NOVEMBERNEWSLETTER | 2023

Travel Training Is Fun and Impactful!

Check out our NEW Travel Training Video!

In this video, you will meet Donavan, a student a Cheltenham High School, who has gone through our travel training program. Listen to his experience as he chats with our program leader, Brad.

For more info on Travel Training, please email us at info@ptma-mc.org or call us at 215.997.9100.

Meet Niema!

Niema is a teacher in West Philadelphia, currently living in long-term temporary housing in Horsham. She travels to work by bus and train and told us she needs a bike for her daily commute.

In her teaching job, she often works extra hours, and she’s planning to get a second job, too. A bike would give her more travel options and flexibility to get to both positions.

When Brad met up with Neima to deliver the bike, he showed her how to perform pre-ride safety checks, basic hand signals, and how to lock up the bike to keep it secure. He shared details about DVRPC’s Share-A-Ride Program so she can earn rewards for her transit and bicycle trips. And he gave her a new fitted helmet, lock, and safety lights.

After taking a few practice laps around her building, Neima felt confident about riding the bike and expressed her thanks to Brad.

Check out the Share-A-Ride program for travel options, greener travel and how you can access the Emergency Ride Home program.

Options such as carpools, vanpools, public transportation, biking, walking and telecommuting options help improve air quality, and you can earn rewards by tracking your trips.

Check out our NEW landing page for more info: https://sharearide.agilemile.com/ptma

Attention, Jobseekers!

The Park to Perkiomen Trail Connector, an essential part of Upper Salford Township's multiuse pathway network, received a 2023 Montgomery Award for the execution of a sustained vision for open space and natural resource preservation, site-sensitive trail design and construction, and community and agency partnerships collaboration.

This project connected a popular township park with a recreational destination and the Perkiomen Trail, while preserving 42 acres of high conservation value woodlands

Click here for more info: https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/41129/2023-Park-to-Perkiomen-Trail-Connector_FINAL?fbclid=IwAR38_xKzrtfMk20NSivojS2Nw3ONzHnYjCUlSMbGC1GOfZshTV4shJjO43g

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is collaborating with the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Committee (PMRPC) to design safer pedestrian and bicycle routes for several schools in the Pottstown area.

During this study, we will be developing recommendations and concept designs for improvements to bicycle and pedestrian safety for students based on identified concerns from school staff, parents, and students. Information gathered by our team will then be used to help the school district or municipality to apply for Safe Routes to School funding.

The final Safe Routes to School in Pottstown report will include:

• Geographic and safety analysis of barriers to walking and biking to school
• Public engagement of parents and students on their concerns walking and biking to school
• School-specific concept designs

Want your voice to be heard or need more info? Click here to read more about this study and/or fill out the survey: https://publicparticipation.dvrpc.org/srts-pottstown

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is STILL updating Connections 2050, the current Long-Range Plan for the Greater Philadelphia region. The Plan contains a broadly-shared vision for the year 2050 around four focus areas: environment, communities, economy, and multimodal transportation. 

What priorities do you have for the region? What does an equitable, resilient, and sustainable Greater Philadelphia look like to you? There is still time to share your vision and priorities by taking the survey at: www.dvrpc.org/update2050.

Those who complete a survey may enter to win a $50 gift card. 

DVRPC is currently seeking people to join their Public Participation Task Force! If you would like to help with the regional planning process and have your voice be heard, apply now!

Click here to apply: https://www.dvrpc.org/GetInvolved/PPTFApplication/

"Slippery Rail Season" Is In Full Swing!

While the sale of tokens ended in 2018 in conjunction with the introduction of the SEPTA Key card, SEPTA continued to accept tokens as payment on buses and trolleys and via SEPTA Fare kiosks located at stations and bus loops. At midnight on December 31, 2023, SEPTA will permanently retire the inventory, no longer accepting tokens as a form of payment.

Effective January 1, 2024, SEPTA will no longer accept tokens aboard vehicles or as a form of payment in SEPTA Fare kiosks. Customers holding tokens must use them by midnight, December 31, 2023, before they expire.

For now, tokens can be used for travel by inserting in bus or trolley fareboxes. At stations, they can be used in SEPTA Fare kiosks to receive a Quick Trip or as a payment method for adding funds or products to SEPTA Key cards. Tokens are valued at $2.00 each. Not redeemable for cash.

Remember, protect your funds by purchasing and maintaining a SEPTA Key card. SEPTA Key cards cost $4.95 and can be purchased at SEPTA Sales offices and at participating retailers. If registered online at septakey.org, the original payment will be credited back to the user (limitations apply).

At this event, we'll be sharing resources about the health benefits of active transportation; biking and walking.

We look forward to educating you on how to be a better, healthier, and stronger YOU!

Our partner, Bike North Penn, has an upcoming Holiday Lights Ride!

This will be a slow roll group bike ride of streets in and around downtown Lansdale to see holiday lights put out by the locals. The Bike Route will be no more than 6 miles and will be mostly on residential streets with low traffic.

Bike lights are encouraged! Bike North Penn wants this to be festive, but also wants you to be visible to drivers, so be creative with your lights!

See you there!

When: Wednesday, December 13th

Time: 7pm

Where: Round Guys/Outside Backyard Beans in downtown Lansdale

Don't forget their monthly meeting on Thursday, Dec 14th @7pm at the Lansdale Library.

For more info: https://bikenorthpenn.org/calendar-2/