Author Archive: Dan Yablonsky

Join us for Stand Up for Transportation Day

Join us on Thursday April 9th as we Stand Up for Transportation!
Groups from across the country are calling on Congress to pass a federal transportation bill, with adequate funding for public transit, biking, and walking. If we do not act now, the funding will run out at the end of May.
On April 9th, we encourage you to:
1) Call and/or write your elected officials. Click here to get the info or see below
2) When you’re on the bus or T, or waiting at a stop, take pictures, and post them on social media. #SU4T #StandUp4Transportation
3) Sign this petition: http://standup4transportation.org/
PPT is helping to host a press conference on Thursday April 9th at 10 am, Wood St T station lobby, 601 Wood St.
Volunteers will then go to bus stops to encourage riders to call their federal elected officials: Sen. Casey, Sen. Toomey, Rep. Doyle, Rep. Murphy, and Rep. Rothfus. We need to tell those in Washington how crucial public transit is to us. We expect our legislators to act NOW to pass a federal bill that provides adequate funding for public transit, biking, and walking.
If you’d like to volunteer, to help get the word out to riders, contact: molly@pittsburghforpublictransit.org
Script for calling elected officials:

Hello. My name is ______________, and I live at __________. My phone number is__________. I am calling to ask that you do all in your power to pass a long-term sustainable surface transportation bill before May 31st. I ride the bus/T/bike/walk every day, and I want to make sure you understand how important public transit, biking, and walking is to me and my neighbors. Many of us either do not have cars or choose not to drive. We need alternative choices, and it is your job to ensure those options are there for us.

US Rep. Mike Doyle (14th district-PA)
2637 East Carson Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Phone: (412) 390-1499
https://doyle.house.gov/contact-me

US Rep. Tim Murphy(18th district-PA)
504 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
Phone: (412) 344-5583
https://murphy.house.gov/contact-me

US Rep.Keith Rothfus(12thdistrict-PA)
6000 Babcock Boulevard, Suite 104
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Phone: (412) 837-1361
http://rothfus.house.gov/email-keith

Sen. Pat Toomey (US Senator—PA)
100 W. Station Square Dr., Suite 225
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: (412) 803-3501
http://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=contact

Sen. Bob Casey (US Senator—PA)
310 Grant Street, Suite 2415
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: (412) 803-7370
http://www.casey.senate.gov/contact

For more info see below.
MEDIA RELEASE:
Local advocates from community development, public transit, ped/bike, labor, and business sectors join with communities nationwide to emphasize need for long-term investment in US transportation infrastructure before funding evaporates on May 31

WHO: Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, Bike Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Allegheny Conference on Community Development
WHAT: Stand Up for Transportation Day –Pittsburgh area leaders are joining with their counterparts nationwide,April 9, 2015 to draw attention and awareness to the looming federal transportation funding crisis and call on Congress to follow Pennsylvania’s lead by passing a comprehensive, sustainable transportation funding package. Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), with support from national and local partners from transportation, business, labor and community oriented interests, Stand Up for Transportation Day will unite the voices of 200+ participating organizations in over 140 communities nationwide to focus on the federal transportation funding crisis’s urgency and provide a Pittsburgh-region context.
WHY: Whether you ride a train, bus or bike, walk or drive, the expiration of the federal funding bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), has a direct impact on southwestern Pennsylvania’s economy and quality of life. On May 31, 2015, the nation’s transportation funding mechanism – the Highway Trust Fund – becomes literally insolvent. It also threatens to wipe out the leadership Pennsylvania showed in passing its own transportation funding bill, Act 89 of 2013. Without a long-term federal transportation funding bill, ours and communities across the country will face tremendous economic and employment uncertainty. Transportation is the backbone of our local and national economy. A long-term transportation bill is needed to reinforce and expand transportation choices, and to continue to grow our economy – locally and nationally.
If you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to email info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org or call 412-216-9659.

Sincerely,

Molly Nichols
Community Organizer
Pittsburghers for Public Transit

Join us for Stand Up for Transportation Day!

Join us on Thursday April 9th as we Stand Up for Transportation!

