Mr. Miskatonic

London, the vicitm if this weeks terrorist attacks, is soldiering on. I doubt that anything that wasn't damaged was closed by their public transportation systems. Bless them for classic stoic resistance.

But meanwhile, here in the Philadelphia area, DARPA PANICS AND CLOSES A PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY/BIKEWAY across the Delaware river.

This walkway is the only way for people to cross the Delware river without using a car or a train. I now must take my bike on the train into the busy stations as if it were f***** winter.

I complained, of course. But it is useless. Nobody at DARPA cares. They are a bunch of pork fed fatties who have bloated themselves by looting the various fundmakers, such as the toll system. They've managed to screw other things up so badly (such as EZPass) so badly that nobody wants to use it.

They use any excuse to close the walkway. "I thought I saw a snowflake" would be one excuse.

Never mind that they've had a police officer on the walkway since 2001. Although his job description might be considered "On duty sleeper" or "Pathway blocker".

John E

I concur with your position completely, particularly since there is no alternate route for you. I have seen the same silliness elsewhere, in which unsearched motor vehicles are blithely permitted, but bicycles and pedestrians are banned.

The British have responded wonderfully to the tragic bombings in London; others around the globe would do well to take notice.

CB HI

True stupidity. The trains are the target, so lets shut down the alternate transportation. The bikeway would be at the bottom of the terrorist target list, so lets close it until further notice.

Sounds like another group of politicians trying to look like they are doing something, even if it is something stupid.

I also do not understand why they would close it for snow. Do they close the other bridges when it snows?

I feel for you.

BFBridgeguy

As you said they'll use any excuse to close the walkway.


Closed 6 months in 2000 to install decorative lighting.

Then closed after that for a week during the summer of 2000 because the GOP convention was in town (I'll bet NYC didn't have any bridge walkways closed during the last GOP convention).

Then closed for 6 weeks after the first "amber alert" (?) in October 2001.

And when it snows they close it early and leave it closed long after the snow has melted.

And one kicker is that they're closing the whole bridge for the Amercian Cancer Society Bike-A-Thon Sunday morning. Ridiculous.



From their web page:
https://www.drpa.org/drpa/contact.html

"Customer Service is very important to DRPA, and to help us better serve you, DRPA welcomes all forms of feedback. Please feel free to give us a call at 1/877-567-DRPA (3772) or you can email us directly at info@lists.drpa.org. Please do not send any attachments. Attachments cannot be accepted."

BFBridgeguy

Also - I vaguely remember hearing that the Golden Gate Bridge walkway was closed (very briefly) after 9-11, but no other bridge in the country (toll or otherwise).


Is the DRPA unique in it's bridge closing stupidity?

oboeguy

The George Washington Bridge walkway is closed at night.

phillydcbiker

That is bogus. The philly cm a few months ago rode across the bridge... on the roadway. A bunch were issued citations. I say next month philly cm rides on the bridge in protest. This time, we have a reason to be using the bridge as they've closed the walkway.

BFBridgeguy

The normal Ben Franklin Bridge walkway hours are 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, in the summer the hours are 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Although I believe in 2003 and 2004 the summer hours were 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM.


And now it's just closed.

Travelinguyrt

The Homeland Security Agency is another huge boondoogle foisted upon us.
I called Immigration Sevice (one dept)recently to try to find out what vaccinations were required for re-entry to the US from parts of Africa.Dude who answered said. "I dunno", "transfer me to someone who does know?", "can't do that unless you tell me who you are and why you want the info,"Traveling to Africa and want to get back in when I return","call your familydoctor", "but my family doctor isn't being paid to protect our borders, you are","don't tell me what I should be doing","do you know who I am?", "no, who are you"..........then since he didn't know who I was, I presume cause there wasn't any follow up and I'm still out of GitMo,I let loose with a stream of cuss words about his personal incompetence.

Roody

On TV, I saw a stiff-lipped Londoner say in that stiff-lipped way that only the British can pull off, "Well, one just has to get back on the bus, doesn't one." Here in the US, they would just shut the bus system down.

scarry

And yet they continue to allow unfettered access to all motor traffic, including un-inspected rental trucks like the one used in the Oklahoma City bombing. Imagine if one of these trucks was detonated on the bridge.

