Officials hope to prevent a U. City traffic jam

University City has a bright future. Those managing it just need to ensure that the future is visible past lines of cars and swarms of people in rush-hour traffic.

The face of the district will soon undergo a decades-long makeover with planned development projects from Penn, Drexel and Brandywine Realty, the firm developing the Cira Centre South at 30th and Walnut Streets. The projects will draw people - and traffic - to the area.

Penn will soon commission a firm to do a six to nine-month long traffic study that will have a major impact on the University's eastward expansion plans.

There has not yet been a traffic-circulation study that encompasses future development by Penn, Drexel and Brandywine, though the institutions have evaluated the issue individually.

Another source impacting traffic flow will be the re-opening of the 30th Street Post Office as an Internal Revenue Service building that will house close to 5,000 workers.

"As additional cars get added to the network, that's obviously going to create more traffic," said Penn Principal Planner Mark Kocent.

Kocent suggested the best way to control traffic in the area was to limit the number of parking spaces. He added that most of Penn's projects will create more space for the densely populated campus, and are unlikely to draw additional people to the area.

Penn's master plan, released in September 2006 by Sasaki Architects, included a brief traffic study that suggested the addition of 4,600 parking spaces in five garages along the Schuylkill River.

Though the plan also calls for the removal of some existing parking spaces to make room for new projects, between Penn, Drexel and Brandywine there will be a net increase of parking spaces in the area.

Brandywine expects to complete a 2,400-space parking garage near 30th and Walnut streets by summer 2010.

Engineering professor Vukan Vuchic, who specializes in transportation systems engineering, called the proposed Schuylkill garages "excessive because of limited highways and already intense congestion."

He said he expects the forthcoming study to suggest drastic changes for traffic circulation in the area.

Additionally, limiting parking spaces makes more people inclined to take public transportation, car pool, or a bicycle to work.

According to University Architect David Hollenberg, 60 percent of Penn's commuting population drives here.

"The key is, can we get to 60 percent of people walking and biking here?" said Senior Facilities Planner Daniel Garofalo.

The University expects the traffic study to set a realistic goal for the percent of commuters who will walk or bike, as well as the economic feasibility for Penn to increase subsidies toward SEPTA passes.

SEPTA has recently seen an increase in ridership, despite increases in fares. The University subsidizes 10 percent of SEPTA costs for staff, and the study could suggest an increase in this percentage.

According to Vuchic, Penn's master plan "requires improvements in SEPTA service or we cannot have reasonable development."

He added that Penn could ask SEPTA to increase the frequency of Regional Rail lines at the 30th Street and University City stations.

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