IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...

Contract negotiations between SEPTA and TWU 234 are starting, with TWU president Jeff Brooks and Fearless Leader exchanging proposals in Center City yesterday. With SEPTA's ongoing financial crisis, it appears that riders could be looking at the ugliest negotiations since the 1998 labor talks, which resulted in a crippling 40-day strike by City and Frontier workers.

Prior to his sit-down with Fearless Leader, Brooks offered several gripes about SEPTA's management abilities to Dan Geringer of the Philadelphia Daily News (a fully-paid subsidiary of the Democratic National Committee):

“These streets were filled with flourishing businesses,” Brooks said yesterday, looking at the shuttered storefronts and the survivors struggling to make ends meet. “What has happened here is a disaster. This is ridiculous.

“This is SEPTA’s inability to serve the people they’re supposed to serve in this neighborhood,” Brooks said. “Is that based on the racial makeup of this neighborhood or SEPTA’s basic inability to get things done? Do SEPTA project engineers have a time frame for getting this finished, or is it infinite?

“If this was the Northeast, this wouldn’t have happened. The Frankford end of the El was rebuilt in no time compared to this. So why is this happening here?”

Brooks then stood in front of Pyong Kim’s Twin Discount variety store to conduct a press conference about the opening of contract talks with SEPTA.

Kim said he’s had his store on 60th and Market since 1976. Business was fine, he said, until SEPTA’s Market El reconstruction began and killed 75 percent of Kim’s sales.

His wife, who worked in the store, now travels downtown and baby-sits to help make ends meet.

“We are tired of SEPTA pitting the community against us at contract time,” Brooks said, adding that SEPTA management traditionally blames its financial woes on transit workers’ salaries and health benefits.

“We want the public to know that we \[transit workers\] live in these communities. Our mothers and our children stand in the snow waiting for the bus just like the rest of the riding public. We use the same schools, go to the same churches. We are the community, too.”

Brooks said that “united with the riding public,” the TWU would fight for SEPTA reforms such as scheduling enough buses to end overcrowding, safely lit and sheltered bus stands with posted route schedules and emergency call boxes that work, and monitored video cameras on all train platforms. Daily News

JANUARY "RUBBER-STAMP" REPORT: LITTLE TO REPORT

Other than a major change in the delivery date of the 5900-series New Flyers, very little happened at today's "rubber-stamp" session of the SEPTA Board of Directors. The meeting, as is per custom, started 10 minutes late (or 5 minutes early using SEPTA standards). Other than the obigitory reports (or lack thereof) and consent calendar approval, the only noteworthy item was Tom Cooper's comments on the Rendell/Gerlach task force's failure to hold public meetings regarding the future of the $chuylkill Valley rail corridor, which were duly noted by Don Pasquale (who indicated that the project is pretty much out of SEPTA's hands). Other than that, with no reports from either SEPTA's Shyster-in-Chief or from Fearless Leader, the meeting adjourned at 3:17pm. Absent from today's meeting were Chester County representative James Rohn and gubernatorial appointee Denise Smyler; State Sen. Stuart Greenleaf (R-12th), Chester County rep Karen Martynick, and Frank McCartney participated by phone.

The only noteworthy items on the agenda were:

An agreement with PennDOT over the reconstruction of the Lindbergh Blvd bridge in Southwest Philadelphia, which would also replace trackage between 54-Lindbergh and 49-Woodland this summer, resulting in a bus-bridge between Woodland Shop and Penrose Plaza (which should be interesting to see how it will be handled, considering there probably won't be any Neoplans left by that time). The project would bus-titute the 36 between June 19 and September 3. As part of the agreement, PennDOT will reimburse SEPTA a net total in the amount of $215,369.18, which would be applied to the track replacement project.
Several changes to the delivery contract with New Flyer, regarding the 5900-series buses due for delivery in FY 2006. For starters, the 5900s will now sport a Cummins ISL-05 (nee L-10) engine instead of the now discontinued DDC Series 50 engine. Additionally, the 5900s, which were scheduled for delivery starting April 1, 2006 through the end of 2006, will now be delivered starting on August 1, 2005. This will effectively mean the end of the Neoplans as we know it by the end of winter.

DVRPC COMES THROUGH

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's Board of Commissioners voted to transfer nearly $10 million in funding for highway projects to SEPTA, thus reducing the defecit from $62 million to nearly $49 million. Among the projects that would be delayed or impacted by reduced funding, according to the Inquirer:

Reconstruction of the Norristown Rd interchange on the PA 309 freeway in Montgomery County ($4.9 million),
Reconstruction of the Callowhill Rd bridge in Bucks County ($1 million),
Reconstruction of New Rodgers Rd in Bristol Twp ($2.4 million), and
Reconstruction of Oxford Valley Rd in Middletown (Bucks) ($1.4 million)

Do you think it's any coincidence that most of the projects being cut are in Bucks County, which just so happens to be Don Pasquale's home turf?

DOYLESTOWN TO SEPTA: "SHUT UP!"

And now, the latest in a series of insensitive moves by SEPTA, which I'm sure Fearless Leader and the Rotating Resumes at 1234 Market don't exactly want legislators in Harrisburg to catch wind of...

According to the Lansdale-Doylestown Intelligencer, residents in neighborhoods and developments in both Doylestown Boro and Township have been jolted from their sleep by train horns as part of overnight yard movements that weren't exactly what they wanted to deal with.

"It's a terrific annoyance," said Joe Mettalia, one of several people living near the station who have complained about the noise. "There's no rhyme or reason to it."

Mr. Mettalia's statement (highlighted in bold) is a candidate for "Oxy-moron of the Year" though the term "Competent management" when referring to 1234 Market may edge that statement out in the end...

Mettalia and his neighbors want the noise between midnight and 3 a.m. to stop and have been frustrated that their pleas for an end to the problem weren't answered.

But on Thursday, the agency that operates the trains and the station apologized and said it would make immediate changes to ensure the horns would no longer be a problem.

