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Local 234 management seems to have finally gotten what they wanted. The union's rank-and-file is expected to approve the agreement today. But with unemployment at over 10% nationally, and most people's raises and bonuses being reduced or cut entirely, how will the citizens of Philadelphia react to the new TWU contract? Leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts.

As we mentioned last week, we went ahead about bought a November SEPTA transpass on the basis of reports that the SEPTA-Local 234 dispute would be resolved without a strike. Ummm, oops! So we forked over $78 for a pass that we couldn't use for a full week; ain't that a bitch? If you're in the same boat as us, fret not: SEPTA has posted the refund & exchange information for last week's weekly transpass and the November monthly transpass. If you have an unused November 2 weekly transpass, you can exchange it for another weekly transpass until the end of the year. If you have a November monthly pass, once this month is over, you can exchange that for $20 towards your next SEPTA purchase until February 10, 2010.

As promised, we hate TWU Local 234 now. The folks of TWU 234 have thoroughly established themselves as villains, and we'd like to recognize them for being bastardly sleazes out of a Medieval morality play. And now, the tour of vice!

This: At 8:42 this morning, an otherwise unidentified male who may have been a track inspector was struck and killed by an inbound R3 train near Melrose Park. The R2 (Warminster), R3 (West Trenton) and R5 (Lansdale/Doylestown) lines going beyond Fern Rock are all suspended at the moment due to the accident, which SEPTA is politely calling "police activity" on its website.

*Why yes—it is, in fact, Wednesday. And Monday Manners has been on hiatus for several months. But this seemed like an appropriate occasion to revive the post anyway.

The easiest solution is to hop on your bike and pedal your way to work. Biking to work is faster than driving, walking, or using public transit. We don't even need to mention the obvious health benefits of getting that half hour or so of exercise daily. According to the Bicycle Coalition, around 11,000 Philadelphians commute to work via bicycle each day, a number that makes us the city with the highest number of folks biking to work each day. And to help out those who decide to commute by bike during the SEPTA strike, the Bicycle Coalition will be setting up a "Bike the Strike" stand at Dilworth Plaza starting this afternoon and every day until the strike is over. The stand will have bike racks, free bike maps, and free coffee. For those new to biking in the city, or for those with questions about route planning and safety, the Coalition's Bike Ambassadors will be available to give out advice.

[Ed. note: We originally ran this post last week, before the SEPTA strike was, as we reported this morning, officially upon us. Now that the strike is in effect, we are running this post again to clarify, for those of you who may have missed it the first time, some of the inevitable questions about which services cease during the strike, and which don't.]

Despite all signs—and threats by Governor Rendell to really put the screws to both SEPTA and TWU Local 234—pointing to a SEPTA contract resolution without a work stoppage, the drivers' and mechanics' union has called a strike.

We love to hate SEPTA. It may be one of the best public transportation systems in the country, but that's cold comfort when your bus doesn't come, or the driver curses you, or when the people on board are doing convincing renditions of the elusive hyena-werewolf-zombie monster. But, that said, we depend on it. We depend on our trolleys, buses, and subways to go to work, school, the doctor, and the World F'ing Series.

SEPTA has published its Service Interruption Guide this morning, in light of continued contract talks between the union and the city and the pending strike. Here's a quick rundown of what you should know: