Shuttle buses will replace Route 34 Trolley on Sunday, Jan. 25, due to overhead wire work, SEPTA has announced. Shuttle bus operation will begin at 2 a.m. Sunday and will continue throughout the day, until the end of service.

SEPTA has posted the following advisory for the route:

Westbound Service (towards 61st St. & Baltimore Ave.):

Customers should board Trolleys in the Tunnel and transfer to the Route 34 Shuttle Bus at 40th St. Portal for service towards 61st St. and Baltimore Ave.

Eastbound Service (towards 13th & Market Sts.):

Customers should exit the Route 34 Shuttle Bus at 40th St. Portal and transfer to Trolleys for service towards 13th & Market Sts.

Visit SEPTA’s Facebook page and vote for your favorite “gift-wrapped” vehicle. This photo was taken last year.

Forget Black Friday and the lighting of the Christmas tree at City Hall. In West Philly, the holiday season doesn’t really get underway until a trolley gets jolly.

Keep an eye out on routes 10, 11, 13, 15, 34 and 36 for four trolleys that will be decked out in their holiday finest – lights, tinsel, garland etc.

A handful of SEPTA trolley drivers decided to dress up their rigs to add a little cheer to that chilly commute. There will be two on the 11, 13, 34 or 36 routes and one on the 10 and 15 lines. The drivers responsible include Gary Mason, Fred Garmon, Dave Musgrave, and Deina McLaughlin and Denita Birton (Deina’s sister). So if you feel the need to bring glad tidings on the trolley with you, those are the folks to thank.

Click to enlarge.

The annual Philadelphia Marathon returns this weekend, with thousands of runners participating in the event and many guests visiting the city. Good luck to anyone who is running!

The event brings a lot of excitement to the streets, but also means road closures, delays and detours. During the three-day event, which also includes the Rothman Institute 8K and Kids Fun Run on Saturday, motorists are advised to use alternate routes and avoid areas along the race course. There will be increased security in the Benjamin Franklin Parkway area, with parking and traffic regulations strictly enforced.

Major areas impacted during the Marathon weekend include:

• The Benjamin Franklin Parkway – Friday, Nov 21 through Sunday, Nov 23
• Citywide along the 26.2-mile route of the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, Nov 23 (see map)
• The I-676 off-ramps at 22nd Street (westbound) and 23rd Street (eastbound) will be closed on Sunday, Nov 23 after 4 a.m. for event security preparation.

Motorists and pedestrians can expect significant delays when trying to cross roads or streets that are adjacent to the course. Police will allow traffic through intersections along the course, when possible, depending on the flow of the race participants. All streets are scheduled to be reopened by 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov 23.  Continue Reading

Good news for local late-night public transportation users. SEPTA is extending again its pilot “Night Owl” weekend subway service on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines, this time indefinitely. The service was introduced in June, prompted by the changing city, and initially it was planned to try it until Labor Day and evaluate it. Then it was extended until November and now SEPTA says that the service is so popular that it’s staying for an indefinite time.

Here’s some stats from SEPTA regarding the popularity of this service:

– An average of 15,000 riders each weekend have boarded trains between midnight and 5:00 a.m. since June 15. That’s 6,000 riders more than those who previously used overnight bus service.

– Weekend overnight train service has been most popular during holiday weekends (24,430 riders on July 4; 17,192 passengers over Labor Day weekend).

According to SEPTA, passenger safety was also evaluated during the pilot. Issues have been minimal, due to an increased police presence on overnight trains.

The sidewalk logo in front of the Supremo market on Walnut between 43rd and 44th.

The city is gearing up for bike share – set to begin in the spring –  and is asking the public where stations should be placed.

You may have seen the sidewalk decals in front of, for example, the Supremo supermarket at 43rd and Walnut. The Green Line Café at 43rd and Baltimore is also a possible spot. Unfortunately, there are no proposed stations further west than 43rd Street, according to an online map at phillybikeshare.com. Bicycle Transit Systems will manage the program.

One way to comment on proposed stations, is to go to phillybikeshare.com and click on a station icon and leave comments. You can also text a “yes” or a “no” to 215-987-6034 and enter the station code you see on the sidewalk decals (the one at Supremo is no. 42). Comments are accepted until Oct. 20, 2014.

The stations will be just over 6 feet wide and between 45 and 75 feet long. Most will be about 60 feet long and hold 20 bikes.

Here are the site requirements, according to the web page:

• Stations must be placed on hard surfaces (e.g., concrete, asphalt, brick, pavers). No grass or landscaped areas.
• If on a sidewalk, the sidewalk must be at least 13′ wide to maintain clear space for pedestrians.
• Stations should receive sunlight for around 6 hours a day (to fuel the solar-powered kiosks).
• Stations must be visible and accessible from the sidewalk.

Click on the image to go to the map.

The Spring Garden Street on-ramp to I-76 West will close on Monday, Sept 22 until the beginning of December for repairs and construction work. PennDOT is planning to replace expansion joints, widen the bridge deck, and install concrete barriers during this time. Watch out for detour signs that will take passenger vehicles over Spring Garden Street, 33rd Street, Mantua Street, 34th Street and Girard Avenue to access the Girard Avenue ramp to I-76 West.

The Spring Garden St/I-76 West ramp repair is part of PennDOT’s $6.6 million project to rehabilitate the two deteriorating Spring Garden Street bridges over Interstate 76, Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Schuylkill River and the Schuylkill River Trail. The project is expected to complete in summer 2015.