Quote:
Originally Posted by allovertown
There is no arguing which is the better system. The MTA is however in a sense a victim of it's own success. As someone who has taken the MTA many times, it is an asset that you can't live without... and it's also kind of a really unpleasant experience.
SEPTA is so much less useful than the MTA and does so much less. But what it does, it does pretty well, especially when you enter funding into the equation. There have been times in my life, when I've had a commute that was perfectly served by a subway station. At one point I lived a few blocks from the Oregon Station and worked right next to the Race/Vine Station. That commute was a piece of cake and so much better than any experience you'd have traveling over 5 miles on the MTA.
Now granted, a big reason why the ride was so much more comfortable was because the subway was so much less crowded because it is so much less useful to so many people depending on where they live and work. But I really think that is the biggest factor, if the subway works for your commute in Philly you'd be kind of crazy not to take it, it's pretty good. I've definitely seen people of all walks of life on the subway, hell I've even seen Mayor Street on he subway a bunch of times.
So while I agree that the MTA is just indisputably a better system, at the end of the day it's just another point on the long list of why NYC is objectively better than philly. But despite also those objective facts favoring NYC, they don't necessarily add up to NYC being a more enjoyable place to live and the MTA is a poster child for this.
|
I've always said that SEPTA could've been had the same quality of an MTA in NYC if it did these following things:
-Built out more subway lines, especially along 5th St and Passyunk Ave, Arch St, extended the MFL and converted it into a subway from Parx Casino to 69th St, then an above ground expansion to Dabry terminal, and converted regional rail lines such as the Norristown and Chestnut Hill lines into the subway system than it's current use.
-Got rid of the transfer fee.
-Expanded and restored it's regional rail service to Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading, Lancaster, and West Chester.
-Expanded it's subway-surface and trolley system (restoring the 23 plus adding more subway surface lines along Whitby Ave, Lansdowne Ave from 63rd St to Morris Park, Lancaster Ave from 52nd St to 63rd St, and a Fairmount Park line from 52nd and Lancaster to City Line Ave.)
-Forced the booth clerks to make change.
-Has nothing to do with SEPTA, but PATCO should've expanded it's service to Cherry Hill, Maple Shade, Deptford, Woodbury, and had another line alone Vine St to 30th St Station and the Locust St Subway should be extended to University City Station.
Prev
Linear Mode
