Philadelphia Transportation Thread

[Aether]

^^ Im terrified of the consequences SEPTA and the region could face because of petty politics, im dependent on septa, both regional rail and the buses. I have family and friends who use it regularly. The impacts this could have are terrifying.
I hope they can get some temporary funding to keep SEPTA afloat until the next session but im doubtful they will get anything

[Bonsai Tree]

I'm not optimistic at all. I think it speaks to a broader lack of care for government services in Philly in general. Nobody in power seems to care if everything goes to shit

[electricron]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

More funding for SEPTA unlikely this year thanks to deep conflicts over gaming expansion

Did you read any of your earlier linked news article?
Here's an important paragraph contained within,
"In his 2024 budget proposal, Shapiro pitched a 42% tax on daily gross revenue from skill games, which he estimated would yield about $150.4 million for the state in the next fiscal year, and grow thereafter. He also proposed a $1.5 billion increase in state funding for public transit over the next five years."

Do you know what $1.5 Billion divided by 5 years is? It's $300 million.
So a proposed tax that will generate $150 million per year is going to fully fund a $300 million per year expenditure. The expenditure is set in stone, but the proposed tax is not. It could collect more, it could collect less. Taxing something at 42% is most likely going to reduce the demand for that activity. They never consider any reverse consequences of their actions.

When politicians including governors fall 50% short of funding their pet projects, some wonder why that project is declined? Why?

They worded the press release in favor of the tax and expenditure in different ways, one per year and the other over 5 years. They think many of us are so stupid and lazy that we can't or won't do the math.

As for financing Septa far into the future, finding a dedicated funding source is a good idea. Additionally, raising fares to match inflation is also a good idea. Having a government that takes steps to reduce inflation is also a good idea. Then fares and taxes will not need to be raised as much.

[Broadcastthatboom]

I'm just thinking about all the tax and revenue we're missing from legalizing weed that's instead funneled into NJ...

[Delthayre]

SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards will step down, effective November 29th, 2024.

In case it was not obvious, despite the nicety of describing this as Mrs Richards, "resigning," the SEPTA board has fired her. The proximate cause is probably the failure of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass new funding for transit authorities. Chief Operating Officer Scott Sauer will serve as interim interim general manager until a permanent successor is chosen.

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by Delthayre

SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards will step down, effective November 29th, 2024.

In case it was not obvious, despite the nicety of describing this as Mrs Richards, "resigning," the SEPTA board has fired her.

I don’t know about that, considering that the same board gave her a hefty raise and a new 4-year contract last year, as the Inquirer reports:

Last year, Richards was awarded by SEPTA’s board with a new four-year contract and a 21% raise, increasing her salary to $425,000.

https://www.inquirer.com/transportat...-20241024.html

[TempleGuy1000]

yeah, this is awful news that she quit at this moment

[Delthayre]

Originally Posted by Jayfar

I don’t know about that, considering that the same board gave her a hefty raise and a new 4-year contract last year, as the Inquirer reports:

Last year, Richards was awarded by SEPTA’s board with a new four-year contract and a 21% raise, increasing her salary to $425,000.

https://www.inquirer.com/transportat...-20241024.html

It's an insane decisions to defenestrate your General Manager a year and a half after giving her a new contract and a raise as well as two weeks before the contract with your largest union is set to expire, but I feel pretty confident that she was, in effect, fired. The abruptness of it, that no permanent replacement is ready and and my general appreciation of what, 'resign," means in large public sector institutions make it seem likely that this was the fulfillment of acrimonious and unhappy circumstances. I suspect that the proximate cause was that the Pennsylvania Senate adjourned without voting upon any bills on Wednesday, the 23rd, despite the House of Representatives having passed a transit funding bill, which the Board might have seen as a final failure by General Manager Richards to demonstrate valuable political skills and connections. I hate to effectively say, "trust me, bro," but I also know some SEPTA employees and the consensus among them is that relations between the Board and Leslie Richards have been bad for a while, culminating in the Board terminating her.