"COMMUNITIES IN MOTION" ... WELL, A FEW, ANYWAY

SEPTA's latest attempt to promote public transportation - Communities in Motion week, which essentially replaces what was once known as "Try Transit Week" - seems to be sending mixed messages. SEPTA's web site states the following:

SEPTA will host a variety of events throughout our five-county service region, including rider appreciation events at selected locations in every county.

Fine. Except the only events listed are as follows:

Tuesday, 14 Oct: SEPTA and the TMA of Delaware County (sic) will unveil a mobile information center at Government Hall. Delaware County will also present a proclamation recognizing Communities in Motion

This event takes place at Media Courthouse at 10:00am.

Wednesday, 15 Oct: SEPTA and Montgomery County Community College will mark the full implementation of wheelchair accessible bus service to the county

This event takes place at Montgomery County CC's main campus in Whitpain, starting at 10:00am.

Same day: Safety Blitz targeted to local high school students regarding track safety

The safety blitz will take place at the Lansdowne Av trolley station on the 101/Media and 102/Sharon Hill lines, and is geared towards students at Upper Darby, Archbishop Prendegast, and Monsignor Bonner High Schools.

Thursday, 16 Oct: SEPTA will display a hybrid bus, and the first refurbished PCC-II car for the Route 15 Trolley Line scheduled to begin service in 2004.

The display will be at 12 St/Filbert St starting at 10:00am.

And that's it. There are no events listed for Bucks or Chester Counties. Someone should explain to SEPTA's Minister of Mis-Information Richard Maloney that there are 5 counties in the SEPTA operating area, not 3 counties. But...

SEPTA is listing three of it's regularly scheduled SEPTA On Site events as being "in conjunction with APTA" as part of the Communities In Motion events. The three in question are:

Tuesday, 14 Oct: Paoli Rail Station
Wednesday, 15 Oct: Darby Terminal
Thursday, 16 Oct: Cornwells Heights Rail Station

Even though the times for the SEPTA On Site events are longer than usual (6:00am to 10:00am as opposed to the standard 6:30am to 8:30am on the Regional Rail side), that seems like lip service compared to the other events in Media, Drexel Hill, Blue Bell, and Center City.

Besides, SEPTA routinely conducts safety blitzes throughout the system, though many go unpublicized. In fact, there was a safety blitz scheduled for Lansdowne Av which took place not too long after Prendie and Bonner re-opened for the start of the school year. And, SEPTA On Site events take place throughout the year. So, why are these events for this week classified as being part of an overall campaign to promote transit when most of the people targeted are already using SEPTA?

I don't know. Maybe it's just laziness on SEPTA's part...

(And while we're on the subject of SEPTA On Site, how is it that the people who run SEPTA's web site can put the SEPTA On Site schedule in PDF format, but not the route timetables? Would that be too much to ask?)

ROUTE 94 DETOUR

Due to the reconstruction of the Bethlehem Pike bridge over the R5 Lansdale line, the 94 will be detoured off of Bethlehem Pike for the next few months. Both the local and express routings will be on a special detour route during the reconstruction. A special timetable reflecting the detour route will take effect next Monday.