Phillyist Framed Returns!
Playlist Rewind: AFI at the Factory
Whole Hog Is All Heart
Extra, Extra
Across the Ist-a-Verse
by Brad Maule
Following last week's bomb attacks on London's Underground, the US Department of Homeland Security predictably elevated our domestic terror alert level to Orange Asterisk—that heightened level being only on mass transit.
While Department Secretary Michael Chertoff rationalizes that other anti-terror transit funding has been allocated via urban grants, the fact remains that since DHS's creation, US transit has received a paltry $250 million compared to the $20 billion the airlines have. Whether or not the London and Madrid attacks will increase that funding remains to be seen, but interim measures are being taken, including locally.
Like the closure of the walkway on the Ben Franklin Bridge.
Citing the walkway's proximity to the PATCO rail lines (above which itsits directly), the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) announced in a press release that the walkway would be closed indefinitely. With the exception of this past Sunday's American Cancer Society Bike-a-Thon, that means that no one—commuters, cyclists, joggers, skateboarders—gets a free pass across the River.
How many people are affected by the walkway's closure is incalculable, as DRPA keeps no records on the numbers of people crossing the bridge by the walkway. Meanwhile, the thousands who cross New York's Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges and especially the Manhattan Bridge, which like the Ben Franklin Bridge carries passenger trains, continue to do so in a city most would agree seems a likelier target than our Philadelphia.
Amid rumors that DRPA wanted to keep it closed permanently, the walkway did re-open following a temporary closure after 9/11. Now those rumors are back, and will likely remain until the walkway opens again.
When will that be?
DRPA spokesperson My Linh Nguyen explains, "We must make the safety and security of our customers, our employees and our facilities paramount. Please be assured that when the heightened level of alert is downgraded, we will be in a better position to revisit this issue."
Until then, PATCO runs all night at $1.15 a pop. Or if you're in a casual mood, are very patient, and only travel between Philly and Camden within a 9:20am-5:40pm timeframe, the Riverlink Ferry is for you at $6 roundtrip. But one thing is for sure: you'll have to do your walking, jogging and biking elsewhere.
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arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh. i run the bridge everyday and already had to deal with them closing it at 7:00. it's one of the few places for those of us in old city to run and not have to deal with broken, uneven sidewalks, tourists among other things. this blows.