THE TMA SCOOP

The official electronic newsletter of the Bucks County TMA

Week of January 22, 2007

 

TMA BUCKS NEWS AND EVENTS

 

RUSHING TO NEW HEIGHTS:  STREET ROAD SETS SINGLE DAY RIDERSHIP RECORD

 

Last week was an historical week for the TMA RUSH program as the Street Road RUSH recorded the single best day in the history of RUSH.  The Street Road RUSH experienced an amazing 131 total riders for Tuesday, January 9th, which is simply incredible given the size of the service area.  The spike in ridership can be traced to a recent hiring trend at local business parks and the start of a new semester at CHI Institute in Southampton.  This is one record that the TMA hopes will be broken many times over in 2007.      

 

It was reported that TMA officials celebrated the new record with a toast of diet soda at the TMA offices in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.     

 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…TMA RECEIVED POSITIVE PRESS LAST WEEK

 

*The following is an article that appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times on January 17, 2007*

Rush Bus Sees Steady Growth

BENSALEM - More and more people are hopping on the Bensalem Rush Bus each week as casino employees and gamblers discover a low-cost ride to Philadelphia Park Casino.

Ridership has increased 67 percent in the first two weeks of January, transportation officials said.

The bus began service in mid-December with a route that links SEPTA's Cornwells Heights train station and the slots parlor on Street Road.  As many as 30 people ride the bus daily. The bus also makes stops at Neshaminy Mall, the Bridgewater Industrial Park and the ITT Technical Institute on Tillman Drive.

It's a free ride for SEPTA riders who have a monthly or weekly pass.  Otherwise, you'll pay a dollar.

The Bensalem Rush Bus is managed by Bucks County Transportation Management Association and funded in part by a federal grant of $130,000. The TMA operates four other rush buses, servicing Trevose, Bristol, Newtown and Warminster.

 

TMA Executive Director Bill Rickett said he expects the Bensalem Rush to soon be the agency's “best performing shuttle.”

Philadelphia Park Casino officials said they have hired 700 people for the slots parlor, which opened last month. Ten of them are taking the Bensalem Rush Bus, according to Steve Noll, deputy director for the TMA.

“People have to hear about these routes and they have to see these routes as reliable. As that happens, they will continue to be more popular,” Noll said.

For more information about the RUSH buses, call 866-862-7433. Bus route maps and schedules are also available online at www.rushbus.org

This particular article sparked a great deal of interest with the public.  A large number of phone calls came into the TMA offices, and numerous requests for service schedules were processed.  The Bensalem RUSH will definitely benefit from this outstanding public relations piece. 

 

2007 BREAKFAST SPONSORSHIPS ARE STILL UP FOR GRABS!!!

 

Has your company been doing amazing things this year?  Feel like tooting your own horn in 2007?  There is no better way to showcase the success of your business than to sponsor a Bucks County TMA Quarterly Breakfast. TMA breakfasts allow you to promote your business while networking with many Bucks County professionals.   A sponsorship, which is a $1,000 investment, gives your company all of the following:

 

A five minute company presentation

Promotional table at the event

Promotional material distribution

Sponsor recognition

25% discount for all current TMA members

 

We have already received interest in the 2007 sponsorships so don't hesitate and lose out on a great business opportunity!  Please contact Cindy Peto at 215-244-9082 or cindy@bctma.com for more information.  

 

LOCAL AND NATIONAL HEADLINES

Officials meet with Bucks County residents for input on road improvements

Dozens of Bucks County residents browsed illustrated maps and traced their fingers over color-coded roadways at the Bucks County Regional Traffic Study Open House last week.

The point of the open house wasn't to plan the best travel routes, but to take public input on how to improve 16 key roadways in Lower Bucks being studied by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. 'The 15-month study of the 70 miles of state roads spanning Lower Makefield, Northampton, Newtown, Newtown Township, Upper Makefield, Wrightstown and Yardley will conclude in November", said Jerry Coyne, DVRPC transportation manager.

