Transportation Planning

UCD works with partners to address transportation issues including bike and pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, and transit routing. In 2018, UCD, major institutions, developers, the City, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission joined forces to create a Transportation Management Association (TMA). This association formalizes work these partners have done for nearly two decades and opens new opportunities to improve how people and goods get around the district.

 

Together with SEPTA, the TMA operates the Loop through University City (LUCY) bus that carried nearly 700,000 passengers in 2018 from 30th Street Station to nearby jobs. From helping SEPTA develop the new 49 bus route connecting residents of Strawberry Mansion, Fairmount, Grays Ferry, and Brewerytown to University City to informing a deeper understanding of transportation trends throughout the district, UCD’s data capacities have been a critical resource in transportation planning. The City, the TMA, and community groups worked closely to bring a protected bike lane to Chestnut Street, and UCD worked with the City and Drexel University on a pilot program to address congestion at 30th Street Station. Moving forward, the TMA will continue to assist in projects aimed at improving every mode of transit to benefit residents and commuters.

 


 

For questions about the TMA, contact:

  • Alan Garry, Vice President of Public Safety and Community Services: 215.243.0555 x233, [email protected]

 


 

New Bus Route Connects University City and Nearby Neighborhoods


In February 2019, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) began operating a new bus route. University City District worked closely with SEPTA to inform the creation of Route 49, which went through several iterations and extensive community vetting during a three-year process before being approved. The seven-mile route is SEPTA's first entirely new bus service in over a decade, and connects nearby neighborhoods including Strawberry Mansion, Fairmount, Grays Ferry, and Brewerytown to University City and its 80,000 jobs. SEPTA projects the new route will attract 3,000 new bus riders on weekdays. SEPTA is treating the route as a one-year experiment at the request of the City; during this time they will analyze ridership, routing, technical operations, and other essentials. If ridership numbers prove to be robust, SEPTA will tweak the system based on their analysis and implement the route as a permanent addition to Philadelphia’s transportation network. View a map of SEPTA's Route 49 here.

 


 

2020 Transit Data