Good morning,
The issue of bus service on Rodney Square is back in the news with a compromise of sorts.
After years of knowing that diesel fumes and congestion at Rodney Square was hampering efforts to improve downtown, DART shifted routes away from the city landmark.
The changes produced an outcry from groups who quickly pointed to problems ranging from long walks for those with disabilities to bus stops in need of shelters and lighting.
There were dark hints that businesspeople had conspired to make the lives of bus riders more difficult.
The actual extent of the problems was unclear. But this week, we did see DART restore a few routes that may have caused the greatest amount of inconvenience. (See story below).
A new transit hub convenient to the train station will provide further relief, but will not come in the immediate future.
DART has made big strides over the decades. It now has sizable operations in all three of the state’s counties and underwrites the cost of SEPTA train service to Wilmington and Newark.
But the transit agency clearly stumbled in the Rodney Square situation and should have had done more homework in preparing for a big change.
Enjoy your day. i hear there’s a parade somewhere. This newsletter returns tomorrow. – Doug Rainey, publisher.
