Taming Philly’s dangerous roads | Morning Newsletter
And why funding SEPTA is so hard.
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Happy Wednesday and happy almost-Wawa Hoagie Day. If you find yourself near Independence Mall tomorrow at noon, be sure to stop by and grab a free shorti. Luckily for those planning to stand in line, Thursday won’t be quite as hot and steamy as today, when temps are expected to reach the mid-90s (but it’ll still be pretty warm).
Our top stories are driven by data. First up: Philly traffic citations plunged since the 1990s. But as reckless driving has increased since the pandemic, police now say they want to issue many more.
And SEPTA is vital to the livelihood of the entire region — so why is it so hard to fund? Read on to learn how we got here.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Three people were killed in two separate motor-vehicle accidents in Philadelphia early Tuesday morning. The incidents are a stark example of an unsettling trend on Philly’s roads. Yet even as driving-related deaths have gone up, traffic citations have dropped dramatically over the past three decades.
By the numbers: In 1998, city police issued nearly 500,000 citations for moving violations. That plunged to just over 45,000 last year.
An especially deadly era: This decrease comes as roadways got more dangerous in the pandemic. The city saw 577 driving-related deaths between 2020 and 2023 — 188 more than in the four years before.
What changed: The drop in citations follows years of public and political pressure to decrease traffic stops over concerns about who is most often pulled over, and why, as well as police priorities shifting to violent crime.
New efforts: A pilot focused on North Broad Street — one of the most dangerous roadways in Philadelphia, where a tenth of recent traffic deaths have occurred — has led police to issue 10,000 more traffic tickets than it did by this time last year. Speed-enforcement cameras are on the way, too.
Since its pandemic relief funding ran out, SEPTA is facing a $240 million yearly deficit.
But financial challenges are nothing new for the 60-year-old transit agency, which serves 700,000 riders across Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Formed by five bankrupt corporations — the Philadelphia Transit Co., Red Arrow Lines, the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads, and the Schuylkill Valley Lines — state and federal politics have long shaped SEPTA’s ability to fund its patchwork of lines.
From a “duct-taped together” launch in 1964 to historically low ridership in 2020, The Inquirer’s Tom Fitzgerald and Dain Saint have the (interactive) story on how we got here.
What you should know today
A 6-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool this week on the first day of summer camp at Liberty Lake in Burlington County. His mother said he was at the camp to take swim lessons.
A Bucks County woman was sentenced to up to 40 years in prison on Tuesday for the 2022 killing of her longtime boyfriend, a popular Chalfont pizzeria owner.
The U.S. surgeon general has declared gun violence a public health crisis. Here’s what that could mean for Philadelphia.
Former president Donald Trump urged his supporters in 2020 not to vote by mail calling it “totally corrupt.” Now, his campaign is speaking out against an ad featuring Trump’s own comments about mail ballots.
Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a bill to protect and expand access to contraception. It still faces an uphill battle in the state Senate.
Benefits Data Trust, which received a $20 million no-strings-attached grant from MacKenzie Scott in 2022, announced Tuesday that it will shut down in 60 days.
Health and social services provider Resources for Human Development will be absorbed by a Reading nonprofit that has grown rapidly through acquisitions.
City officials will introduce year-round school opportunities at 20 Philadelphia School District schools this week, sources said — the first step toward more formal school calendar changes promised by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
Most city employees could be working without labor contracts starting next week if the Parker administration is unable to reach agreements with its unions.
🏒 Hockey fans: Tune into Flyers beat reporter Jackie Spiegel’s Reddit AMA today. She’ll be answering your burning questions about the 2024 NHL Draft. Join the conversation at 12 p.m.
🧠 Trivia time
Michelle Rohl, a three-time Olympian from Tioga County, retired from her sport more than 20 years ago, but returned to it in her 50s. She now has another chance to make the U.S. Olympic team. Which sport is the athlete known for?
A) Artistic swimming
B) Breakdancing
C) Race walking
D) Dressage
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🥐 Testing: Philly’s first pastry ATM, courtesy a local gluten-free bakery.
🍹 Tasting: The dine-in goods at Taste Cheesesteak Bar.
🍩 Revisiting: Our guide to all the best food, drinks, and sweet treats the Shore has to offer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
The former Little League phenom from South Philly who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2014.
AMEN VOIDS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jenny Fung, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: BalletX. The nearly 20-year-old contemporary ballet group just got its biggest donation ever in a multi-million-dollar gift from a longtime supporter.
Photo of the day
🐾 One last furry thing: After a Northumberland County service dog rescue was shut down due to squalid conditions, seven hero pups are still looking for forever homes. Meet the cuties here.
Have a great Wednesday. See you back here tomorrow.
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