February 10-16, 2005

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Fare Treatment

City Paper's Jan. 27 "Let's Go" cover package on ways to revamp, refuel and renew SEPTA garnered a litany of responses. Here's what Philadelphians had to say about the public transportation system:

While it would be easy to sit back and criticize SEPTA's shortcomings, you took the initiative and offered legitimate and possible solutions. Your article brings hope and a spirit of optimism to the beleaguered aspect of Philadelphia life. The article certainly should be circulated to our legislature as well as SEPTA's board.
Jonathan Stanwood
Philadelphia

Government officials should be ashamed to have such a disgusting, incompetent public transportation system in a major city in the Northeast Corridor. If just five of your recommendations are accepted, my life each day will be improved.
Erin Norton
West Philadelphia

As paying riders, it only makes sense that we should have a say in the proposals for improved service. To that end, why don't we make sure that City Hall, Harrisburg and SEPTA have a generous supply of something that serves everyone in Philadelphia and the surrounding region, and that is provided free to its users: something in the venue of, say, Philadelphia City Paper. In fact, we ought to do a Christo with this outstanding issue and wrap City Hall, Harrisburg and SEPTA in it.
Seth Jerchower
Wynnefield Heights

A real change needs to begin with SEPTA's attitude toward its customers. These "YOUR WORLD IS GETTING SMALLER" postings and fare-hike threats bully the very people that actually depend and care about SEPTA. You cannot gain new ridership if you alienate the ones you already have. Many of us care about SEPTA, we just wish SEPTA would care about us.
Dave DiGiovanni
Roxborough

As an avid user of public transit, I worry that your article may not have been as well received as it could have. Some of the suggestions you made desperately needed to be brought to the attention of the public: spreading out stops, token/ticket machines that take plastic at every stop (how about a MetroCard system!?), and a real subway system, to name a few. I applaud you for pointing out the importance of the issue. However, some of the suggestions imply a lack of serious financial consideration. Nowhere did your article mention eliminating unnecessary bus service in Center City. With an effective subway system, many of these routes could be eliminated, or at least significantly decreased. Did you really suggest that SEPTA run buses in New Jersey? Let Jersey run their own buses!
Frank Pater
Fishtown

I've been concerned with SEPTA for a very long time. There are now some noticeable improvements and service related changes, such as the newer low buses; refurbishing abandoned trolley car networks, tracks and overhead power lines, for the return of this grand vehicle; increased uniformed police; more maintenance and the new Frankford Transportation Center.

But much more can be done and some of this burden rests with its riders. I cannot understand why people just bottleneck the front of buses when there is ample room midway. Bulging backpacks add to this inconvenience. Take them off! Your backpacks did not pay for a seat.

You have your right to "free speech," no matter how offensive, but fellow riders also have a right not to hear profanity.
W.M. Donald McNeal Jr.
Port Richmond

(McNeal also enclosed a 12-point plan to improve SEPTA that included a $1 flat fare, true round-the-clock service, installing video monitors on troublesome routes, eliminating transfers and the firing of the present SEPTA "regime.")

You neglected the most obvious options, trams and rail. At one time, Philadelphia had a pretty extensive trolley-car system. These tracks are rarely used in Center City. There are few trolley lines running outside the city. The trolley is efficient for travelers and discourage cars and the bad parking practices seen in Philadelphia.

The most salient point was made by Adrienne Saunders, which is that the rail system needs to think beyond just Pennsylvania. Washington, D.C.'s WMATA is regional and serves three jurisdictions, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. London and New York both created their transportation systems by linking different lines to form a unified system.

It's silly that a city like Philadelphia has a public transportation system that is outdated by 20th-century standards. SEPTA, get with it and join the 21st century.
Michael Bannerman
Rittenhouse Square

You had a lot of good ideas, but to make WMATA in D.C. sound grand? Your writers should have thought to compare the two systems. Having recently moved back to my hometown from the D.C. area, I would like to clear the air.

First, the Metro system in D.C. does not go everywhere. Heck, there is a big international airport but no public transportation to get there. Can you get to Georgetown, Waldorf, Southern Alexandria, and Leesburg via Metro? Not a chance.