Groups from across the country are calling on Congress to pass a federal transportation bill, with adequate funding for public transit, biking, and walking. If we do not act now, the funding will run out at the end of May.

On April 9th, we encourage you to:

1) Call and/or write your elected officials. Click here to get the info

2) When you’re on the bus or T, or waiting at a stop, take pictures, and post them on social media. #SU4T #StandUp4Transportation

3) Sign this petition: http://standup4transportation.org/

PPT is helping to host a press conference on Thursday April 9th at 10 am, Wood St T station lobby, 601 Wood St.

Volunteers will then go to bus stops to encourage riders to call their federal elected officials: Sen. Casey, Sen. Toomey, Rep. Doyle, Rep. Murphy, and Rep. Rothfus. We need to tell those in Washington how crucial public transit is to us. We expect our legislators to act NOW to pass a federal bill that provides adequate funding for public transit, biking, and walking.

If you’d like to volunteer, to help get the word out to riders, contact: molly@pittsburghforpublictransit.org

For more info see below.

MEDIA RELEASE:

Local advocates from community development, public transit, ped/bike, labor, and business sectors join with communities nationwide to emphasize need for long-term investment in US transportation infrastructure before funding evaporates on May 31

WHO: Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, Bike Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Allegheny Conference on Community Development

WHAT: Stand Up for Transportation Day –Pittsburgh area leaders are joining with their counterparts nationwide, April 9, 2015 to draw attention and awareness to the looming federal transportation funding crisis and call on Congress to follow Pennsylvania’s lead by passing a comprehensive, sustainable transportation funding package. Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), with support from national and local partners from transportation, business, labor and community oriented interests, Stand Up for Transportation Day will unite the voices of 200+ participating organizations in over 140 communities nationwide to focus on the federal transportation funding crisis’s urgency and provide a Pittsburgh-region context.

WHY: Whether you ride a train, bus or bike, walk or drive, the expiration of the federal funding bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), has a direct impact on southwestern Pennsylvania’s economy and quality of life. On May 31, 2015, the nation’s transportation funding mechanism – the Highway Trust Fund – becomes literally insolvent. It also threatens to wipe out the leadership Pennsylvania showed in passing its own transportation funding bill, Act 89 of 2013. Without a long-term federal transportation funding bill, ours and communities across the country will face tremendous economic and employment uncertainty. Transportation is the backbone of our local and national economy. A long-term transportation bill is needed to reinforce and expand transportation choices, and to continue to grow our economy – locally and nationally.

RESOURCES: www.standup4transportation.org
www.apta.com/standup4transportation
#StandUp4Transportation

Transit Worker Appreciation Day a Success!!

Thanks to over a dozen PPT volunteers, we distributed close to 2000 cards for riders to give to their operators! We also delivered cards to over 100 maintenance workers. Many riders were enthusiastic to thank their drivers, who were often thrilled to be acknowledged. Thanks to all who helped spread the word, including GoBurgh, Bike Pittsburgh, ACTC, Port Authority, and WESA.
Let’s continue to thank these transit workers every day…for keeping us moving!

March 18 is Transit Worker Appreciation Day!

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

Transit Worker Appreciation Day

Wednesday March 18th is National Transit Worker Appreciation Day. Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) encourages riders and residents to thank our Port Authority bus and rail operators and maintenance workers for keeping us moving.

Pittsburghers for Public Transit is coordinating over a dozen volunteers to distribute thank you cards to transit riders, who can deliver them to their bus operators. We will also be distributing cards to maintenance workers. These cards say: “Because you rock, I roll,” and “Thanks for keeping us moving.”

On March 18th, cards will be available between 12 and 1 and between 3 and 5 at both of the following locations:
-Outside Wood St station downtown
-Forbes and Bigelow in Oakland.

Riders can print out their own cards at this website

We appreciate the opportunity to thank and honor the over 2,000 public transit workers in Allegheny County who get riders to our destinations safely. These workers are out 365 days a year in rain, snow, ice, and frigid temperatures, as well as our hot summers. Bus operators collect fares, help riders find their way, handle safety issues, keep to a strict route schedule, and manage their way through traffic—along the steep and winding streets of our region. Maintenance workers maintain, repair, and clean the rails, buses, busways, stations, etc.  These workers are the backbone of our transit system, and we are grateful for the work they do each day to keep Allegheny County moving.