"We heard from the community up there, and we're going to stop it immediately," said Richard Maloney, a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority spokesman. "We notified (local government officials) that we understand it was disruptive. We apologize for it."

Here's a concept that the Minister of Mis-Information may want to pass along to the Rotating Resumes. How about notifying officials BEFORE deciding to disrupt a neighborhood?

The apology came on a day when state Senator Joe Conti voiced his frustration that SEPTA officials were "spectacularly unresponsive" to phone calls he made in an attempt to correct the problem.

"You would think that with the funding needs of SEPTA, they would be more responsive," the Bucks County Republican said.

Of course not, Senator. Just ask the folks in Bristol Township...

It's not the first time the Doylestown train station has been the target of complaints about noise after midnight, Conti said.

"I characterize it as 'Groundhog Day,' " Conti said. "This is probably my third go-round with this issue. It happened about 20 years ago when then Congressman Peter Kostmayer was able to make a difference. Eight to 10 years ago, it happened again, and Congressman Jim Greenwood (helped resolve the problem)."

And, we'll probably be back 10 years from now discussing this issue again...

It was about two weeks ago when residents began hearing noise they weren't used to between midnight and 3 a.m. Although they've become accustomed to and accepting of train activity during rail service hours, the early-morning horns are hardly common.

"I've been woken up at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 ...," said Mettalia, who lives in the Doylestown Hunt development in Doylestown Township. "Sometimes it's every couple of hours."

That seems to be the only consistent schedule that SEPTA has been able to maintain on the Doylestown branch (and this is before the blizzard that we're referring to).

Maloney, the SEPTA spokesman, said the noise resulted from a change in the way the agency stored trains at the station. For the past few weeks, SEPTA stored train cars overnight farther down the track than it normally does, closer to Doylestown Hunt.

"It's a relatively new procedure," he said. "We didn't realize it was disturbing the residents."

File this one under "dog bites man."

John Davis, Doylestown Borough's manager, said it was his understanding that an increase in the number of people boarding trains in Doylestown prompted SEPTA to add one or more cars at the station. Because there are more train cars and limited space to store them overnight at the station, some cars are stored farther down the tracks.

Bucks County Commissioner Charley Martin, who represents his county on SEPTA's board of directors, said he was unaware of the problem until a reporter told him about it Thursday. He said he had sympathy for the neighbors.

"If it doesn't get resolved, I'm sure I'll hear about it," Martin said. "Hopefully, it will be resolved fairly easily." Lansdale/Doylestown Intelligencer

We're assuming that Martin will be able to hear over the noise of the train horns...

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS...

KYW NewsRadio reported that SEPTA set a one-day ridership record for the Broad Street Line, carrying nearly 17,000 Iggles fans to the Linc for yesterday's beatdown of that team from Atlanta. Things didn't quite go as well for the return trip...

SEPTA's Minister of Mis-Information Richard Maloney claims that Philadelphia Police ordered SEPTA to close the two headhouses on the northeast corner of Broad and Pattison.

“There are four entrances [to the subway] at the sports complex, we call them headhouses. Philadelphia Police, in an attempt to keep vehicular traffic going on Pattison Avenue, prohibited SEPTA from opening the two northern headhouses."

But that decision forced hundreds of fans to jam into the southern entrances that were open. And, Maloney says, two other factors made the situation worse:

“We had a record number of people ride –- 17,000 people, that’s a record breaker there. And everyone stayed to the very end of that game, and they all tried to leave at once.”

Some fans tired of waiting to get into the station and instead walked north to the Broad and Oregon station, only to see the express trains pass them by.

And, while doing so, they passed by the very same headhouses that the city ordered closed.

Maloney says they'll have to figure out what to do when police close off some subway entrances:

“The pedestrian movement system down there at the sports complex was designed with four entrances, to accommodate the crush of large crowds. And we’re obviously going to have a backup if we’re prohibited from opening two of those four entrances.”

Let's hope that SEPTA actually had the escalators running in the proper direction this time. The last time I went through Pattison after a sporting event, the escalator was heading up towards the station exit instead of down towards the trains...

Maybe in the future, either SEPTA or NJ Transit could consider a regional park-and-ride bus network to serve the sports complex for Iggles, Phillies, Sixers games and other special events. I'm sure NJT would be open to such an idea more so than SEPTA...

THIS JUST IN...

Da Iggles are going to the Super Bowl!!!

It wasn't really that big of a deal, except for the fact that da Iggles had lost the last three NFC title games (including the last two at home, which was quite embarassing to say the least; the 2002 loss to St. Louis wasn't as painful because nobody really expected da Iggles to be there).

Before we all start dreaming about a parade down Broad St in two weeks, let's remember one thing...

As great as this win is for the city, remember that DA IGGLES HAVEN'T WON A DAMN THING YET!

Philadelphians talk about the NFC Championship game win as if we had already won the Super Bowl. Hate to ruin everyone's fun, but until the clock strikes 0:00 at the end of regulation in Jacksonville two weeks from yesterday and da Iggles have more points on the scoreboard than the Olde England Patriots, the curse that has befallen this city - from mediocre to lowsy sports teams to its ethically questionable government to its near suffocating tax burden - won't be lifted.

As many Iggles fans have been noting in recent weeks and months, and even some Iggles players themselves, failing to win the Super Bowl will constitute a failure for this team. And, as painful as it is to say, the Olde England Patriots are going to give da Iggles a lot of fits on February 6.

I guess the moral of what I'm trying to say is this: Iggles Nation should enjoy this win until next Monday, when the Super Bowl hype is expected to go into overload levels. Then, hope that Bill Belichek has a major brain cramp come February 6.

For all the talk about Andy Reid often being outcoached in humiliating losses (see the 2003 and 2004 NFC title games), there'd be no shame in being outcoached by Belichek, who quite frankly, could probably outcoach Vince Lombardi. That said, wasn't it great to see the Big Guy actually show some emotion yesterday for the first time since he's been in Philadelphia?

We now return to our regularly schedule SEPTA blog already in progress...

SURVIVING ANOTHER BLIZZARD

Not that some of these items haven't been posted in the guestbook, but some of the effects of the blizzard around the region included:

• Numerous SEPTA routes were on minor detours, though the SEPTA web site never bothered to say where exactly most of these detours were taking place, which I'm sure led some people to guess where the buses were being diverted.
• Naturally, the 35 was suspended through Manayunk and Roxborough, while the 27 was diverted off of Henry Av and onto Ridge Av. At the height of the storm, there was no bus service on Ridge north of Wissahickon Loop, affecting the 9, 27 and 65. The 65 was cut back to Wissahickon.
• The 105 didn't operate through Overbrook Park; there was no word on the 106, but one would have to guess that was impacted as well (although it operates along Haverford Av as opposed to the Overbrook Park neighborhood itself).
• There was no service on the 22, 55, and 58 into their respective portions of Bucks County due to road conditions; nor was there service on the 88 into Lower Moreland. The 22 and 55 apparently were not mentioned by SEPTA during it's reports to various stations.
• Regional rail service was operating anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes late depending on the time of the day, but as best as we can tell, there was no suspension of service.
• In South Jersey, all bus service was suspended Saturday afternoon south of I-195, except for 500-series local routes in the Atlantic City area (they weren't as severely affected as the rest of South Jersey). All bus service was suspended state-wide Saturday night as New Jersey declared a state of emergency and non-essential driving ban until 8:00am Sunday morning; additionally, the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan was also closed.
• NJ Transit rail service, including the Northeast Corridor, Atlantic City Rail Line, and the RiverLINE were still operating during the storm, but with delays.
• LANTA suspended bus service in the Lehigh Valley on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday.
• There was no report of service suspension on DART First State service on Saturday (Sunday was unaffected because DART doesn't run on Sundays), however there were reports of localized detours.
• Krapf's suspended all bus service on its lines after 7:00pm Saturday night and was operating with delays on Sunday.

NO SPECIAL SESSION FOR SEPTA

Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet) announced earlier today that he would not call a special session of the legislature to deal with funding issues for SEPTA and other mass transit agencies.

"He's been encouraged by the fact that legislative leaders realize that mass transit is a crisis that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later," said Penny Lee (Rendell spokesperson - ed.).

Republicans said the time is quickly approaching when the threat of a special session stops working as a stick to encourage action.

"At this point, calling a special session would be nothing but a public relations gambit. Regular session begins on Jan. 24, and even by the governor's timeline we have until late February to act," said Erik Arneson, chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill (R., Lebanon). Inquirer

Duh...

Meanwhile, KYW reported that Rendell realized that a lot of GOP lawmakers would be in Washington for the inauguration of President Bush.

THE VINCE WEIGHS IN...

From the "it was bound to happen sooner or later" files...

State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo (D-1st/Philadelphia) announced a plan that would increase the state's portion of the Realty Transfer Tax by .5 percent, a move that he claims would raise $200 million for SEPTA and other transit systems across the Commonwealth.

The bill comes closer to fixing chronically inadequate state transit funding than a $110 million motor vehicle fee packaged proposed by Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Phila.) and backed by Gov. Rendell.

But Republicans who control the state House and Senate greeted Fumo's proposal by repeating demands that a statewide fix for transit should also address insufficient state road and bridge aid. The legislature has historically raised gasoline taxes to help the road network in conjunction with new fees aimed at aiding transit agencies.

"We need to look at the overall transportation problem, including roads and bridges," said Sen. Robert Thompson (R-19th/Chester).

Thompson added that he intends to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Fumo bill. The Fumo plan "fixes the transit side," Thompson said. "It is a good idea."

Fine, Senator. Now fix the highway problem. I'm sure your consituents who live in the 19th and have to deal with PA 41 on a daily or semi-regular basis would love to know what youse guys in Harrisburg plan on doing to make sure that dangerous highways such as PA 41 and US 322 in Delaware County (hello, Sen. Pileggi) are fixed sooner rather than later...

Kate Philips, a spokeswoman for Rendell, said the governor's office would review the tax proposal. The governor, however, has ruled out a gasoline tax increase for roads and bridges.

"The door is slammed shut," on a gasoline tax increase, Philips said. "Gas prices are just too volatile right now. The governor wants to keep the focus on transit because that is the crisis we are facing."

Well, in about 6 weeks, that door is going to slam shut right on Rendell's foot if SEPTA follows through with its threats to cut service and increase fares...

Who's giving Rendell advice on this issue, Joe Banner? (Iggles fans know all too well how the Iggles' last two appearances in the NFC title game went, and we all know that Rendell is too busy with his duties at Comcast SportsNet to even deal with anything related to state government issues...)

The statewide real estate transfer tax is 1 percent, matched by an additional tax levy of 1 percent or more by many local municipalities across the state, Fumo spokesman Gary Tuma said. The total real estate transfer tax in Philadelphia is 4 percent, and 3 percent in Pittsburgh.

As a statewide tax to save transit, the real estate transfer tax makes sense because more income would be generated from urban areas where more properties are sold each year, Fumo said.

"It increases with inflation because it grows as the value of real estate grows," he said in a press release yesterday. "We have an opportunity to solve this problem for many years to come."

Now, whether or not Fumo pushes for something in return from SEPTA (read: patonage jobs) remains to be seen. We should point out that one of Fumo's proteges is SEPTA Board member Chris (son of Councilman Frank) DiCicco, who had worked as an aide to Fumo.

FUEL LEAK ON 113

The Delaware County Daily Times reported in today's editions that a SEPTA bus was reportedly leaking fuel while in service on the 113 yesterday afternoon. The fuel leak apparently happened somewhere along Pembroke Av in East Lansdowne and was traced over the 113 routing from East Lansdowne through Lansdowne, Yeadon, and Darby Borough.

"There was a pretty substantial stream all the way from East Lansdowne," running along Union Avenue, then along Lansdowne Avenue in Yeadon and past Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby Borough, said Epright.

Darby Fire Co. 1 spent about 45 minutes cleaning the streets with the assistance of Sharon Hill, Collingdale and Yeadon fire companies.

