Volume 43, Issue 10
Celebrate Trails on April 23
This year Celebrate Trails Day is Saturday, April 23. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy created Celebrate Trails in 2013. Held annually on the fourth Saturday of April, the day celebrates the nation’s trails, promoting wellness, an appreciation of the outdoors, and active transportation.
At DVRPC, we aim to build, improve, and expand trails throughout the region for all to enjoy through our Regional Trail Program’s investment in the Circuit Trails: Greater Philadelphia's 800-plus-mile network of multi-use trails. The Circuit Trails network not only provides access to the region's rivers, creeks, and streams, but also allows safer and more efficient travel by bicycle or foot between homes, businesses, parks, schools, and community centers all free from motorized traffic.
With financial support from the William Penn Foundation, DVRPC’s Regional Trails Program has provided $22 million in funding to over 120 trail planning, design, and construction projects to date. In the past year alone, DVRPC awarded over $2.7 million to projects, approximately ten new miles of trails were built, and major projects including the Delaware River Heritage Trail in Mansfield and Florence, NJ; the new Cramer Hill Waterfront Park in Camden, NJ; and the Scudder Falls Shared Use Path over the Delaware River in Bucks and Mercer counties were completed.
To learn more about the Circuit Trails and review which trails are currently available to explore, visit our Circuit Trails web map.
New AccessScore Webmap Analyzes Walking and Biking Around Regional Transit Stations
DVRPC has launched AccessScore, a metric that analyzes the walkability and bikeability of the areas around Regional Rail, light rail, trolley, and subway stations throughout the Philadelphia region.
To create AccessScore, DVRPC gathered and analyzed data on station area characteristics such as land use, demographics, transit density, safety, and access for pedestrians and bicyclists. Characteristics within two miles of the station are scored on a scale from 1 to 5 and added together to create an AccessScore, meant to show how generally accessible a transit station is by all modes of transportation. In addition to the overall AccessScore, each station also received a PedestrianScore and a CycleScore.
These new metrics will give transit agencies, advocacy groups, and municipalities a picture of the station area characteristics that contribute to demand for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Ultimately, AccessScore may help communities identify and prioritize improvements designed to strengthen pedestrian, cycling, and transit connectivity.
View the AccessScore webmap at www.dvrpc.org/webmaps/AccessScore.
Upcoming Webinar: The Internet as a Public Utility
What is the ideal future of the internet? How can communities expand access and create a more equitable digital future? On Thursday, April 7, at 11 am, DVRPC is hosting “The Internet as a Public Utility,” a joint meeting of the Regional Community and Economic Development Forum and the Futures Group to discuss these questions and more.
This webinar features Jim Mercante, a volunteer with the Southern Chester County Opportunity Network (SCCON), who will discuss two digital equity initiatives underway in Southern Chester County, and Jessica Zufolo, Vice President of Rural Broadband Strategy at Magellan Advisors, who will discuss broadband funding and network deployment opportunities for rural unserved communities throughout Southern Chester County. They will be joined by Amani Bey, DVRPC, who will present their review of “Visions of the Internet in 2035,” a collaborative report by Pew Research Center and Elon University. Mike Liebhold, Distinguished Fellow, Institute for the Future, will expand on the future of the internet and what planners can do now to work toward ensuring a safe and equitable experience.
The presentations will be followed by a Q&A. Register to attend “The Internet as a Public Utility.”
Join Us for Experimental Pop-ups: Tactical Urbanism in the Philadelphia Region
DVRPC’s Expo: Experimental Pop-ups program assists communities in addressing safety concerns and improving access for pedestrians and people riding bikes by testing solutions through demonstration or pop-up projects. Program staff work with counties, municipalities, community/neighborhood groups, and other partners to think through the possibilities and processes for specific, attainable, near-term projects that promote livability and safer streets for all.
Learn more about the program on Wednesday, April 20, at 11 am, during the webinar “Experimental Pop-ups: Tactical Urbanism in the Philadelphia Region,” which will feature key organizers from communities that have worked with DVRPC on their own pop-up projects. Expo program staff will be joined by Kimberley Bezak, co-creator of the Narberth Cycling Club, Borough of Narberth; Linda McIsaac, Founder, Gather in the Circle, Newtown Township, Delaware County; and Cassandra Duffey, Borough Administrator, Borough of Collingswood.
This webinar is relevant for all planners, municipal officials, advocates, and community members who want to learn more about how to test bicycle and pedestrian improvements that can make safer, more livable streets. Register for the Expo webinar. You can also read about the outcomes of two Expo projects in a new data bulletin.
Recent Publications and Products
Phoenixville Rail Extension – This study estimated the ridership for a proposed service extension of the existing Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail line to Pottstown via Phoenixville, projecting that the extension would serve approximately 2,000 to 3,000 daily Regional Rail riders by 2030.
