Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH

options

KRISTON J. BETHEL / Staff Photographer

At Suburban Station, a long line of commuters waits for the next Regional Rail train. Upstairs, many waited in long lines for platform access.

1 of 2

View images

READER FEEDBACK

VENT: Your frustration

Nutter, Rendell blast SEPTA union for surprise strike
SEPTA strike: Bad to worse
Schools brace for strike fallout
Some in suburbs hit hard by SEPTA strike
Einstein Healthcare Network was prepared for transit strike
SEPTA's Service Interruption Guide

Posted on Wed, Nov. 4, 2009

For commuters, a day that went from bad to worse

By Jennifer Lin, Jane M. Von Bergen, and David O'Reilly

Inquirer Staff Writers

The impact of SEPTA's predawn strike started out bad and only got worse.

Early-morning travelers, many trying to get to jobs in the suburbs, were stranded at bus and subway stations, left to work their cell phones for rides from friends or relatives.

Taking to the roads, morning commuters clogged Center City intersections and caused backups of up to an hour over the bridges from New Jersey.

But that was just a warm-up to the evening rush hour, which brought a crush of commuters to Regional Rail stations, left streets paralyzed with gridlock, and sent tempers rising.

And brace yourself: Day Two is expected to be even worse.

Students at Philadelphia public schools, who are major users of public transit, were off yesterday for Election Day, and that may have lessened the impact of the strike.

"The real test is [this] morning, when schools are in full session," said MaryAnn Tierney, the city's director of emergency management.

Mayor Nutter said the city was "ambushed" by the strike. "You can't put a dollar value on the disruption and aggravation," he said. "This is unfair to the citizens of the city."

The city's 311 Center, which fields complaints and requests, experienced a 40 percent increase in volume yesterday. The city announced extended hours, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., for today and tomorrow.

Nutter spent the day meeting with department heads to map out contingency plans - with one of the first tasks being to continue the business of city government.

The city has set aside remote parking lots - in Fairmount Park, at the Festival Pier on the Delaware River, and in South Philadelphia - for municipal workers and is shuttling them by vans and school buses to the Municipal Services Building.

To ease the effect of the strike, the city also is allowing some workers to adjust their hours and to use office vehicles for carpools.

The Police Department has added more traffic police at more intersections, equipping some with manual controls to change lights.

The Streets Department is stopping all construction on roadways during the daytime, while the Parking Authority is allowing more cabs and limousine services to pick up customers in the city.

The city also has relaxed parking restrictions in certain areas - allowing such practices as stopping in bus zones to drop off passengers. (The locations are available through www.phila.gov/ready)

Employers, too, are taking steps to get workers to and from their jobs. Center City hotels chartered six tourist trolleys to shuttle workers in and out of the city.

About 5,100 train and trolley operators, bus drivers, and mechanics walked off the job at 3 a.m., catching the riding public off guard.

Many commuters had to cycle to work - or walk.

The Bicycle Coalition, an advocacy group, is promoting "Bike the Strike" and setting up more areas to park bikes on Dilworth Plaza.

Many stranded riders have turned to Regional Rail trains, which are not affected by the strike.

Page: 1 of 3 View All

1 | 2 | 3 Next»

CURRENTLY SHOWING ON PHILLY.COM

A Philly girl's love for Michael Vick

Philly Uncorked: Cooking and wine

Mob Scene: Bad Cop

SnapGlow.TV: Jean fashions with Sixers Dancers

The Gossip: On the weathermen front

Comments

Posted 05:56 AM, 11/04/2009

There He Is

If I see any striking union thugs, I am going to rip into them. And if the guy hits me, I'll own him and collect that huge pension.

Posted 06:07 AM, 11/04/2009

JoeMammas

Surprise strike?? There's been ads in various newspapers now about the strike coming. Wake up people! Get rid of SEPTA and privatize the transit system or at least have it run by the Philadelphia Port Authority.

Posted 06:19 AM, 11/04/2009

BarryGoldwater01

Dear TWU members, You are being seriously misled. Ask your neighbors how they are doing. This strike is not good for the community and it is not good for your union. Watch for legislation in the near future that will curtail your actions. Love, Your Neighbors

Posted 06:25 AM, 11/04/2009

blackknight

The workers are crying for their pensions and benefits. Guess what? Many people not protected by unions in this "Will to Work" state face the same issues but go to work everyday. Give the employees the option to return to work or fire and replace their collective arses.

Posted 06:33 AM, 11/04/2009

Beauty

The offer the were ginen seemed more than fair to me- this strick just seems greedy- it seems they were given this offer so that there would be no strick and instead as usual they are leaving philadelphia hanging- They need some competition...

Posted 07:07 AM, 11/04/2009

dilbert1

This is how this union has gotten such good pay and benefits over the years. Because of what their job is, they are able to strike every 3 years, hold the city hostage with their demands and prevent people from getting to work. So they city/septa management has to cave in to their ridiculous demands, so that people can get back to work. Gotta love that union mentality, maybe we should be grateful this union doesn't work in hospitals.

Posted 07:08 AM, 11/04/2009

Digifant

Solution: privatize the transit system or have the PPA run it. The PPA is the most cash efficient part of Philadelphia. The Septa union workers on strike don't know how good they have it.

Posted 07:36 AM, 11/04/2009

PhillyTime

They refuse an outstanding offer. You wonder why SEPTA has the highest fares of any transit system in the country. Nw we know why. It would be great if when the strike were over the riders boycott SEPTA. Lets see how the union would like it then. As long as SEPTA can hold the city hostage, this will be a repeating, broken record, over and over and over again.

Posted 07:36 AM, 11/04/2009

Ed Feldman

If any of you complaining had the chance to get a better pension by striking at your job, how much time would you spend thinking about what other people thought, or how it would affect them? You would defend your actions by bringing up the needs of YOUR families, not other people's.

Posted 07:42 AM, 11/04/2009

hotelguy

It is clear that SEPTA union leadership suffered from an epic, incredible lapse in judgement. What could have possessed them to actually believe the public would be on their side? Its almost as if they are trying to sink their own ship.

Posted 07:45 AM, 11/04/2009

Wassup!

this is the beginning of the end of Septa, as we know it today. They have managed to cut their own throats. good riddance.

Posted 09:09 AM, 11/04/2009

hobbesteroo

These people have some nerve striking when most people would be very happy to even have a job. And to be complaing about benifits??? I lost most of my 401k and they just raised the price of insurance where i work. I work over time just to keep up with every thing. These union workers need to get a glimps at the real world.

Posted 09:40 AM, 11/04/2009

PhillyTime

Hey Feldman -- you're right. And that's also the problem. Just because you CAN strike and hold a company, or government, hostage by impacting and ransoming the livelihoods of other people doesn't make it right. It's dispicable. If everyone is always looking out for themselves then we'll all fail. I wouldn't want to see you fail, thanks for being concerned about me.

Posted 11:05 AM, 11/04/2009

123

Subsequent negotiations have been completely unproductive (non-existent). Local leadership continues to ignore the needs of transit riders and the taxpayers of Philadelphia & surrounding counties. For the safety of riders & citizens, Rendell, Nutter & Septa Board should be able to approve the proposed contract & order union members back to work. Brown can work out 'pecking order rights' through Labor Relations like other companies do. Septa retirees' pension & healthcare are well covered. Shut down this hostage situation now because we all know the end result is coming out of the working people's pockets.