Bus Stop Change Upsets Some

Just weeks ago a bus stop was moved from Main and Rector to Main and Cotton, and to some business owners and riders the change means a lot more than two blocks.

"It was a bus stop and now it's a beer stop," Pat McGonagle, of said after she reported seeing a number of beer trucks take the place of the stop. "It seems like the bars get to do whatever they want around here."

Although it's only two blocks, McGonagle said the change has made it much for difficult for her elderly aunt to visit the shop. One of her customers, who suffers from a medical condition, said the new stop is also taking a toll on her.

"That stop has been around since trolleys were coming up and down here," she said.

But it seems it wasn't the restaurant that began discussions about moving the stop. The received a call from Councilman Curtis Jones about a rider who was upset about being dropped off in front of a number of outdoor tables, Jane Lipton, executive director of the corporation, said.

Although codes state that there can be no obstructions within 15-feet of a bus stop, the restaurant legally obtained a permit for outdoor dining.

In an attempt to accommodate both the business and the rider, Lipton said the corporation requested to move the stop one block. It never suggested Main and Cotton as a solution, she added.

"I don’t know if it was planned on being moved or if SEPTA received the same complaints but without any questions or comments the stop got changed," Lipton said. "But I've never seen a city agency do anything based on one recommendation from a CDC. We never had any conversations with SEPTA about the process, all we knew was that someone was upset and all of a sudden it got moved."

And its not just the MDC that hasn't had conversations with SEPTA, McGonagle says she's been contacting them for weeks.

According to a representative from SEPTA, the change is permanent.

While she thought about starting a petition, McGonagle said she fears no one will read it, but she said she will continue contacting SEPTA.

While McGonagle said she is worried about people who may have more difficulty getting to her shop, she said she also doesn't want this to be the first of many moves.

"What about the other stops on Main Street?" she asked. "Could this one change backfire?"

Lipton also said she was sorry to see the stop move.

"I don't want to see the elderly or the disabled inconvenienced," she said. "But we don't control was SEPTA does to try to accommodate an unhappy rider, we suggested one block and SEPTA made a different decision."