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Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar
hammer, I never expanded on my notion of higher capacity BRT connecting to currently existing rapid transit - I do indeed picture it on major arteries. I picture it as a happy medium between the infrastructure that should be there and improving the transit options that do exist wherever it would be installed. The choices for streets gets dicier the closer you get to Center City, obviously, but that's not the idea. Swiftly and efficienty moving people from a rapid transit stop to another destination is the important part of the equation that's lacking with SEPTA as it is now.
To be clear, I don't have a problem with trolleybuses. I just don't have faith that the additional infrastructure wouldn't be seen as an impediment to whomever seems to plan things around here. Anything that involves more than tires on asphalt seems to scare the hell out of the people with the money and the authority for laying out Philadelphia's transit network.
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As a Bucks-Co-ian, I think a better use of money would be to simply improve the feeders to the existing subway and the subway itself. Keep in mind, both the MFL and BSS combined have less ridership than Atlanta's subway. Not to diss ATL, but when such a car-centric city passes you on heavy rail ridership like that, there is a serious problem. Brining back old trolleys on the 60, 56, 29, 79, 3, 18, 6, 52, etc would go a long way into making the subway more generally accessable. You're never going to get a subway dug under any of the numbered streets anyway for numerous reasons....
I live out in Langhorne, and while I feel the pain of CTD riders, it would be nice if SEPTA would actually make a half decent attempt at trying to provide transit service out here. Montgomery and Bucks Co service is woeful (Delaware Co is somewhat better) and Chester's is non-existant. Regional Rail is okay but could be more frequent.
But issue #1 is actually providing safe and reliable service. The subway beatings last year set SEPTA's public image back a couple milleniums among those who don't ride, and simply confirmed the attitudes of those at 1234 Market for those who do (like yours truly). I can't tell you how wonderful it is to go up to a token clerk to ask for a schedule and get drama becuase you had the audacity to ask her to do her f--king job. This attitude is rampant among the front end workers. Taking some NYer friends on the BSS is an embarresment. 15 minutes btw trains on a midday? Trains in Manhattan run more frequent at 2am
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Sorry for the rant, I rather ride than drive, but SEPTA is a sewer. Let us not lie to ourselves....