Final Transportation Lobbying Post

Posted by Aimee Leong in American Government - Laufenberg on

To wrap it up, Teila and I were going to talk to the representative of our area code, Joe Roebuck. We sent Congressman Joe Sestak a letter but we have not received a response yet. Prior to the letter, we have been researching plenty of background info on our topic but I don't think I still understand the real depths of our topic unless we hear from an official. Maybe our letter or our position as students, wasn't thought provoking or 'interesting' for anyone to get ahold of anyone's attention or a response. We thought if we get in touch with Joe Roebuck, who lives nearby Teila, we would at least get a proper introduction or be a stronger outreach than a regular e-mail could do. We were going to present a presentation to Joe Roebuck, in order to try to get our point across.

Issues with Septa:

-Making it more reliable and accessible

-Running faster on snow days

"If the weather becomes too severe for regular operation of any route or service, SEPTA will announce the suspension of service one hour before the scheduled time service ends." (http://www.septa.org/sustain/index.html)

-More bus shelters and benches.

People wait too long outside in the cold for the the bus or trolley. Especially for the elderly and disable. And if the city is worrying about keeping those clean then they could make people who need community service hours or organizations like "Unlitter Us" to keep these stops in good condition.

"Philadelphia deserves better, and the Streets Department stands firm in its commitment to attack litter on every front." (http://www.philadelphiastreets.com/unlitter-us-intro.aspx)

-"At SEPTA, we too find ourselves in a position of uncertainty. Regional unemployment has eroded ridership gains in prior years, while a sudden shortfall in state transportation funding has left a $110 million gap in SEPTA's capital program. Constraints have resulted in cutbacks on previously-planned projects funded through the operating and capital budgets."


I think one thing we would have done differently is find ways of where we could fund for these 'shortfalls'. I think this is such an important topic though because public transit have so much to do with our sustainability as a community and how much it impacts all our lives. Now that gas prices are hiking up, many people may now have to rely on SEPTA more than ever before. We need to "a more affordable, socially responsible, and environmentally friendly way to travel". And with more people (not just Teila and I) become more aware and involved, we will be able to achieve it.

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