By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for TransportWatchtower
The Port Authority of Allegheny County
(PAT), Pittsburgh's public transit agency, has proposed to build,
what is termed, a “Bus Rapid Transit” project between Downtown
Pittsburgh and the Oakland Civic Center section of the city, home to
three universities, a major medical center, and several museums and
cultural institutions including the Main Branch of The Carnegie
Library of Pittsburgh.
According to the plan, large
electric-powered buses would run on dedicated bus lanes on Fifth and
/ or Forbes Avenues. Buses, from the East End and Monongahela Valley
currently running on these two streets (including an east-bound bus
lane on half of this route), would terminate in Oakland, and people
bound for Downtown would then transfer buses for the rest of the
trip.
PAT and the City of Pittsburgh
sponsored a public meeting in Alumni Hall, on the University of
Pittsburgh campus in Oakland, regarding this proposed project on
April 5. After the presentation, the public was not able to speak to
the assembly, or even ask questions, except at break-out stations.
However, the PAT and / or city staff at these break-out stations were
only interested in hearing a person's preferred routing option, of
four options offered.
Long-time public transit advocate,
Glenn A. Walsh, addressed the problems of this public participation
process in a public statement before the PAT Board of Directors on
April 28. In his testimony, he asked the PAT Board to sponsor a
general public hearing, where the public
could express their views on the proposal to build a BRT project in
this very heavily traveled corridor.
The following is the prepared statement
of Glenn A. Walsh, delivered before the PAT Board on April 28:
Statement
before Glenn
A. Walsh
Board
of Directors,
P.O.
Box 1041
Port
Authority of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania 15230-1041 U.S.A.
Allegheny
County: Telephone:
412-561-7876
Needed
!
Internet
Web Site:
< http://www.planetarium.cc >
Space Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
2017
April 28
Space Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Good
morning. I am Glenn A. Walsh, 633 Royce Avenue, Mt. Lebanon, a
regular Light Rail and bus rider who has chosen
not to drive a
motor vehicle since 1985, to help save energy, protect the
environment, and reduce city traffic congestion. I have been an
active transit advocate for nearly 40 years, including 3 terms on the
Allegheny County Transit Council as a Charter Member. My comments
today are my own and do not reflect those of any organization.
The
public participation process, for the proposed Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) project between Downtown and Oakland, thus far is flawed. At
the April 5 public meeting in Oakland, several people wanted to
respond to the presentation, before the assembly. One city resident
had even prepared a written statement to be delivered at the meeting,
with photocopies of the statement for PAT and city officials as well
as interested members of the public. Neither he, nor anyone else, was
able to speak before this assembly.
The
meeting format only allowed public comments at break-out stations,
where the staff was only interested in a person’s preferred routing
of four options offered. These break-out stations were simply set-up
to diffuse opposition to the proposed project.
Before
you ask the public which routing they prefer, the public has the
right to weigh-in on whether BRT is the project
they prefer. Apparently, the staff considered the no-build option and
dismissed it out-of-hand. Does not the public have the right to
consider the no-build option, before the commitment of, at least,
$240 million public dollars? Further, some people may believe that
another transit mode could better integrate the Downtown – Oakland
Line with the Authority’s current rapid transit system. Should not
these people have the opportunity to express their views on this very
important public decision?
Before
the BRT public process goes any further, I, respectfully, ask that
this Board of Directors sponsor a general public hearing on this
proposed public transit project.
Thank
you.
gaw
Internet Link to Additional Information ----
Agenda, Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, 2017 April 28: Link >>> http://www.portauthority.org/paac/Portals/0/Board/2017/AprilBoardAgenda.pdf
Related Blog Post ---
"Pittsburgh BRT: Flawed Public Process of Proposed Public Transit Project." 2017 April 9.
Includes Internet link to Letter-to-the-Editor in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Link >>> http://transportwatchtower.blogspot.com/2017/04/flawed-public-process-of-proposed.html
Safe Public Viewing of the Great American Solar Eclipse
Monday, August 21, 2017
Mt. Lebanon Public Library, South Suburban Pittsburgh
More Info: Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/archivenews/releases/poster-flyer/2017SolarEclipse-Flyer.htm
Source: Glenn A. Walsh, 39- year public transit advocate and a Charter Member of the Port
Authority of Allegheny County's citizens advisory committee (member of Allegheny
County Transit Council: 1984 to 1989).
2017 May 5
Like This Post? - Please Share!
gaw
Glenn A. Walsh, TransportWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
TransportWatchtower Blog: < http://transportwatchtower.blogspot.com >
Astronomy Links: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#astrolinks >
Science Links: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks >
SpaceWatchtower Twitter News Feed: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
LibraryWatchtower Blog: < http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com >
South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin Blog: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, etc.: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
< http://www.planetarium.
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
< http://adlerplanetarium.
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
< http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
< http://www.andrewcarnegie.
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
< http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
< http://inclinedplane.tripod.
* Public Transit:
< http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.
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