Last week, PlanPhilly.com obtained copies of proposal documents for SEPTA’s New Payment Technology project and asked DVARP for comment. The story then broke in the Inquirer Tuesday. You can read the articles here:

http://planphilly.com/regional-rail-changes

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20100824_SEPTA_smart-card_proposal_panned_by_passenger_advocates.html

The Plan Philly article has copies of the original documents too, which you can download if you wish.

As most of you know, DVARP has been following this project closely since it got moving in earnest two or three years ago. As we’ve reported in our newsletter, the project promises to make paying for your SEPTA travel much more convenient: you’ll be able to use any standard credit or debit card, or you can purchase a special SEPTA farecard and link it to an online account so you’ll never have to line up to buy tokens or train tickets again. The project should also make transferring between vehicles and between modes more convenient.

We’ve also reported that there are some parts of that proposal that could be very inconvenient for passengers, like making commuter rail riders go through turnstiles to get in and out of the station, and making them hand over their passes to the conductor for validation every trip.

Through most of this planning process, SEPTA kept us reasonably well informed of what was being planned, and actively solicited our comments. The chief planner for the project even was helpful enough to come to the NARP tri-state meeting earlier this year to brief us and our neighbors about current developments. Even when we disagreed, we had very constructive dialog.

We hadn’t heard anything since then, and we were very disappointed to see the documents that PlanPhilly got. While the NPT system as planned for the bus, trolley, and rapid transit lines is pretty much as we expected, and are pleased to support, the commuter rail part includes nearly all of the parts we’ve voiced our strong objection to. On our website, you can view a summary of how the system would work and an analysis of the most objectionable parts of the system. We urge you to go read them after you’re done with this e-mail.

You probably want to know what DVARP is doing in response. First, and most important, we’re continuing our efforts to help secure adequate and reliable funding for transportation needs in Pennsylvania. Monday, the governor made a proposal to raise motor vehicle fees in the commonwealth for the first time in 15 years, and to revise a tax that was intended to capture a piece of oil company profits. We think this is a fair plan, especially since rail commuters have had to bear fare increases well above the inflation rate, most recently the 8% increase this summer. We’ll soon be asking for your help in a leafleting campaign aimed at getting our state legislators to vote on this or another plan to resolve the current transportation funding problem.

Second, we have made clear to SEPTA that we expect them to live up to their promise to bring the proposal to riders, the counties, and other stakeholders for their comment and approval before the contract terms are finalized. We do not want a situation where a contract worth a hundred million dollars or more is let without that approval and then has to be changed because one or more of the terms is unacceptable to the public.

Third, we are sifting through the 777-page technical specifications document and other information that has been made public: to try and understand what is being proposed and how it will affect you and others who ride SEPTA. We will continue to be the honest broker in this matter, giving thoughtful and unbiased evaluations of the proposal, and answering the myriad questions you, the media, and public officials will have. To that end, we’ve posted some documents on the DVARP web site describing the proposal and its most controversial elements.

Finally, we’re also trying to debunk some myths and unfair criticism of the project. Though SEPTA should have consulted with the public about the basics of the plan prior to working out all the detailed specifications, we have seen nothing indicative of any corruption or wrongdoing on the part of SEPTA management. Despite the problems with the current plan for the railroad, NPT will have a lot of benefits for riders. We are trying to expedite the good parts of the plan while stopping and fixing the bad parts.

So we are asking SEPTA to move forward promptly with the parts of the NPT plan which will not be affected by the controversial policy choices. SEPTA submitted a federal stimulus grant application for those parts, which we were pleased to endorse.

We’re not alone on this. The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board has taken a position in line with ours, recognizing our work on this issue and repeating some of our points using some language you’ll find familiar.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq_ed_board/101502349.html

We welcome The Inquirer aboard, and thank them for bringing this issue up to a wider audience, including the political, business, and community leaders of the Delaware Valley.