SEPTA hitting the roads and rails once again yesterday was quite a relief. After a week of driving, biking and walking to get around, Philadelphians are glad to have their transit system back. Funny how it took the governor getting involved to finally break the stalemate between the Transit Workers Union and SEPTA. And funny, that in all of this the mayor of Philadelphia was nowhere to be found.
The better question, though, is why was there no intervention a week ago -- before the bus drivers walked out in the first place? Or in April when the original contract expired? Or any of the three times the parties agreed to an extension?
Anyone committed to the well-being of city residents would have been at the bargaining table long before picket lines were drawn. It had to happen eventually. Too bad John Street had absolutely nothing to say.
Let us not forget that it took the former mayor to ride in on his horse and bail out the current mayor, who was too busy dealing with his staffers that could not even get to work in the morning.
At least now Philadelphians can rest knowing that it will be at least four more years before the next transit strike, thanks to the deal reached early yesterday morning. But seeing how poorly this situation was handled by the people that run the local government, four years of reliability may be the limit.
SEPTA still has serious financial problems that will only be exacerbated by a week-long shutdown. The onus falls on the agency to coax back riders who gave up on it after being left at the bus stop.
There is no time like the present for the union and management to heal these wounds, lest they be pried open again in four years.