“There's no work,” Coyne said when asked when improvements would be carried out. “These are all ideas.”

"Those ideas will be reviewed and carried out provided funding is available", Coyne said. To succeed, Coyne said projects must have municipal backing and support from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

PennDOT officials were also on hand seeking input for a Swamp Road improvement project, set to get under way in 2010 and continue during two construction seasons, according to Joe DeTora, project manager.  PennDOT is also looking to improve roadway and shoulder widths, sight distance limitations caused by curves and hills, drainage design and intersection design on five miles of Swamp Road from Rushland in Wrightstown to the Newtown Bypass in Newtown Township.

By summer 2008, DeTora said a signalization program will begin at the intersection of Swamp Road and Route 232.

PennDOT is also looking to retime the traffic signals on the Newtown Bypass to provide better traffic flow and a reduction in fuel costs and pollution, according to a handout available Wednesday.

Source: Bucks County Courier Times

Transportation is a big part of Governor Rendell’s Second term Agenda

Edward G. Rendell laid out an ambitious agenda for change after he was sworn in for his second and final four-year term as Pennsylvania's governor this past week in Harrisburg.  There was no doubt that the transportation funding crisis would be an important issue in his agenda, and the governor was quick to state his commitment to a solution.   

Rendell pledged to find ways to address the transportation-funding crisis that has left mass-transit agencies with perennial budget problems, and highways and bridges in desperate need of repair.

He has talked about a long-term lease or even a sale of some roads, such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, to raise anywhere from $2 billion to $30 billion for road work.

He said Pennsylvania should be a state "that provides a financially sound system of mass transit and a first-class network of highways and bridges."

A commission named by Governor Rendell reported in November that $1.7 billion more per year is needed to improve roads and bridges and support buses and trolleys. Urban legislators, especially from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, are seeking a permanent, dedicated source of funds for mass transit.

SEPTA Automated Ticket Machines Leaving the StationS

On January 27, 2007, the automated ticket vending machines at Market East Station, Suburban Station, 30th Street Station, Philadelphia International Airport, and Trenton Station in New Jersey will be taken out of service.

Passes offer the greatest travel discount for regular SEPTA customers.  But many people only use Regional Rail for occasional trips. For these riders, tickets make the most sense.  Whether it’s a Transpass, a TrailPass, or a ticket, purchasing your fare instrument before starting your trip can save time and money. 

Effective January 27, 2007 the following fare purchase conditions will apply:

Market East, Suburban & 30th Street Stations
(Including trips to the Airport)

  • Purchase tickets at the Station Ticket Offices - cash, debit, & credit cards are accepted
  • The $2.00 Surcharge will apply for fares purchased on the train when the ticket office is open. 

Trenton Station

  • Purchase tickets at the New Jersey Transit Ticket Office on the Upper Level
  • The $2.00 Surcharge will apply for fares purchased on the train when the ticket office is open. 

 

CONSTRUCTION CORNER:

 

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP

 

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that the eastbound right lane on Route 63 (Woodhaven Road) will be closed between Route 1 and Interstate 95 in Bensalem Township and Philadelphia, beginning Tuesday (January 2) for concrete barrier removal and line painting.  Crews will work weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. until January 31.

 

 

BEDMINSTER & TINICUM TOWNSHIPS

 

Construction is scheduled to begin this week to rebuild and rehabilitate the Route 611 Bridge over Deep Run and Creamery Road and the Route 611 Bridge over Tohickon Creek.  Crews will be working weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through December, 2008. 

During construction, Route 611 will remain open to one lane of traffic in each direction.  Motorists should experience little delay due to the bridge work; but they should, nevertheless, give themselves extra time to travel through the construction zone. 

PennDOT will reconstruct the shoulders on Route 611 between Route 413 and Creamery Road to accommodate traffic during construction. 

   

IT'S THE TMA FACT OF THE WEEK!!!

 

The PA Turnpike currently carries over 156.2 million vehicles a year at a toll of just over 4.1 cents a mile