“The drivers deal with all the traffic so that I don’t have to.” –James Keener.

“I appreciate transit workers because they drive me to all of the places I need to go safely and stress free.” –Daisha Bernal

Social media tags: #pghlovestransitworkers, #transitworkerday, #twd, #thankyoutransitworkers, #Pgh4Pubtransit

Facebook event 

Questions?

Contact: Molly Nichols
info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org
(412) 216-9659

Residents speak to Port Authority Board about getting service to transit deserts

On Feb 27, residents from Moon and Robinson delivered public comments about the need for transit in their communities.

Here are Groveton Village residents after addressing the board. They currently face a cold 1.5 mile walk to the bus in Coraopolis:

Rebecca Kiernan, Sustainability Coordinator for the Township of Moon, also addressed the board with the following comments:

Moon is located 17 miles west of Pittsburgh off I-376. A typical suburban community, the Township developed with the automobile in mind; neighborhoods of cul-de-sacs make for a lack of connectivity, sidewalks are sporadic, and stores and amenities are not in residential zones.

In the Mooncrest community of Moon, the loss of transit service has had devastating effects for the geographically isolated and predominantly low-income neighborhood. When buses were cut in 2011, residents lost mobility and employment. Residents without vehicles walk two miles to the closest bus stop and three miles to the closest grocery store- down a steep hill and along a busy, dangerous four lane road as seen in photos below.

Roughly 20% of residents in the Township are over the age of 60, and planning for the aging population is a major theme in the Township’s proposed Comprehensive Plan. Seniors who want to age in place, and no longer drive are severely limited in access to basic resources. The Moon Area Senior Citizens Association regularly battles lack of transit in their meetings.

Robert Morris University, which has expanded its campus and enrollment has difficulty attracting commuting students. Students who live on campus have limited mobility to leave campus to explore and participate in internships and opportunities throughout the Township and the region. RMU representatives are both supportive and fully active in the Township’s efforts to enhance mobility, and participate in existing bike/ped, public transit and economic development committees.

Commuters to Moon such as myself, total more than 21,000 per day, heading to large companies like FedEx and Eaton, located in Moon’s business parks. The sheer amount of commuters redefines the lack of public transit to and around Moon as a regional issue. The University Boulevard Park-and-Ride is located half a mile from Airside Business Park, which houses Michael Baker Int’l. and other major offices, employing a substantial portion of the commuters- this stop is also one mile from RMU. The stop serves the G3 Moon Flyer, which takes people from Moon to Downtown on weekday mornings, returning empty between trips because there is not a return trip option from Downtown to Moon- it does the reverse in the afternoon. I pass the G3 daily on my way to and from work- completely empty because there is no reverse commute line.

Public transportation would reduce the more than 18,000 single occupancy vehicles commuting to Moon, easing traffic, improving regional air quality and reducing carbon emissions. Traffic on I-376 West is nearly, if not as bad as, inbound traffic to the City. Easier commutes would prevent suburban sprawl and reduce blight in the City as commuters wouldn’t need to move to the suburbs for work.

While it does not address the needs of most Township residents, opening the doors to the G3 Moon Flyer and allowing ridership on the existing trip of the reverse commute seems like an easy tweak in service that would have great regional benefits.

As Moon strives to improve its livability, we know that the Port Authority is a crucial player in enhancing mobility.

Looking back, looking forward – ready to ride!

PPT celebrated the passage of the transportation bill in November of 2013, thanks to the support of people like you! Call to Roll in HarrisburgThe good news from the bill: no more service cuts. The bad news: it was designed for Port Authority to only “maintain existing service” and not to restore the service that has been cut over the years.

This is a problem. Some residents in our county walk over 2 miles to get to a single bus stop. We’ve been mobilizing residents in these “transit deserts.” Residents from Baldwin borough have gotten together to advocate for service in their community–meeting with Port Authority and elected officials, delivering over 1500 petitions, holding a Walk for Transit in September.