Second, the fares. Your article stated that the fare starts at $1.35. But how many riders pay $1.35 to use the Metro? Hardly any, unless you are going crosstown in D.C. If you live in the suburbs, you may pay as much as $3.50 one-way, and even higher fares during their so-called "rush hour," which by the way has been extended slowly but surely over the years, as well as increases in fares. And I won't even get into their new parking lot charge scheme, which is a total rip-off for tourists.
Ray Kerstetter
Mayfair

My only objection was to idea #11: "Rename the damned thing." SEPTA is a great name, not only because it is an easily pronounceable acronym, but because septa is also the plural of the Latin term septum, which means literally "something that encloses." The word is used most often in medical terminology to name something dividing two cavities, like the septum nasi, which divides the nostrils. Renaming SEPTA would deprive us all of the delicious irony of a transit system, which should unite the city, being named after something that's only use is to divide.
Kyle Sammin
Fox Chase

SEPTA is a mess that beats down on city dwellers more than their suburban counterparts because we depend on it so much more. One of the points you made about their Web site not knowing how to plan a trip brought to mind a nifty little program for a Palm Pilot or PocketPC called Metro. This is a subway navigator program and it has modules for many different cities all over the world. OK, I'm a little biased because I helped write the Philadelphia database, but it still is a nifty tool even if it won't help you figure out bus routes. (Trolleys are in it, though). Check it out at: http://surf.to/metro.
J. Scott Clinton
West Philadelphia

The idea of bringing the subway to other areas of the city isn't a new one. In fact, a plan from 1913 was proposed that would have brought subway and elevated lines to every part of town, including areas that have been long in need for service. Lack of political "balls" resulted in only the Broad Street Subway and the Frankford Elevated being built.

In more recent times, there have been proposals for service along Roosevelt Boulevard and to Manayunk, the latter as part of SEPTA's Schuylkill Valley project. However, the Manayunk proposal died, and the Roosevelt Boulevard proposal is currently in limbo. As far as the main mission of SEPTA, to bring changes will require both dependable funding and a change in SEPTA's governance structure from the top down.
Michael T. Greene
South Philadelphia

Book 'Em

On behalf of the librarians at the Free Library of Philadelphia, I would like to thank you for focusing much-needed attention on the security problems that still endanger our colleagues and patrons [News, "Safety Check," Jonas Raab and Cory Frolik, Jan. 27, 2005]. The people of Philadelphia should be appalled that it will take until June (and maybe longer) for the library to develop a disciplinary system for handling potentially dangerous customers. Following last February's attack at the Independence Branch, guidelines should have been approved within weeks.

A glaring example of why these guidelines are needed right now is the Oct. 27, 2004 attack of a librarian at the Queen Memorial Branch by three delinquents. Neither I nor the librarians I work with know who these three people are, what they look like or how long they have been banned from the library. They could walk into just about any branch in the city today, and no one would know about their history or the threat to public safety they present. There are many other banned patrons just like them that present the same threat. We hope the people of Philadelphia will agree with our position and demand that the Free Library take action immediately.
Allen Merry
Executive Board Liaison, Local 2187

Jailhouse Knock

The West Philly community has been hoodwinked and bamboozled again. The city, without the active participation of, or very little from, that community, is allowing a juvenile detention facility to be constructed at 48th and Haverford [News, "You've Got Jail," Doron Taussig, Jan. 20, 2005]. Was it surreptitiously processed? Yes, because poor people are not consulted when projects like this are going to be placed into their communities.
Larry Hunt
Mt. Airy

Smoke Scream

No smoking in bars? [Food, "Pack Mentality," Juliet Fletcher, Jan. 20, 2005] Nothing like washing down a newly re-enlisted (I hesitate to say re-elected) fascist government with some good, old-fashioned prohibition laws. You already have the Patriot Act, how much more control do you want? No smoking in bars? Are [City Councilman Michael] Nutter's nuts that tightly twisted he can't let folks blow a little smoke with a couple of beers? And frankly who cares what they're doing in New York and Los Angeles, this is Philly! Since when do we let those yuppie-infested cities lead us around by the nose? Let the owner of Bridgid's open a day care, and leave the bars to the real bar owners, like [the owners of] Dirty Frank's, Fergie's and Doobie's.

We smokers have to vow to protect the beautiful little ashtrays of Philadelphia, and tell them so when we see them that we won't let them down.
C.A. Conrad
Center City