Station Review #55: Avon Road (SEPTA)


Avon Road is a station on SEPTA's 101 and 102 trolley lines (D lines). This station is at the intersection of the combined 101/102 section and Avon Road, in Upper Darby, PA, hence the name. 

Like every other trolley station, this station is completely inaccessible, disabled people cannot easily get on the trolleys as they're high-floor and designed with steps. However, even if one was using low-floor trolleys that could bridge the gap between the station and the trolley, this station would still be inaccessible due to its staggered design and traffic flow issues.

Tour


102 Trolley at Avon Road

There is very little at this station. It's just two shelters, two platforms, and a few signs. All of the amenities of each shelter are at the very end of the shelter, as if it wasn't inaccessible enough otherwise. 

Platform

Old shelter

There used to be a shelter much like the other older 101/102 shelters, but it seems to have been closed up and abandoned. I'm not sure why they would do this, having the other platform at that location would make going between the platforms much easier for people. 

One of the two platforms

The two platforms of Avon Road are staggered, like many of the shared stations for the 101/102. These platforms have a very basic shelter and a bench or two. This is as barebones as possible. 

Closer look at the shelter

Both platforms are the same, there's little point in showing the other platform for this reason. This is a closer look at one of the shelters on the westbound platform. 

Inside the shelter

Inside the shelter is similarly barebones, just a bench and a trashcan. Behind the bench, there is a map. 

There is a lot of glass all over the floor near by the shelter and platform, as well as in the grass immediately outside the platform. When I was visiting with a friend, there was a local resident cleaning all of the broken glass himself, and notably did not work for SEPTA or Upper Darby Township. 

Speaking of the area outside the platform, you can directly see the next station (Hilltop Road) and its platforms. The stop spacing on the combined section is not great. 

The Surrounding Area


Much of this is just average denser-than-usual suburbia, definitely more than enough to be propped up by a trolley. There's an important street nearby with many stores and other similar things. The real issue here is that the intersections are badly timed, making it so that crossing the road intersecting with the tracks to get to either platform takes a lot of time. This slows down the trolley very often, and can be enough of an annoyance for passengers that it most likely decreases the ridership of the trolleys. 

Statistics:


Name: Avon Road
Agency: SEPTA
Line(s): 101/102 (D1/D2)
Locality: Bywood
City/Township: Upper Darby
County: Delaware 
State: Pennsylvania 
Ridership: 478 riders per average weekday

Amenity Checklist:

Accessibility: ×
Bicycle parking: ×
Clean: ×
Connections to other transit routes: ×
Easy passage to either side: ×
Fare Payment Kiosks: ✓ (on trolley)
Good Wayfinding: ×
Lighting: ✓
Maps: ✓
Adequate Parking: ✓ 
Shelters: ✓
Seating: ✓
Station in Good Condition: ×
Train Departure/Arrival Info: ×
Updated/Useful Signage: ×

Final Verdict: 2/10

Station Directory


--------Delaware County--------
69th Street Transportation Center
Fairfield Avenue
Walnut Street
Avon Road
Hilltop Road
Beverly Boulevard
Congress Avenue
Lansdowne Avenue
Drexel Park
Irvington Road
Drexel Hill Junction

--------101/Media Line --------
Huey Avenue
School Lane
Aronimink
Anderson Avenue
Drexelbrook
Drexeline
Scenic Road
Springfield Road
Saxer Avenue
Leamy Avenue    
Woodland Avenue
Thomson Avenue        
Paper Mill Road        
Pine Ridge
Beatty Road
Providence Road
Orange Street

--------102/Sharon Hill Line--------
Garrettford
Drexel Manor
Marshall Road
Creek Road
Baltimore Avenue
Penn Street
Springfield Road
Clifton-Aldan
Providence Road
Magnolia Avenue
North Street
Bartram Avenue
Andrews Avenue
MacDade Boulevard
Sharon Hill Trolley

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