That must have made for a fun commute...

SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney said the bus was not involved in an accident and the cause of the spill is under investigation. The Route 113 bus, which runs from 69th Street Terminal to Marcus Hook via Darby and Chester, was towed from the scene to prevent additional spillage.

Hmmm, shoddy maintenance comes to mind.

Oh, happy new year, SEPTA...

I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE...

Between a revised (read: longer) work schedule and limite access to the internet during the past few weeks, I haven't been as diligent in posting updates to this blog as I used to be. However, once I get adjusted to my new work schedule (which pretty much eliminates any off days - or nights - that I have at this time), I'll be posting more frequently.

I can tell you that GOP leaders in Harrisburg - including State Sen. Robert Thomspon (R-19th of West Goshen) - are meeting with Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet) to discuss a possible solution to the funding crisis for transit agencies across the state (remember that it's not just SEPTA that's in this situation).

Additionally, on the other side of the river, NJ Transit schedules througout South Jersey changed over the weekend. The biggest highlight involves several Philadelphia-bound buses - including the 400, 403, 404, and others - that used to board at Walter Rand Transportation Center on Broadway proper are now being diverted into the Transportation Center itself. This is apparently being done to avoid RiverLINE conflicts on Mickle Blvd.

We'll try to post more details on these items within the next day or two...

FARE HIKES ON HOLD ... FOR NOW

In the on again, off again battle over the draconian fare hikes and service cuts, the SEPTA Board voted unanimously at a special meeting today to hold off the cuts for at least two months. This now delays the implementation date from January 23 to February 27. The delay in the fare hikes and service cuts is due to Harrisburg's emergency $13 million funding given to SEPTA last week. The full amount will be dispersed once the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission gives its final approval on January 28, the same date as the next regular SEPTA Board meeting.

HEARINGS OUT THE WAZOO

January is proving to be a very busy month for SEPTA public hearings:

The "Phase II" Contingency Plan hearings are scheduled for the end of January at the following locations:

• Monday, 24 January: Council Chambers, Delaware County Government Center, 201 W Front St, Media Courthouse (3:00pm and 6:00pm)
• Tuesday, 25 January: Convention Center, Room 113, Philadelphia (11:00am and 5:00pm)
• Wednesday, 26 January: Community Room, Doylestown Courthouse (3:00pm and 6:00pm)
• Thursday, 27 January: Council Chambers, West Chester Borough Hall (3:00pm and 6:00pm)
• Friday, 26 January: Commissioners Chambers, Norristown Courthouse (3:00pm and 6:00pm)

This round of hearings will deal with Phase II of the draconian fare hikes, which would raise the base fare to $3.00, among other things...

In other scheduled hearings:

• Thursday, 6 January: Route K public hearing at the Awbury Rec Center, 6101 Ardleigh St, Philadelphia, 2:00pm. This hearing will deal with a re-routing of the K bus at Chelten and Ogontz, due to the reconfiguration of Chelten at Ogontz.
• Wednesday, 19 January: Route 99 public hearing at Phoenixville Hook, Hose, and Ladder Co (Station 65), 1:00pm. This hearing will deal with two routing changes, one in Phoenixville, the other in Royersford.
• Wednesday, 19 January: Routes 9, 35, 61, and 62 at Philadelphia Police, 5th District stationhouse, Ridge Av & Cinnaminson St, Roxborough at 7:00pm. This hearing will deal with the elimination of the 35, re-routing of the 9 and 61, and renaming of the existing 61 Express service to "Route 62".
• Tuesday, 25 January: Route 71/Navy Yard Shuttle at Vivetta Conference Room, Navy Yard, 4747 S Broad, S Philadelphia. This hearing is to make the 71 permanent.

SIGNAL NIGHTMARE ON RRD

KYW NewsRadio reported throughout the PM peak that all Regional Rail lines were running at least 30 minutes late due to signal problems. In what could be considered a major surprise, there's no mention of any delays on the SEPTA web site as of 6:20pm...

This marks the second time this week that signal problems have affected the RRD; earlier this week, the R1 Airport and R2 Wilmington lines were delayed due to major signal problems on the NEC between Philadelphia and Wilmington. At one point, R1 service was using a bus-bridge between 30 St and the Airport, then service was restored but only operating hourly.

BAER JOINS THE COALITION OF THE PARROTS

Apparently, the fact that SEPTA's credibility is at or near an all-time low among most legislators in Harrisburg isn't stopping some columnists from still acting as adjunct members of SEPTA's Ministry of Mis-Information. Take John Baer's column in Monday's Daily News:

Possible loss of SEPTA jobs and service presents an opportunity for Gov. Rendell not only to save the day, but maybe save the year.

With a $62 million SEPTA hole threatening to suck down a chunk of the regional economy, there is every reason to act and act fast.

For despite blame aimed at the Legislature for ending its two-year session early, the governor is the most identifiable and responsible leader on this issue. He has the authority, the smarts and certainly the reasons to avert a transit nightmare.

Plus, the Legislature's gone until January, when cuts and fare increases are set to start.

The only problem is, Iggles season drags on through the holidays and Gov. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet) is rather busy with other priorities right now...

So, Ed. There's "flexible" federal highway money, not a first choice, but an option; there's capital fund cash, I'm told, authorized but never bonded; perhaps unexpended balances in PennDOT or other agencies; maybe the option of
accelerating normal state payments to SEPTA as was done for schools during the
last "crisis"; or even slush fund grants.

Point is the government is huge. Things can be done. I'd note, for example, after a tax-breaks-for-Comcast deal flopped in the Legislature, Ed found a $30 million grant for the company.

If you can find money to help people who run corporations, you can find money to help people who ride the early bus.

Of course he helped Comcast. He's on the payroll, remember?

Make no mistake: The situation at hand is the result of failures on the part of lawmakers and the governor. That SEPTA workers face the fear of layoffs is directly attributable to gamesmanship and lackluster leadership.

The problem exists, along with others, because early warnings were ignored and because the Legislature's four caucuses and two houses do not work well enough together or with the administration.

