Congrats to Philadelphia
Magazine for its (for Philadelphia) bold cover story, “The Revolution Will
Not Be Motorized: 20 smart transportation ideas reshaping the city” (available
here).
I have to say “for Philadelphia” because the Quaker City,
for all its many charms, assets, and opportunities, tends to have bad habits of
defeatism, self-doubt, and thinking small.
These 20 ideas, if implemented, would go a long way toward
realizing the city’s potential. However,
although I like a lot of these ideas, most of them are more about cleaning up
20th century loose ends than envisioning 21st century
opportunities.
Some are pretty obvious, such replacing the antiquated
transit token system with modern farecards (#9).
Also obvious – but expensive – is #5, building the currently
planned transit extensions: Norristown High-Speed Line to King of Prussia (a
Tysons-type land use and transit opportunity), Broad Street Line to the Navy
Yard (should have happened years ago), and a new BRT line along the Roosevelt
Boulevard. Although the article
calls these “massive” transit expansions – and they are certainly expensive –
they are really filling in some gaps more than transforming the system.
One of my favorites is #4, build a new Blue Line station at
22nd Street, the heart of new office construction in center
city. (Why this never happened in
the past is a mystery to me.)
One missing idea: a better Northeast Corridor high-speed
link. The possibility of a new
tunnel for a center city station needs to get serious consideration.
Another missing idea: connecting up the existing transit
network. At a distance, the
transit map looks like there is a real network, but if you get up close – or
explore it on the ground – you will find lots of dotted lines and inconvenient
transfers.
But enough quibbling.
Congratulations to Philadelphia
Magazine for expanding the imagination of its readers as to how
transportation can enable the long overdue flowering of the city’s greatness.
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