Saturday, October 09, 2010

A Bike Ride to the Sugarhouse

Casino gambling has arrived in Philadelphia, and the Sugarhouse is now one of 5 casinos on an 80 mile corridor along I-95 between Bensalem and Perryville, MD (where a slots parlor opened last week). But Sugarhouse is an urban casino that will draw many of its patrons from a city where 1/3 of the households do not have access to a car.

So it may have been a surprise to the Casino (along with some near-sighted transportation planners) that some employees and gamblers would arrive by bike. Well maybe not totally - a schoolyard bike rack is located on the north side entrance to the Casino, next to a "don't leave a child in your car" sign.

On the river side of the Casino is a gem of a demonstration riverfront walk, which may serve as a model for the rest of the Central Delaware Riverfront. The promenade consists of a paved path segregated by landscaping from a gravel walking trail and will eventually be part of the Delaware River Waterfront Greenway.

3 comments:

Dutch said...

What about all of the ground level parking. That is a really horrible use of land especially water front land.

John Boyle said...

We couldn't agree more, getting that sliver of waterfront land is a barometer of the current ability of urbanists to affect change in this city.

barryg said...

This is "phase 1" of the Sugar House. One of the next phases will replace the surface lot with a garage.