That, and the fact Ed and GOP leaders are at distant odds over pay raises and name-calling, petty partisanship no one but they care about but that, yet again, prevents problem-solving.

Folks who work for and ride SEPTA have no interest in who called whom what, or who failed to act when - they just want the buses and trains to run.

Even then, the buses and trains don't run as well as they could...

The politics are plain.

SEPTA gets 68 percent of the state's $741 million mass-transit budget. Now it wants more. By most accounts, the agency's well-run, basically the victim of underestimated revenues from a funding fix in '91. So its need seems real.

But Republicans who run the Legislature hate the idea of their constituents, who mostly never see a SEPTA vehicle, paying increased taxes or fees of any kind for services they don't use.

This is well-known. Yet a Dwight Evans plan backed by Rendell offered at the 11th
hour is $110 million in various increased statewide fees, and when it's rejected, Rendell and others act surprised.

Who's kidding whom?

Meanwhile, Republicans say some Rendell wish lists near the end of session did not include SEPTA, and at least one priority-numbered list had SEPTA only at the bottom and without a number, as if, said a source, "it's an afterthought."

Rendell press secretary Kate Philips says, "That's not the case."

And the Governor won't race down the Turnpike at 90 miles per hour en route to get to his Iggles gig, right?

Whatever is the case, SEPTA got short shrift. And when its board then
proposed drastic cuts and fare increases, Rendell called it, "The inevitable
result of the Legislature's failure to act."

Come on. The problem isn't new; the solution offered isn't politic. The governor and the Legislature dropped the ball.

...

What does makes sense is for the governor to find funds to keep SEPTA running now without blaming the Legislature.

Then it makes sense for Rendell and the legislature to find ways (gas tax, property-transfer tax, parking tax, commuter tax, some combination) to better fund SEPTA with statewide revenue that also funds other transportation needs or with regional revenue used solely for SEPTA.

A challenge, no question. But also an opportunity - to show leadership, improve political relations, save the day and maybe the year. Daily News

At least Baer isn't blindly blaming Republicans as is often the tact of most reporters on the Daily News payroll...

CITY ON OFFENSIVE...

City Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr. (D-At Large) wrote a scathing pro-transit/anti-SEPTA commentary in today's Philadelphia Daily News (a fully-paid subsidiary of the Democratic National Committee). The son of the former mayor seemed to hint that an entity other than SEPTA could potentially be operating portions of the city's transit infrastructure:

The veto is symbolic of the fact that those two SEPTA board members are there to represent Philadelphia, which contributes the highest subsidy of the five counties served by the authority and the highest portion of the authority's fare revenue. It does not represent real power so Philadelphia does not have real equity in the governance of public transportation in the region. The city has been bound by state legislation that established and oversees the authority - and a 36-year-old lease agreement that luckily will expire next year.

Perhaps the good councilman should realize that other than Detroit and San Francisco, virtually no other major city in the United States has a transit system that is not operated by a state-, regional- or county-managed authority (or in the case of WMATA, an inter-state authority).

Under the terms of the agreement with the now-defunct Philadelphia Transportation Co., SEPTA acquired properties from PTC and the rights to use transit facilities owned by the city. The lease will expire when SEPTA has made the last payment, or on Dec. 31, 2005.

Last week, as SEPTA board members were planning to raise the base fare to become the highest in the nation, City Council unanimously passed a resolution to review the city's lease agreement with SEPTA. It is imperative that the city, in the interest of local SEPTA riders and all of its citizens, examine the city's stake in SEPTA's infrastructure through the lease agreement. The city controls a significant amount of transit infrastructure that can possibly be operated by a system other than SEPTA.

Okay, and as soon as you figure out who that other system will be, please let us know, Mr. Goode...

When the lease ends, the city could require SEPTA to purchase that infrastructure with state and federal capital dollars - not funds that would be used for operating expenses - or risk competition from another transit system. At the least, the city must use its leverage to negotiate a better lease agreement with SEPTA if it is expected to meet our mass transit needs in a way that benefits public transit customers as well as the city as a whole. Mass transit is crucial to our economic vitality and quality of life.

As the former chairman of City Council's transportation committee, I have both sued SEPTA on behalf of the citizens of Philadelphia and seized control of and transferred its local subsidy to create legal, legislative and political leverage against board decisions that might negatively affect the city.

So I now call on the governor and state legislature to create a dedicated source of funding for mass transit in Philadelphia. I also urge the state to remedy the inequity that exists with regard to Philadelphia's role in the regional governance of mass transit, considering that the city contributes both the highest subsidy of the five counties and the highest portion of fare-box revenue.

I also call on the mayor and my Council colleagues to immediately consider our options as our lease agreement with SEPTA comes to an end after more than three decades. We desperately need mass transit in this city, but not at any cost under the terms of an old agreement.

It's time to use all of the leverage at our disposal. Daily News

Well, considering that Emperor Street has been too busy tap dancing his way around possible ensnarement in the current "pay-for-play" scandal and by his own admission has done next to nothing to lobby on behalf of SEPTA or mass transit in the city, this seems like a tall task. Bear in mind that transportation planning has gond from a cabinet level position during the Rendell administration (at least when Fast Eddie wasn't moonlighting for Comcast SportsNet during Iggles season) to a relatively irrelevant department of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, it's almost laughable that the city would now start giving a damn about SEPTA.

And, no, Emperor Street, simply sending Lance Haver to do your dirty work on behalf of the city is woefully inadequate...

MR. "LOW-I-Q FM" MEETS THE "RENT-A-COPS"

On Friday, there was a sort of mini-confrontation in Center City between Diego Ramos, an alleged "radio personality" with a Smear Channel owned radio station and our beloved SEPTA Transit Police, according to Michael Klien's INQlings column in today's Inquirer:

SEPTA police thwarted a planned stunt by Q102's Diego Ramos Friday morning. Ramos, who'd heard of an elderly woman's being mugged on a bus, announced that he'd dress up as an old man and board a bus at 11th and Market to tempt fate. The wife of a SEPTA exec heard of Ramos' intentions on WIOQ-FM (102.1), and phoned in a tip. SEPTA police were waiting when he stepped out of the Q102 van. Ramos, who got into trouble 21/2 years ago when he drew police to a Northeast Philly IHOP during a stunt, says he backed down quickly.

