CITY LIMITS: Putting the night owl to sleep

The end of the line may be near for late-night subway and elevated train riders. This afternoon, at a regularly scheduled meeting, SEPTA board members will debate and vote on a proposal to cancel late night train service, known as 'night-owl' service, on two rapid transit lines. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority proposal would cancel service on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines each night from midnight until to 5 a.m. The authority would add 22 buses to routes which run parallel to the affected subway routes. The buses on these routes would run approximately every 15 minutes throughout the night. Currently, the trains run about every half-hour after 1 a.m. SEPTA General Manager Louis Gambaccini cited safety, efficiency and savings as the reasons for the change, in a statement issued last November. The proposal has met with criticism from the Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers and SEPTA's Citizen Advisory Committee. The organizations want the shut-down reduced to four hours and said bus stops would not provide adequate shelter or security. They also questioned the effectiveness of the proposal in achieving its objectives as presented by Gambaccini. The Market-Frankford Blue Line runs from 69th and Market Streets to Center City and beyond. It connects under City Hall to the Broad Street Orange Line, which runs to the Spectrum, Veteran's Stadium, and Temple University. Subway-surface lines, running between City Hall and West Philadelphia, were not included in the proposal. Gambaccini said in his statement that riders would be safer in buses because the waits for buses would be shorter. In addition, police currently patrolling subways would be reassigned to other areas such as the new bus routes. He also stated that buses are inherently safer then subways because of the presence of a driver in every car. According to Gambaccini, the change would allow maintenance work on the lines to be done during the nightly shutdowns, without inconveniencing riders. He said that track and signal work could be performed in addition to cleaning. In his statement, Gambaccini said that the city's net savings would be just under $1 million averaged over a ten year period. John Pawson, president of the DVARP, said last week that weather, drunk drivers and overcrowding on buses would create problems. "They haven't provided for snowy and inclement weather," Pawson said. "New Year's also presents a problem, and nights when there is an event at the Spectrum." Chuck Bode, secretary of DVARP, said that SEPTA hasn't accounted for all of the drawbacks of the proposal. "SEPTA hasn't thought it through yet," Bode said. "They're rushing into it before completing the analysis, before thinking of what the costs are." The DVARP also questioned the security of the move, saying that riders could be just as safe in the subway as at a bus stop. "It depends on neighborhoods," Bode said. "Some are bad waiting for the subway, some for the bus." Robert Korach, a transportation and management consultant and hearing examiner for SEPTA, has issued a report recommending that the board pass the proposal. However, Korach's report suggests that SEPTA develop a proposal for train service during special events and inclement weather. He also recommended that bus stop signs be installed at the stops with extra late-night service. In addition, he advised that the times of the first and last buses and trains be posted at the bus and subway stops. According to SEPTA's original proposal and Korach's report, other cities normally do not operate rapid transit late at night. City Planning Professor Anthony Tomazinis agreed with SEPTA, calling the move "absolutely necessary." "It's done in all metropolitan areas," Tomazinis said. "The heaviest service should not be operating during the lightest hours." Tomazinis also agreed with SEPTA that the nightly shutdown would save the authority money. "It's costing SEPTA millions to run for just those people," he said. "It's better for SEPTA to give all those people $20 to take a cab home after midnight than to run the trains." However, City Planning Lecturer Felipe Gorostiza said that he thinks SEPTA should continue night-owl service because it could result in a long-term decrease in overall number of people who use rapid transit. "If you start cutting service, and people start using alternate services during those hours, then people will start using alternate services at other times," Gorostiza said. "SEPTA is using tunnel vision with this. They're just looking at the short-term income . . . and not at the long-term consequences." Students had mixed reactions to the proposal. Some, like College sophomore Lisa Flehinger, said they feel that it would improve safety on the rail service. "Crime was a problem on the subways," Flehinger said. "As long as they replace it with buses it's safer." However, others agreed with the DVARP's claims that the service would be inefficient and unsafe. "I think it's ridiculous," said Dana Marlin, a Wharton sophomore. "When there are things at the Spectrum you can't have a million buses waiting around forever." The meeting will be held at the SEPTA headquarters at 714 Market Street at 3 p.m. this afternoon and is open to the public. · Students who hope to avoid public transportation by taking cabs will also have a problem. Taxi fares have recently been raised by the Public Utilities Commission of Philadelphia and will go into effect shortly. According to Monroe Dove, tariff examiner for the commission, fares will now be $1.80 for the first one-sixth of a mile and $.30 for each additional sixth. Waiting rates will be $.20 per minute. Dove said that most cab companies have filed to comply with the new higher rates. A cab ride back to the Quadrangle from a night at 2nd and South Streets now costs around $12.

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