The expansion up the Boulevard has been studied extensively and would be likely to draw a huge number of riders.
Or we could create the first smart bus system on this side of the Atlanit, one that ties the GPS systems on our buses to computer mapping systems and allow our buses to run flexible routes that pick people up and drop them off a few blocks from their homes.
Or an even deeper reconsideration of regional rail might lead us to propose dual mode trains of the kind of found in Munich to move people from regional rail lines to some of our still existing trolley lines. For example, if we can’t reopen the entire 23 trolley, can we at least run it through Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy and then connect the trolley line to the R8 line by running it down Pelham Road to Upsal station?
And all of this requires, of course, an electronic fare system.
SEPTA is a revived agency under its new general manager Joe Casey. But the kind of innovation I’m talking about here can’t come from SEPTA alone. It requires leadership from the political class, that is from the County Commissioners and, of course from the City of Philadelphia.
I’ve heard rumors of serious transit planning going on. The DVRPC has been holding planning meetings around the region which I’ve not been able to attend because my work on health care takes me out of the region. So far most of this has happened under the radar of public attention.
Under the radar preparation is good as lots of technical work needs to take place in order to evaluate the various proposals. However we need a larger effort to involve the public in the planning process. Bold, creative ideas are as likely to be found outside our transit agencies as inside them. And the investments that would really make a difference in this region are going to require a great deal of public support if only because we will eventually need some local matching money in the form of a regional transit tax to maximize the federal dollars on which we draw.
So let’s hope that there is some serious planning going on; that is bold and innovative; and that it will soon become the object of much more public discussion and debate.