September 28: #pOpenStreets round-up | Cashless tolls | Federal transportation funding

Here’s hoping everyone got to work with minimal hassle this morning! Feel free to use this as an open thread to tell us about your experiences during the festivities this weekend.  

Holly Otterbein, Jerry Ianelli and Liz Spikol counted the ways Philadelphians were having a blast in the car-free streets. We noticed the word “magical” repeatedly appearing in our social media feeds.

To that end, Jim Kenney’s interested in doing some more open streets days after the Pope’s gone.

Inga Saffron also thinks we should close streets to cars more often on a temporary basis, and maybe a few on a permanent basis.

Here’s a timelapse video Ashley Hahn made during Saturday’s Pope Ride.

Check out Conrad Benner’s photos of Philly’s open streets, and tune in to the #pOpenStreets hashtag on Twitter for many more.

Center City business owners were hard hit by the event, and it will be interesting to see whether the impression is that car-free streets were the culprit, or the much smaller-than-expected crowds.

Here’s the Spirit’s Storify on how the Papal weekend played out in the River Wards.

Turnpike Commission officials are going to start testing out cashless tolls next year, the AP reports. For those without E-ZPass, a camera would take a photo of your license plate and send you a monthly bill.

Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner will have to grapple with the transportation funding bill in his final weeks in office. 

Aaron Renn on the success of the new RiverWalk public spaces in Chicago.

Pittsburgh launched a Roadmap for Inclusive Innovation which Oscar Perry Abello says could help more residents participate in the fastest-growing sectors of the city’s creative economy.