Quote:
Originally Posted by Skintreesnail
Well, I did add the caveat that my post was exaggerated to some degree, but SEPTA is nothing like what it can and should be. Just because something is better than it was 40 or so years ago shouldn’t give them a pass. They are still low performing in many areas compared to other peer cities (train headways, on-time performance of all modes, etc.). And the fact that they are finally coming into the 21st century (or attempting to) is no cause to celebrate. They do have some good plans on the board (bus system redesign, trolley modernization, NHSL spur) but the amount of capital required for these changes lead me to question whether they’ll get it done. A lot of the issues can be attributed to the fact that they are constantly battling to obtain any sort of steady stream of funding and the fact that they are constantly threatening to cut service is a symptom of this. I believe that public transportation is an essential service and needs to be publicly supported without any BS about trying to make it privatized or self-sufficient.
So, the wealth of potholes and crumbling infrastructure I see first-hand is all in my head? Since Nutter left office, I’ve observed a notable decrease in the quality of our infrastructure. But that must be all in my head as well. I voted for Kenny and had high hopes he would walk the walk. I’m for the soda tax, but I really haven’t seen any tangible benefit from it. If you have examples, by all means let me know.
I don’t hate Kenney, just very disappointed. He’s platformed on things he just hasn’t delivered. Not sure where the 2-3 years figure fits in. He’s been in office for almost 5. Granted, COVID has thrown a wrench in things, so I’ll give you 4. 4 years should be enough time to address this stuff, otherwise why platform on anything at all if you can’t do anything in one term. And if that is the reality, then platform on gutting the bureaucracy that’s standing in the way of getting this stuff done.
|
At no point did I mention giving SEPTA a pass. I said it has improved in virtually every aspect over the past 10-15 years and I also said they have only had a long overdue influx of funding for 6 years. They also did a lot with the stimulus money they got from Obama as part of the ARRA. You offered up SEPTA as one of the examples of stagnation and low standards and I was merely pointing out that by objective measures SEPTA is trending upwards, largely due to getting more capital money. Headways are not a mark of how well a transit agency is run, that is a reflection of many factors such as ridership, # of vehicles, line capacity, funding, safety regulations etc. For example, the EL cannot run tighter headways than it does at rush hour based on # of vehicles, signaling and other factors. Someone may see a crowded MFL train (pre-COVID) when they are already running 4 min headways and say the fact that crowding exists means there must be mismanagement but that is merely a reflection of constrained supply and elevated demand for the El.
SEPTA is not constantly threatening to cut service, they did in 2012 and 2013 to make the valid case that their capital funding was woefully inadequate and recently they have warned that if PA doesn't come up with long term solution to the turnpike funding debacle cuts may become necessary. That is just reality.
It seems that in the minds of some, other cities and their respective agencies have zero problems. WMATA is far newer than SEPTA and has had MAJOR issues with safety, governance, deferred maintenance, service, etc. It looks much better than SEPTA but it hasn't been managed any better, in fact many would argue it was run worse which led to major shakeups and leadership changes. People in NYC dont feel MTA has been well run no matter how much folks here would likely claim it's running circles around SEPTA. There is no point in comparing smaller, newer systems in the south and west with SEPTA. Basically apples and oranges when you consider some of SEPTA's infrastructure (which was inherited in shitty condition) dates back to the 19th century.