But a bicycle, now that's a threat.

scarry

As Ken Kesey said, "either you're on the bus or off the bus".

"The bus came by and I got on.
That's when it all began.
There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of a bus to Never Never Land."

With Beat legend Neal Cassady (the notorious Dean Moriarty of Jack Kerouac's On the Road) behind the wheel, the bus trip bridged the gap between the Beat Generation '50's and the emerging psychedelic scene that became California in the 1960's. Kesey had proven to the literary establishment that he was a master writer with Cuckoo's Nest and then proved that he could "best" himself with Great Notion. His next challenge? To prove "nothing."

Ken Kesey

B: September 17, 1935 -- D: November 10, 2001

Kesey's belly was hurting and the docs did a scan and found a black spot on his liver. It was cancerous but encapsulated which meant there was no cancer anywhere else. They decided to cut it out and the surgery went okay. He had sixty percent of his liver left to carry the load but in one of those dirty tricks the body can play on you everything else went to hell and this morning at 3:45 AM his heart stopped beating.

A great good friend and great husband and father and grand dad, he will be sorely missed but if there is one thing he would want us to do it would be to carry on his life's work. Namely to treat others with kindness and if anyone does you dirt forgive that person right away. This goes beyond the art, the writing, the performances, even the bus. Right down to the bone.
-- Ken Babbs

chocula

Indeed! They're getting on their bikes: Cycle-mania grips London

BFBridgeguy

One of the excuses that the DRPA is giving is that the Ben Franklin Bridge Walkway is the only one where the walkway is above the train line.

But when I look here:
https://www.transalt.org/bridges/williamsburg2.html

It appears that at least one bridge in NYC is roughly the same. Is this cross section of the Williamsburg Bridge correct? And are there any other bridges in NYC where the walkway/bikeway is roughly above transit? How about elsewhere?



Thanks

ch0mb0

I doubt them terrorists really give a sh*t about your bridge.
They got bigger things to worry about.

Not us though...all we seem to do is worry worry worry.
For all the power & guns we got, how is it that we come to be such a nation of *******?

BenyBen

Too much fox news?

PurpleK

Not being familiar with the bridge, its hard for me to comment. But the press release seemed to indicate the other methods available for cyclists to cross the bridge (train, bus, ferry) all included fares that had to be paid. Is there a toll to use the walkway or does the walkway closure require someone to pay a fare to the agency that they would not get if the walkway was open?

lilHinault

DARPA's where the Internet came from :-)

phillydcbiker

There is no toll to use the walkway. The ferry (which runs every 40 minutes, only during spring and summer) costs $6 each way. There is transit, which does allow bikes would cost $1.15 between the closest PA and NJ station). I do not know about buses.

BFBridgeguy

The train also takes longer, even during the rush hour when it runs about every 5 minutes. And during rush hour the trains are fairly crowded.


NJ Transit busses also cross the brdige, and have bike racks. But the bus stops aren't particularly close to the bridge.


The ferry does not run early in the morning.

phillydcbiker

BFBridgeguy, I saw a post by you a few years ago (was searching forum) and I believe that you stated you cross the bridge for your commute. If you still have the same commute, what are you doing now?

BFBridgeguy

No bike for now. The DRPA really screwed me.

I can walk from home to one of the PATCO speedline stops, then I take that to 8th and Market and then transfer to the El to get out to West Philadelphia where I work. That costs me a total of $6.40 round trip.

I know of at least one person who has to drive now that the walkway is closed.

BFBridgeguy

So I've been unable to bike commute now for 2 weeks and 2 days. 12 rides missed so far.

You can help by complaining to the DRPA <info@lists.drpa.org> to get their canned walkway closed response.

And more importantly Goveror Rendell, who is also commissionar of the DRPA:
https://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html


thanks!

James H Haury

As far as i know Chicago does not close pedestrian bridges in winter.Close a bridge because of snow ,Huh?It sounds like DRPA is just lazy.

Raiyn

Surely you mean Faux News?