SEPTA spokesman Felipe Suarez yesterday said: "We couldn't allow him to stage an event or become part of a gimmick to boost ratings that could have potentially endangered himself and other passengers." Inquirer

Of course not, Mr. Suarez. Why let an over-rated loser like Ramos (who works for the most evil radio ownership corporation in America) endanger himself or other passengers when you have James Jordan, Richard Evans, and David Scott to endanger the lives of us passengers every day with questionable deployment and management decisions?

BUSINESS AS USUAL

So what if they're $62 million in debt? So what if they're threatening to scale back weekday and weekend service along with hiking fares to ridiculous amounts? So what if nobody in the current management is willing to do anything but blame Harrisburg?

Apparently, something is minor as a catastrophic budget crisis is preventing SEPTA from proceeding with this waste of taxpayer money:

Sponsors of the 2004-2005 Kimmel Center Presents season include Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health Systems, Bank of America, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Foundation, The American Express Company, Verizon Foundation, Bucks County Coffee, and SEPTA, the Commuter’s Choice.

And just where is SEPTA able to find the money to even sponsor the Kimmel Center events? It's not as though a substantial portion of the audience takes SEPTA to these events...

NEW STATION FOR CONSHY?

The Conshohocken Borough Council approved a resolution that would potentially give the borough funding to renovate the Conshohocken Rail Station (R6 Norristown), according to the Norristown Times-Herald:

A possible $5 million in state grants has Borough Council and developer Don Pulver working quickly and collectively to draw the eyes of the governor's office.If awarded, the money would be split between Oliver Tyrone Pulver Corp. financing its Ten Tower Bridge project and aiding various projects in the borough.

Following the passage of a resolution Tuesday, council gave its blessing for the pair to jointly pursue the Redevelopment Capital Assistance Grant. The money is earmarked for community and economic development projects, such as the parking garage planned in Norristown.

Pulver and others from his company presented their ideas before council Tuesday, displaying some projects the acquired grant money could benefit in the borough.

At the top of the list was a large-scale renovation to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority station on Washington Street. Pulver envisioned providing a covered, modern platform for both sides of the tracks. He said he would also like to expand parking available to rail users.

"It would be good for the borough, because the train station now is a wreck and needs to be brought up to today's standards," he said.

Not only would the train station renovations be beneficial to Conshohocken residents, but the project would also be viewed more favorably by the state government and thus give them a better chance at more money should the grant application be approved, Pulver added.

Second Ward Representative Ray Pirollo said he welcomes the proposed renovations to the SEPTA station, located within his district. He also supported the joint venture with the developer, who has been a kind of "pioneer" in his work that has helped revitalize the borough. Council's only hesitation was initially when members were unsure just how the grant money would be divided.

Pulver promised a close to 50/50 split, and council voted to hold him to that, adding a condition in their resolution that would ensure that balance of funding.

"We just wanted to make sure the borough was not promised things that wouldn't be delivered," Pirollo said. Norristown Times-Herald

Not too long ago, reaction at 1234 Market to rehabing the station was luke-warm at best. Maybe the funding from Harrisburg will get a better response from SEPTA...

INTER-STATE ROUTE SAVED...

DART First State's Route 65 between Newark, Del. and Elkton, Md. will apparently stay in service for the immediate future, according to the News Journal. The Maryland Transit Administration, which oversees transit funding statewide in addition to operating transit service in the Baltimore area, had announced that it would withdraw it's $65,000 contribution to DelDOT to fund the service. Cecil County, Maryland officials, however, announced that they would contribute $10,000 towards keeping the service operating. Ridership had increased from 12 riders per day in 2000 to nearly 80 riders per day currently. Off peak service on the 65 route would probably be reduced as a result of the decreased funding from Maryland, however.

SEPTA POLICE LAWSUIT FOLLOW-UP

And now, when you thought things couldn't get any worse for SEPTA's Transit Police Department, they get worse...

Last year, six African-American SEPTA cops - including the son of Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson - filed a racial discrimination lawsuit in federal court. Two weeks ago, a judge ruled that the case can proceed, according to WCAU-TV (NBC 10).

"Finally we have a chance to bring them to court and let the case be heard," said SEPTA Officer Marcus Blake. WCAU-TV

Blake gave a more detailed account to NBC 10 on November 23, the feed of which is still available at the NBC 10 web site. Among other things, Blake accused SEPTA Police higher-ups of not providing adequte back-up on assignments considered to be high-risk. Blake, it should be pointed out, identified himself as an undercover officer, and his face was obscured during the on-air interview.

SEPTA offically had no comment on the suit, as is SOP at 1234 Market. However...

NBC 10 ran a separate yet unrelated story on an increase in pickpocketing on SEPTA, including an incident last month in which a 68-year-old Philadelphia woman was robbed on a SEPTA bus:

Louise Richardson, 68, said she was a victim last month.

Shortly after paying her cell phone bill in cash, Richardson said she boarded a crowded SEPTA bus at 11th and Market.

"I felt someone hit me on my side, and being crowded you pay that no attention," she said. "And someone hit me again, and still paid it no attention because the lady next to me had a baby."

But Richardson said that once she got off the bus, she realized what happened.

"When I went to reach in my pocket where the money was in a bank envelope, there was no envelope," she said.

Richardson said about $2,000 was missing.

Richardson filed two police reports, one with Philadephia and the other with SEPTA. She identified the thief as the woman with the baby.

"If that woman and that baby were working that bus, she's going to get more than me. She's going to get a lot more seniors," Richardson said.

Sadly, it is that time of the year when theives are hard at work trying to steal from honest hard-working people, and to be fair, its not just limited to SEPTA.

