Dear KTFC Members & Friends:
Every now and then, we like to step back and remind everyone that Pennsylvania’s transportation network is not a series of individual “systems,” but rather a single, integrated, multimodal entity.
In one way or another, each element benefits all Pennsylvanians, whether you take the bus, drive your car, walk to your neighbor’s house, bike to work, take Amtrak to Philly or Pittsburgh, fly to Charlotte to visit your sister, or enjoy that Brazilian mango, which arrived in PA via cargo ship, was whisked to a distribution center via freight rail and trucked to your grocer, where you ordered it online and had it delivered by a Lyft driver.
The inspiration for this week’s reflection was the broad array of transportation-related articles you’ll find in the links below.
Be of Good Cheer,
— The Wolff
TRANSPORTATION ISSUE UPDATE
- Gov. Tom Wolf announced recently that 27 highway, bridge, transit, and bike and pedestrian projects in 23 counties were selected for $30.2 million in funding through the Multimodal Transportation Fund.
- The governor also announced that Pennsylvania’s Intermodal Cargo Growth Incentive Program (PICGIP), which aims to increase cargo activity by incentivizing shippers to move cargo through Pennsylvania ports, will be extended through 2022. The program was previously slated to end last month.
- A bill under consideration by Pennsylvania’s House Transportation Committee seeks to update the state’s vehicle code to regulate motor-assisted “e-bikes” and determine where they can operate.
- Pennsylvania is among 15 states and Washington, D.C., making plans to transition to electric powered trucks, vans and buses to reduce diesel emissions and greenhouse gases. The goal is to have 100 percent of all new medium and heavy-duty vehicles be zero-emission by 2050.
- SEPTA is among 27 public transportation agencies lobbying Congress to provide the agencies with $32 billion to $36 billion in additional funds.
- And lest we forget about highways, Lehigh Valley officials have signed off on a $451 million transportation spending plan over the next four years, although sadly, without the Route 22 widening project that had been planned.