Millions of visitors will descend on Philadelphia in 2026 to celebrate the United States Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary), to watch the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and to attend FIFA World Cup matches. To take full advantage of the waves of global travelers traversing our city, officials need to take critical steps to improve infrastructure and create a welcoming and integrated experience.
Other cities have leveraged big events to expand active transportation. Paris completed 34 miles of new bike lanes in two years in advance of the 2024 Olympics. Ahead of hosting the 2028 Games, Los Angeles is on track to complete a set of new rail line extensions estimated to move more than 30 million people in its first year.
Philadelphia is off to a slow start but still has an opportunity to prioritize moving millions of car-free people while also investing in existing infrastructure.
Missed Opportunities
Our bike lane network is limited and lacks high-quality infrastructure. Harrisburg has still not legalized parking-protected bike lanes, which prevents our most dangerous roads from getting some of the safest and most cost-saving infrastructure. Also, the City has not repealed the bike lane ordinance that adds bureaucratic red tape to city projects, delaying some for over a decade. The City has missed out on the opportunity to build a bike lane network that could better support millions of visitors.
If SEPTA’s current funding crisis doesn’t turn around, 2026 will be a nightmare. Imagine leaving an Eagles game and having to wait 30 minutes or more for a Broad Street Line train. Now imagine 17 Eagles games crammed into a couple of weeks. To provide services for current sporting events, SEPTA runs at maximum frequency with trains arriving every five to 10 minutes, and even then fans “brotherly shove” each other into every inch of the train cars.
Transit agencies all across the commonwealth face what’s being called a death spiral of service and ridership. Without a dedicated funding stream, SEPTA will be forced to cut service by 20% and increase fares by over 20%. Let’s hope elected officials pass a budget that includes increases to the public transit trust fund by June 30.
Scheduled for Completion
On the bright side, Market East is going to see a brand-new streetscape. Thanks to the work of Old City District, Market Street between 2nd and 6th streets will see high-quality bike lanes, a road diet and planters.
Indego Bike Share continues to expand their stations with a goal of 40 new stations in 2025; even more are expected in 2026. They will also be creating a series of pop-up stations in areas with high pedestrian traffic.
FDR Park Welcome Center is scheduled to be completed along with upgraded trails and play spaces.
The “Christian to Crescent” Schuylkill River Trail connector is on pace to be completed by the end of 2025, and maybe we’ll finally see the Swing Bridge connect to Bartram’s Garden.
Still Possible
Targeted and time-limited measures that could tame transportation snarls in 2026 include establishment of Open Streets in Center City (similar to when Pope Francis came in 2015) and creation of temporary protected bike lanes using the plastic and rubber curbs used in construction detours. The City could also ask Kevin Hart and others to sponsor free SEPTA passes like he did for the Eagles parade in February.
Philadelphia might have missed out on some big active transportation upgrades, but there is still a lot that will be — and could be — accomplished to accommodate all of the car-free visitors coming our way in 2026.