Go to any mall, and I guarantee you, local police departments (or in the case of Granite Run Mall, the State Police) are spending more time at malls than they are on the road. Philadelphia DA Lynne Abraham recently held a press conference on this issue and other fraud related issues to warn seniors and all citizens about an increase in theft. And, in a heart-wrenching story, a thief in Montgomeryville allegedly burglarized several homes, stealing Christmas presents, according to KYW's Suburban Bureau (read: MontCo Courthouse) chief Jay Lloyd (we refer to Mr. Lloyd's title as such because it seems every other report he files is from Norristown Courthouse).

Now, back to our story...

SEPTA police sources said nearly a dozen riders were ripped off. But SEPTA officials would only confirm that pick pocketing increases this time of year, and they have stepped up patrols.

"We have a pickpocket patrol at the SEPTA Police Department, and they're undercover police, and they make arrests," SEPTA spokesman Rich Maloney said. NBC 10

Why do we tie the two stories together?

We recieved an email today from a SEPTA insider, who asked not to be identified for obvious fear of retailation.

"Funny thing is the day after the report aired on the news [November 24 - ed.], SEPTA Police Deputy Chief David Scott sent a memo down canceling plainclothes/undercover departmentwide claiming he wanted higher visibility for the holiday season.

Plainclothes/undercover assignments were actually stopped because the one officer in the report (Blake) identified himself as an undercover officer and he pissed the administration off big time and this was their way of getting back at him. Pickpocketing is more frequent throughout the SEPTA system during the holidays so it makes no sense to stop the undercover assignments."

So, once again, we appear to have caught the Minster of Mis-Information in a lie, eh? But wait, there's more trouble brewing at 1234 Market, according to our insider, including a follow-up to a recent comment noting the lack of SEPTA Police presence during certain hours, including the overnight and early AM peak:

"In other news, I read how you stated they barely have any SEPTA Police between 11pm-7am. This is true. If at full staff, the night shift has 10 officers working between 11pm-7am, so if anyone is off or out sick, which occurs quite often, you could be down to 7 or 8 guys covering the whole system. Several times i have heard of only 4 officers working when at peak vacation season in the summer, but the SEPTA Police Dept doesn't really care about late night riders.

Also, for the most part, all SEPTA Police adminstration care about are the school kids at dismissal time, so most officers shifts are adjusted to work 8am-4pm, 8:30am-4:30pm or 9am-5pm and middle shift works 1pm-9pm, 1:30pm-9:30pm or 2pm-10pm. All this does is have a large amount of officers working at dismissal time to stop all the kids from robbing everyone on trains. Funny thing is that this leaves practically no officers working during morning rush from 6am-9am, you're lucky if there are 15 officers out there systemwide between those hours due to the adjusted schedules because the department refuses to pay overtime. Also there are usually no officers out on the system after 9pm or 10pm because their shifts are adjusted to prevent overtime."

The sad part about this is that even assuming that in fact SEPTA Police are rotated around school dismissal times, that doesn't explain the violent brawl that took place at the Spring Garden subway station this past April involving students from a charter school and an disciplinary high school. That said, the above comments confirms much of what was reported to me by another SEPTA insider regarding how shifts are managed.

It also confirms that SEPTA financial crisis may also have an impact on the safety of its riders. One would think that SEPTA's AGM for Safety and Risk Mis-Management James Jordan would get his head out of his ass and realize that despite all of the talk about passengers being more vigilant and safety being a #1 priority, the majority of riders can sum SEPTA's concerns about safety in two words:

Bull-s**t.

GOVERNOR INTERRUPTS IGGLE WORK...

...to essentially make the following statement regarding SEPTA:

"Yes, we have no solution."

Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet) issued this statement on Thursday regarding the status of temporary financial help for SEPTA and the other transit agencies across the commonwealth:

The cutback plan considered by the SEPTA Board is the inevitable result of the legislature's failure to act. Unfortunately, Republican legislative leaders chose to recess their session early rather than work toward a responsible solution, creating a fiscal crisis of catastrophic proportions.

Actually, Eddie, it's because you're more concerned with Terrell Owens' next touchdown celebration dance instead of finding a solution to the transit crisis and other problems that have essentially slowed Harrisburg down to a crawl...

Everyone familiar with the finances of our state's transit agencies knows that it is necessary to find new sources of stable, dedicated funding. This is no less true for the small systems serving places like Altoona than for the large ones serving Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

I have supported a plan to provide $111 million per year in new money for transit. While in a letter dated Nov. 20, 2004, Republican legislative leaders said, "you can be certain of our interest in addressing the short-term needs of public transportation in Pennsylvania," they inexplicably ended their session with 10 working days left in the session without voting on this or a viable alternative plan to close the funding gap. Now that any opportunity for legislative action has passed, I am exploring whether options exist that would postpone the severe service cuts, fare increases and employee layoffs that are coming. The technical and legal barriers to providing stopgap funding are significant, and my administration is working to see if they can be solved. There is no free lunch, and no guarantees that we can solve this problem.

Here's one thing we can guarantee. It's going to get ugly, and fast...

On KYW NewsRadio today, Tony Romeo interviewed Franklin and Marshall College political scientist Terry Madonna (one of the state's foremost experts on Harrisburg happenings) for his thoughts on the crisis (note that the report is not at the KYW web site as of the time of this posting). Madonna seems to think that Rendell is deliberately stalling any action on the transit issue to put more pressure on the legislature. Bailing out SEPTA, Mr. Madonna says, would in effect eliminate any emergency, thus the legislature won't take any immediate action.

While Rendell indicated that he is "committed to finding a solution" to the crisis, he did note that some options, including flexing highway funding temporarily until a stable funding solution can be reached, may not be legal under state and federal law.

Yeah, right, and the Miami Dolphins will win the AFC Championship...

Meanwhile, Emperor Street has finally been making noise on SEPTA's latest financial fiasco. The Emperor, who is rather busy running the city into the ground, threatened to take legal action to block the fare hikes or even have the City Transit Division split from the rest of SEPTA and taken over by City Hall. At the same time, the Michael Moore-on wanna-be took a few shots at legislative leaders in Harrisburg:

"I’ll bet the Pennsylvania general assembly has spent more time trying to figure out how to take over the Philadelphia airport than how to fix the problems of SEPTA. These people are really really good at paying attention to things that are local matters."

