Mass Transit

The homeless people encamped under the I-95 overpass in Port Richmond had all left the area by about 11 a.m. Monday, as ordered by PennDOT. They are still looking for a permanent solution, perhaps a house they could rehab or land on which they can build simple homes. Paul Klemmer, one of the homeless men, has written two letters about their plight over the past week. The first letter, dated Nov. 30, was sent to Mayor Nutter, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady and other officials. The second letter, dated Dec. 4, was sent to Nutter, other city leaders and PennDOT.

How not to balance a budget Of course Gov. Corbett balanced the state budget without raising taxes. He is cutting funding for the Philadelphia Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, for health care, and for public schools and colleges ("Planned cuts at Phila. Library for the Blind opposed," Oct. 27). He is ignoring our roads, bridges, and mass transit. He isn't taxing natural-gas drillers. He pays allegiance to the no-tax pledge of Grover Norquist - who isn't even a Pennsylvanian.

Gov. Corbett may not push for more transportation funding this year despite the recommendations of his advisory commission. State transportation secretary Barry Schoch said Thursday that other pressing issues and the state's weak economy may persuade Corbett to delay action on some or all of the funding proposals of his panel. The governor's Transportation Funding Advisory Commission, chaired by Schoch, called in August for increasing registration and license fees and raising a component of the gasoline tax to produce $2.5 billion more for highways, bridges, and mass transit.

Gov. Corbett may not push for more transportation funding this year, despite the recommendations of his own advisory commission. State transportation secretary Barry Schoch said Thursday that other pressing issues and the state's weak economy may convince Corbett to delay action on some or all of the transportation-funding proposals of his panel. The governor's Transportation Funding Advisory Commission, chaired by Schoch, called in August for higher registration and license fees and raising a component of the gasoline tax to produce $2.5 billion more for highways, bridges and mass transit.

FOR RAIL COMMUTERS in Madrid, the morning of March 11, 2004, began just like any other - much like the sunny Tuesday morning 10 years ago that became forever etched in our minds as 9/11. None of the passengers on Madrid's trains imagined the carnage that would unfold as terrorists detonated 10 backpack bombs on four trains in three stations, killing almost 200 people. Thankfully, the U.S. hasn't seen an attack akin to the one in Madrid or similar attacks in recent years on mass transit in London and Mumbai.

HARRISBURG - Gov. Corbett, who made a campaign pledge to oppose any increase in state fees or taxes, has had a month to digest the unsurprising conclusion from a handpicked commission that taxes and fees must go up to address the deplorable condition of Pennsylvania's roads, bridges, and mass-transit systems. Corbett, a Republican, has not revealed which of those recommendations, if any, he will support, although there is broad support for them in the business community, perhaps Corbett's biggest ally.

Mass transit operations in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey are slowly returning to normal, but lingering problems have caused some notable disruptions. SEPTA's subways, buses and trolleys are running again, but service has been suspended on the Cynwyd, Paoli/Thorndale, and Trenton Regional lines because of residual storm related problems. Service had been suspended on the Norristown line, but it was restored this afternoon. ( www.septa.org ) Amtrak trains are running between Philadelphia and Washington, but not between Philadelphia and Boston due to the extensive flooding, debris on tracks, and power problems as a result of Irene.

A moderate-to-strong earthquake centered in Virginia this afternoon triggered evacuations, mass transit delays, jammed phone lines, and an early exodus from cities along the East Coast. A District of Columbia fire department spokesman, Pete Piringer, said there were numerous injuries there, but so far there are no reports of serious injuries or deaths. Three pinnacles fell off the central spire of the Washington National Cathedral, but otherwise physical damage seemed to be relatively minor, with scattered reports of falling plaster, broken windows and pipes.

TRENTON, N.J. - Although he lives in North Jersey, Raul Ramirez says his heart belongs to New York City. He works at a hospital in Brooklyn, has lots of family in the Bronx and loves to watch New York's two major-league baseball teams play, especially against each other. But the 42-year-old Hackensack resident fears he won't be able to afford the commute if the Port Authority's newly announced plan to raise tolls by $4 next month on the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels comes to fruition.

When Harrisburg officials this fall get around to crafting a plan to plug the huge gap in funding for state transportation needs, SEPTA's recent impressive ridership gains should help make the case for investing more heavily in mass transit - not just in the Philadelphia region, but across Pennsylvania. The transit agency is attracting more paying customers to its buses, trolleys, and trains, reaching a 22-year high in rides over the last 12 months. In addition, SEPTA boosted fares last July under a new policy designed to ask riders to shoulder more of the cost for their commutes in return for more predictable public funding.