Some great news, folks! No more trolley diversion to 40th and Market Streets as after almost a three-week break the trolley service has resumed in the tunnel. The tunnel was closed for Trolley Tunnel Blitz, a 17-day maintenance and construction project. The trolley diversion during this period caused some traffic delays on 40th Street, especially during rush hours. The tunnel service resumed before the rush hour this morning, according to SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch.
We’re not fully in the transportation clear yet though. Some segments of Spruce Street will be closed this week for Penn students move-in. Here are the dates, times and areas you should avoid:
Thursday, Aug. 21: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Spruce Street between 34th and 38th Streets
Friday, Aug. 22: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Spruce Street between 34th and 38th Streets
Saturday, Aug. 23: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Spruce Street between 38th and 40th Streets
They’re very likely going to ask you to walk your bike along those blocks and, of course, they are closed to vehicle traffic.
Now back to SEPTA news:
The “Night Owl” 24-hour weekend subway service, which is a pilot program, has been extended until November 2. The pilot was initially scheduled to run through Labor Day weekend. The extension will let SEPTA evaluate the service during fall ridership season.
SEPTA has just released a new mobile app for Android users that offers riders a variety of SEPTA travel information. The new app allows you to check your schedule, check for alerts, detours and service advisories on your route, find the location and get real-time information for regional rail trains, find the travel option nearest you, and stay connected with SEPTA. You can download the app on this page.
BTW, a new sign has been spotted on the Route 34 Trolley that reminds riders of seat etiquette:
Bandit campaign of passive aggression continues on @SEPTA_TRL_34 pic.twitter.com/iysOB3k4DL
— Amara Rockar (@arockar) August 18, 2014
August 18th, 2014 at 8:55 pm
I was intrigued when I saw those signs, I can’t imagine they’re effective at all though. I also feel like the listening to music out loud/at extreme volumes with headphones is a more egregious offense than taking up two seats.
August 21st, 2014 at 10:39 am
Market Street: a 6 block detour from my route, has no bikelane for half my ride
Chestnut Street: no bike lane for half my route, a deathtrap where people go 55
Ludlow/Sansom: blind cross streets everywhere with no light
Locust: UPENN FANCY LAND
Spruce Street: totally f*cked with ambulances, people doing U-turns, free for all
Spruce Street Summer: Further f*cked by construction, and UPenn nonsense
South of Spruce Street: There is no south of Spruce Street! It’s UPenn all the way down, son!
Conclusion: Getting REAL TIRED of this “walk your bike” shit
August 22nd, 2014 at 1:10 am
Thank you Trey. I’m pretty tired of the “walk your bike” thing too. What, do they think I’m going to crash into some privileged Penn brat and his rich parents hauling his stuff? Aside from that there are no provisions made for a cyclist to safely go east in Center City.
Another thing, what is it with the idiots parked in front of Wawa at 38th Street? They are clearly in the bike lane. My safe commute is more important than your Wawa fix.
August 22nd, 2014 at 10:19 am
Agree with Trey. I’m new to biking in West Philly and feel trapped west of campus because I can’t figure out a safe and sane route to use to get to the other side. I’m considering Powelton but that seems like a crazy way to get from Locust Street to the South Street Bridge 🙁
August 22nd, 2014 at 12:50 pm
I agree JS. Usually when I bike that way, I bike around the backside of the quad, which spits you out around 35th and spruce, which is pretty close to the bridge and you end up avoiding the most dangerous part of spruce street (38th street intersection). The biking community needs to put pressure on UPENN to create biking routes through the campus. This will ensure the safety of both bikers and pedestrians. The pedestrian spaces in montreal all have specified bike lanes running through them. Bikers are not allowed to bike outside these lanes (at least in these pedestrian zones). This creates a safer space for bikers, since they are not forced onto busy narrow congested streets, but it also puts pedestrians at ease since they know that they will not be hit if they stay out of the designated bike lanes. Maybe someone could create a petition online about this.