Downingtown Area Transportation Study – After examining non-vehicular approaches to improve road safety and mitigate traffic congestion due to recent growth in the Downingtown area, the project team recommended improvements at key intersections, expansion of the local bicycle network and the reduction of impacts from stormwater runoff.
High Street Corridor Study – This report is the conclusion of a two-year study to develop multimodal design improvements along the High Street corridor that extends across three municipalities in Montgomery County. Recommendations include safety enhancement, such as midblock crossings, a road diet, and targeted sidewalk completions, as well as aesthetic and placemaking efforts, such as gateway treatments, landscaping, and wayfinding.
Reminder: TCDI Grant Program Application Deadline is April 27
DVRPC is accepting applications from eligible entities in the five-county Pennsylvania area for the FY 2023 Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) grant program. The deadline for applications is April 27, 2022.
TCDI is a competitive grant opportunity for local governments, transportation management associations (TMAs), and transit agencies to support smart growth initiatives that implement the Connections 2050 Plan for Greater Philadelphia. Up to $1.2 million is available. Unlike in years past, the local match is no longer required.
On February 14th, DVRPC held an information webinar for interested applicants. The PowerPoint slides, Zoom recording, and FAQs from the session are available at www.dvrpc.org/tcdi.
The New Jersey TCDI program will be available in 2023.
Staff Profile: Aaron Smith, Procurement and Contracts Specialist
What did you want to be growing up? Growing up, I wanted to be either an interior designer or a graphic designer. Somehow I ended up in purchasing.
What was your first job? My first job was at a restaurant in high school. There were six tables. I was a server, cater-waiter, and a prep chef because there was only one chef in the kitchen.
What did you study in college? When I started college, I started in graphic design, but I didn’t finish college. I decided to take a year off to figure out where my true passion lay, and that was twenty-some years ago.
How did you end up at DVRPC? I moved to Philadelphia three years ago leaving behind my previous job. I started looking when I got down here, and wound up back with the temp agency Robert Half/Officeteam. I started temping here two years ago and then was hired full-time last year.
What are your responsibilities? My primary responsibilities are procuring goods and services under the $20,000 threshold and contract management.
What is your favorite part of working at DVRPC? TBD. Once we’re all back in the office on a steady schedule and I put names to faces outside of Zoom squares I can let you know.
If you were Monarch for a day, how would you improve the region? Better bus and train communication. Coming from the New York and New Jersey area, generally we knew what was going to happen. When I first moved down here and was taking buses to interviews, I discovered that you don’t really find out until you get to a bus stop that a bus isn’t coming and that the stop has changed to six blocks away.
What is your life philosophy? There are so many worse situations out there. Be thankful for what you have and the situation you have. We’re going to have problems. Deal with them the best you can and move forward.
What 3 words best describe you? Calm, calm, and calm.
What is something colleagues don’t know about you? I’ve technically sung in the Sydney Opera House.
Who is someone you’d like to meet? Deborah Harkness, who wrote the trilogy A Discovery of Witches. I found it really interesting, and the adaptation on Sky in the UK was written really well. I’d like to pick her brain about how it came about.
Who would you like to drive across the country with? My husband. We haven’t taken a vacation in forever, but we do weekend road trips all the time and just stop when something looks fun or we’re hungry. Going on a roadtrip with someone that doesn’t plan every second is so much more fun than having a schedule.
What actor would play you in the movie version of your life? Tyler James Williams from Abbott Elementary.
What is your favorite leisure activity? I like going camping, getting away, and being in nature.
What is your recent obsession? I’ve been binge-watching a series on HBO Max called We’re Here. It’s three drag queens: Shangela, Eureka, and Bob the Drag Queen. They go to small towns, reach out to local allies and queer people, and put on one big drag show to show that there are people of different sexual orientations in the community and to try to build a sense of community in these places. I just started the second season. But if I’m not doing that, I’m probably binge-watching YouTube clips.
What is the last book you read? I’ve been reading a lot of sci-fi and young adult stuff. There is a series called Mystic Caravan that I am on book thirteen. There’s another series called the Urban Druid series–I’m on book ten. And I reread A Discovery of Witches again to keep up with the show.
What are your Top 3 places you want to travel to? I would love to go back to Australia. I’d love to go to Hawaii because I have never been, and then probably Germany.
Are you a cat or dog person? Dog.
What is a recent gift you’ve given or received? For Valentine’s Day, we did a cooking class in New York City at Sur La Table, making Creole food. We made gumbo, red beans and rice, and Bananas Foster.
What is the most meaningful item in your house? My husband has an addiction to ornaments. We have been getting at least five ornaments a year for the past 15 years. Probably the most interesting one is one of the first that I got him. His favorites are the Lenox collection ornaments. The first year we were together, I got him a first anniversary ornament from Lenox.
What are you looking forward to the most post-pandemic? Going out with friends, relaxing on the weekend, getting back to road trips and hotel stays where you’re not asking, should we stay in this hotel? Just really a return to seeing people.