GUEST COLUMNIST: SEPTA strike masks the issues

WASHINGTON -- Angry? Frustrated? If you're one of the estimated 450,000 commuters forced to find alternate ways to work or school by the SEPTA strike of 1998, the answer to both questions is probably "yes." Midway through its first week, the strike has already caused long lines for cabs, traffic jams and a frantic race for seats on most regional transportation lines. But while SEPTA negotiators and union leaders continue to publicly trade punches, accusing the other of failing to negotiate in good faith, one thing has become immediately clear: the issues raised by both sides completely miss the point of what's ailing the city's troubled public transportation system. In public, SEPTA negotiators -- led by David L. Cohen, Mayor Ed Rendell's former chief of staff -- have adopted a tough-guy approach, insisting that the strike will not force them to cave into the union. Indeed, they paint the dispute as a fight for the future of the system, which has seen its ridership plummet by more than 20 percent between 1988 and 1997 and currently faces a budget deficit of nearly $150 million. Transportation Workers Union Local 234, which represents 5,600 striking employees, also paints the dispute as a fight for its future. The outcome of the strike, union leaders say, will determine management-labor relations well into the next century. They accuse SEPTA of offering them an unacceptable contract which gives management too much power. About the only thing the two sides agree on, in fact, is what they disagree on. Work rules, health insurance and other benefits, the unclear role of SEPTA management and the question of whether to implement a zero-tolerance policy for drug and alcohol abusers are among the wide range of complex issues which continue to divide the two sides. The real issues threatening the system's future are much simpler. The two sides can argue until they're blue in the face, but until they offer SEPTA riders a concrete plan for overhauling a substandard public transportation system, increasing numbers of commuters are likely to seek out alternative ways of traveling around the city. Consider, for example, the differences between SEPTA and Washington's Metro system. Philadelphia commuters have grown used to trains that are noisy, messy and often late, as well as to buses that fail to reach large areas of the city. It's not uncommon to see people eating and drinking on trains, nor to see the homeless begging for spare change, a la New York City. The system is uncomfortable, unclean and has a reputation for being unsafe that will be hard to shake. The Metro system, on the other hand, is almost too good. Trains and buses run incredibly frequently, are nearly always on time and reach the entire city. Passengers are well-behaved and polite. Food and drink -- indeed litter of any kind -- are almost non-existent. Indeed, one gets the impression that snacking a bite of a candy bar on a train would earn a stern reprimand from other passengers, many of whom describe the Metro in the loving terms usually reserved for babies and pets. Why are there such stark differences? The two systems are located in comparably-sized metropolitan areas, and ridership numbers are almost identical. Nor is Washington a substantially wealthier area than Philadelphia; per-capita income for both regions is almost equal. And SEPTA has the potential to be substantially-better than it currently is. The subway-surface lines, in particular, are fast and in good-enough condition to be the foundation of a revamped system. Reducing the noise in subway stops, providing better lighting and more police officers to alleviate passengers' security fears, enforcing a ban on food and drink anywhere in the stations and improving the physical condition of the trains and stations would be a good first step; increasing the frequency of most lines and doing a better job of making sure the trains and buses run on schedule, a good second one. More importantly, such initiatives would have to be cast as part of a larger effort to make SEPTA passengers feel appreciated and valued, rather than treating them as the pawns in the larger battle between SEPTA and its estranged union. Preliminary plans to address some of these concerns already exist in a five-year strategic plan SEPTA officials unveiled earlier this year. That plan includes proposals for automated fare collection, station renovations, new buses and subway cars and secured waiting areas. It also promises to balance the budget throughout the next five fiscal years, a critical move since SEPTA's accumulated operating deficit is projected to grow to $350 million by FY 2003. For now, though, the proposal is being held hostage by the narrow-minded leadership of both SEPTA and the union. Improving the system will require hard work and compromise by both sides. The longer the strike drags on, the more difficult it will be for the two sides to convince passengers to return to the system, let alone that it is on the right path for the future. In the meantime, it may be time to take up biking again.