Trolley tracks to be removed at 11th and Reed

The tracks from the inactive Route 23 trolley are being removed at 11th and Reed in the fall.

Thanks to the efforts of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the tracks are being removed to prevent future bicycle accidents on the unmaintained tracks.

More from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia:

We began meeting with SEPTA and the Streets Department in February 2014 to find a way to avoid these needless incidents going forward, with a particular concern on intersections where bike share stations were going to be located in the future. We prioritized the intersections closest to bike share stations and asked that the tracks at those intersections be removed or paved over. The leadership of MOTU, Streets and SEPTA agreed.

We also met with the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers, who concurred that the inactive tracks and their degraded condition posed a hazard to bicyclists, pedestrians and motor vehicles — and should be remedied. Because any future restoration of trolley service would require full replacement of the trolley tracks, paving over or removing the old tracks at intersections doesn’t mean service cannot eventually be restored. At some point.

The Bicycle Coalition has been working with the Streets Department and SEPTA to remove or cover the trolley tracks at 24 intersections throughout the city. By the end of 2015, at least 20 of the 24 intersections should be improved.

After the tracks at 11th and Reed are removed, the tracks at 10th, 11th and 12th and Oregon are next on the list once the Philly bike share launches in that area.

Service of the Route 23 trolley was suspended all the way back in 1992, so it’s about time that something’s being done with these tracks.