The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission recently released a study projecting that two million additional vehicle miles would be traveled daily in Philadelphia and the surrounding collar counties if the proposed SEPTA cuts are implemented, writes Dino Ciliberti for the Patch.
According to the study, commutes would last 30 percent longer on two key local highways, where congestion would also increase. Additionally, over 275,000 more cars would hit the road every day.
With so many additional cars, vehicle trips on major corridors would slow across the region. The collar counties would also see major slowdowns.
In Montgomery County, speeds on the congested I-476 would drop from 37.1 mph to 32.5 mph.
Bucks County would see delays on Interstates 95 and 295 lengthen by 30 percent, compounding existing delays on I-95 south toward Philadelphia.
In Delaware County, travel times on I-95 to Philadelphia would increase ten percent.
Chester County would experience 40 percent longer delays on US 202 from loss of congestion relief by the Paoli line.
“With the proposed service cuts and fare increases, traffic impacts will be felt across the region by all drivers and in every community,” said Ariella Maron, executive director of DVRPC.
To see how these proposed SEPTA cuts could reshape your daily commute—and what’s at stake for the entire region—click through to read the full story on Patch.
