The suburbs turning to transit oriented development?What? That would be awesome! I've spent many hours staring out the R5 window, concentrating my envy on little villages like Malvern that seem to be constructed around their train stations. I would kill to be able to walk or bicycle to a stop in West Chester, and it seems like there are plenty other people like me. Check out the petition going around WCU (via the Quad):
In a sign that suburban communities are getting more serious about transit oriented development, there have been several recent reports about communities looking to improve their regional rail stations.
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Meanwhile, West Chester University, which last saw trains come to town in 1986, is begging SEPTA to restore service back to its town.
A petition has been started in hopes of convincing SEPTA to restore rail service to the West Chester area, a means of transportation that could change student commutes to campus and into Philadelphia.Okay, fair enough. If we want the R3 to come back to West Chester, we've got to do it as a community. Personally, I'm down for however many borough council and town meetings that are needed to get this project off the ground. But wait, what's this other pressing tidbit of local gossip?
Service was discontinued in 1986, a tough period for SEPTA economically, when rail maintenance was impossible to upkeep. However, over 20 years later, John Mckinstry, a faculty member of the Westtown Friends School, has begun a project to urge SEPTA to restore their rail service as times have changed since the 80s.
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SEPTA is aware of the petition and the desire for rail service to be restored to West Chester and the surrounding area, but they are not the decision-maker in the situation. It is the county that needs to have the interest and therefore make a deal with Septa as the agent, according to Mckinstry.
Mayor Richard Yoder of West Chester has interest in the petition, even as a part of making West Chester the home of a new minor league baseball team, and rail service would help in allowing fans to come to the games.
Zuh? Minor league baseball? Like, as in a Phillies affiliate playing down the street from me? Holy crap, I seldom agree with anything Mr. Yoder has done as mayor of this town, but if this is true, then allow me to be the first to jump on board this bandwagon. Hopefully, this is more than just a throwaway comment by Yoder to that Quad reporter, because it's the only place on the Internet that I can find mention of such a venture.
R3 stations and minor league baseball stadiums - if you build it, they will come!
Sign the petition!
3 comments:
Too bad I can't sign the petition.
this sounds amazing. rail service would have been much better for me going to the city rather rather than taking the 104 and then transferring to philly's sorry excuse for a subway in ghetto darby.
and minor league baseball...droool
I think the old fashioned bikes with the big ole front wheel are more likely to become the prefered mode of transportation in WC before they actually get that train going.
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