No, they're more concerned about how to get a piece of the slots action, but I digress. As far as the airport is concerned, I don't think the folks in Tinicum Township or Delaware County would mind having a say in how PHL is managed; after all, a chunk of the airport is in Delaware County...

That said, any legal action by the city is an uphill battle at best. More will come out by the time Decmeber 16 comes and goes...

DO AS WE SAY, NOT AS WE DO...

Today's Inquirer reported on the riding habits - or lack thereof - of SEPTA's Board members in the aftermath of Thursday's dramatic meeting in which the city representatives to the board effectively vetoed the proposed service cuts and fare hikes:

In a survey of 14 of 15 SEPTA board members, 10 described themselves as using the system occasionally or rarely. Four members said they travel SEPTA on a regular basis, or at least twice a week. Board member Thomas Babcock [Delaware County - ed.] did not return four phone calls.

"I think it gives me a real perspective of our general ridership," said Christian DiCicco, one of Philadelphia's two representatives on the board, who said he takes SEPTA at least four times a week.

At least someone understands his purpose of being on the SEPTA Board.

As they consider overriding the veto at their Dec. 16 meeting, board members offered varying opinions on the importance of their riding habits in their decision making on the board, which approves and directs the spending of SEPTA's $920 million annual budget and $427 million annual capital budget.

DiCicco and other board members questioned the need for a board member to take the train every day.

"It's like any other board. There are people who serve on boards who have very little or nothing to do with the product produced by the company," said board member Michael O'Donoghue [Montgpmery County - ed.], who said he rides SEPTA about three times a month.

Some members said they must take a broader view. Regardless of how often they use the system, they said, they need to consider the regional impact on the economy and riders.

"Whatever my personal experience, it's more important I know the interest and concerns of the riding public," said James C. Schwartzman [Senate Democrats - ed.], the board's vice chairman.

Insert laughter here...

Lance Haver, director of Mayor Street's Office of Consumer Affairs and a founder of the Philadelphia Transit Campaign, a transit advocacy group, said he wasn't overly concerned with how often the board members took a trolley or a bus.

How can he not be? After all, we're not asking that they ride every single day...

But the board does not meet Schwartzman's standard of listening to the ridership, he said. By holding meetings in the middle of the day, and conducting hearings only during crises, the board gives the impression it doesn't care, he said.

Isn't it funny how Mr. Haver has suddenly toned down some of his rhetoric now that he's on the city payroll?

The 15-member board has no seat reserved for a rider's representative. A 29-member Citizens Advisory Committee was created in 1981 by the Pennsylvania Legislature, but activists question its effectiveness.

"It's not really how often they ride the system; it's how they make it hard for riders... to voice their concerns," Haver said. "That's why riders don't always feel that SEPTA represents their interests."

Although some members such as Chairman Bob Clearfield of Montgomery County and Greg Pastore of Philadelphia have taken their roles on the CAC seriously, we haven't heard too much from any of the other members on this issue.

O'Donoghue and seven others described themselves as occasional riders: those who ride less than twice a week but at least twice a month. Two others, Cornelius Cassidy [Delaware County - ed.] and Herman Wooden [House Democrats - ed.], said they seldom used the system.

It should be pointed out that while State Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-12th, Upper Moreland) is a SEPTA Board member who has been on the front line for transit funding, he doesn't exactly practice what he preaches, as he frequently drives from to and from Harrisburg instead of taking Amtrak. A couple days before the lame duck session ended, Greenleaf was involved in a minor vehicle accident, apparently due to falling asleep, according to news reports.

Board chairman Pasquale T. "Pat" Deon of Bucks County, who described himself as an occasional rider on the R5, R3 and R7 rail lines, questioned the relevance of his riding habits during the current crisis.

Referring to the failed attempt to get legislators to provide more funding for SEPTA, Deon said: "My riding is not going to produce $62 million out of Harrisburg." Inquirer

Apparently, neither is your big mouth, Don Pasquale. I don't think it's a coincidence that quite a few of the road projects that could be sacrificed to bail SEPTA out are in Bucks County...

That said, Don Pasquale's riding could certainly open his eyes as to how many riders feel about SEPTA. And I can guarantee you that the results wouldn't be pretty...

DOOMSDAY DELAYED ... FOR NOW

After a 2 hour marathon session by the SEPTA Board, an alternative plan that would raise fares twice in a three month span while partially retaining weekend service and still reduce weekday service by 20 percent was approved by a 13-2 vote. There's only one problem though...

Jettie Newkirk and Christian DiCicco, the city of Philadelphia's two representatives to the SEPTA Board were the lone dissenters, effectively vetoing the resolution until the regular "rubber-stamp" session on December 16. The announcement by Newkirk that the city would exercise its veto power angered most of the board members, not to mention confuse many observers who questioned the logic of that decision. To override the veto, 12 votes are needed, and its obvious to anyone with half a brain (ie. most of SEPTA's management) that the votes are there to override the veto.

The plan would reduce weekday service headways by 20 percent across the board, however service spans would remain largely unaffected. Saturday schedules would be reduced to Sunday headway levels on most routes in the system (though some City Transit and Regional Rail lines already have that in effect, along with Red Arrow route 305) with some modifications, and routes with no Sunday service would retain Saturday service (such as the 1, 19, 92, 103, 111, and 127 among others). A fare increase of 25 percent would be implemented on January 23, the same date as the service reductions, while a second fare increase of nearly 20 percent would be imposed in March.

More details, commentary, and links to stories will be posted as this story develops...

DAY OF RECONING APPROACHES

Tomorrow will be what many consider to be the most critical day in SEPTA's history. Barring a last minute miracle from Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet), it appears that SEPTA will proceed with a major fare hike, elimination of most, if not all, weekend/holiday services, and a significant reduction in weekday service. The meeting is scheduled to start at 10:00am at 1234 Market. Details from the meeting should be posted late in the afternoon tomorrow.