Baldwin marchPort Authority is now well aware about the needs of this community just 5 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, and the campaign is continuing to push for service this year! Residents in Moon and Groveton (near Coraopolis) have also worked to get their voices heard. We know that when transit riders, transit workers, and residents come together, we gain power.

In addition to these community campaigns, PPT has been advocating for more inclusive and transparent transit planning and decision-making. Port Authority is listening, and they are now working on developing criteria for how and where to add service, including a formal process for how to respond to service requests. This kind of democratic input is crucial for improving our transit system and ensuring it meets the needs of the residents of this county. PPT has also pressured county council to recognize that additional revenue from the drink tax could be allocated for Port Authority operating costs. We understand the funds are limited, but a few million dollars a year could make a huge difference in the kind of service Port Authority can provide.

We have also been conducting research on sustainable transportation, equity, service needs, accessibility, ridership potential, and funding sources.

We are gearing up for the next year and plan to mobilize residents in at least 3 more communities. We encourage you transit supporters to get involved in our campaigns. If you’d like to make a donation, you can do so here.

Thank you for all you’ve done to support public transit, and we look forward to working with you all to ensure that we get service to these transit deserts and keep the public in public transit!

Ready to Ride!

Ready to Ride! Moon residents mobilize for public transit crucial to their community.

PPT speaks at Port Authority Board meeting emphasizing the importance of public input

Here are excerpts from PPT’s comments delivered by Molly Nichols and Jonah McAllister-Erickson on January 30, 2015:
We want to thank the Port Authority for being open to hearing PPT’s concerns and questions and to meeting with residents who have particular service requests. PPT and the residents appreciate the open dialogue, and as you know, we will continue to push for adequate service.
Over the next few months, as the Board works on next year’s budget and considers the new criteria for adding service and responding to service requests, we hope you keep the following in mind: The state funding formula may primarily be based on ridership and performance, but we hope you keep residents’ needs and issues of equityfront and center. There are some legal protections for residents, including civil rights legislation, and there is a recognition of the value of senior citizen ridership in the state funding formula, but otherwise, it is up to individual regions to ensure that those who most need the system get adequate service in their communities, especially those living in transit deserts.
We commend the establishment of this criteria, along with a transparent process for responding to service requests, and we ask that transit riders, workers, and residents have an adequate voice in determiningthe service priorities and process.
We also know that Port Authority is working on changing their fare policy. We anticipate that the staff and board will create the space for public input before a legally required hearing, when all the decisions have already been made. Talking to riders and workers about their experiences should inform whatever new policy is developed. And while we know that Act 89 mandated for the fares to go up this year, we commend Port Authority for insisting that that could not happen (based on how quickly the fares had risen over the past few years). But we are still concerned that the base fare is slated to rise in 2017. As you know, we currently have one of the highest base fares in the country, at 2.50. Not only does raising the fare disproportionately impact transit reliant and often low-income riders, it also discourages ridership. We understand a lot of complex factors go into a policy like this, and we hope that all stakeholders can work together to find the most equitable solutions.
In the spirit of public process, we also hope that Port Authority continues to work on making its data available to the public, so that we can all be better informed about our system and its possibilities. This request is aligned with a national movement for open data.

Finally, as the board and staff work on these fundamental decisions about our transit system, we encourage you to be regular riders of our transit system. There is certainly no better way to fully understand its needs and potential.

—
And Port Authority announced they will soon be selling system maps for 2 dollars:

Hello world!

This is a placeholder for the news items that will posted to the site. The most recent will appear here in the site’s main page

Contact County Council Members to Fund Public Transit

At the county council meeting on Dec. 2, Heather Heidelbaugh put forward an amendment to the operating budget that allocated 3 million dollars from the county’s transit support fund balance (from drink tax and car rental revenue) to Port Authority’s operating budget. These funds would allow Port Authority to add more transit service. This amendment was supported by Councilmembers Heidelbaugh, Hawkins, Daly Danko, and Robinson. The 11 other council members voted “no.” 


Action steps you can take:

Please call or write Heidelbaugh, Hawkins, Robinson, and Danko to thank them for supporting the amendment. (Heidelbaugh is the Republican rep of the whole county. Hawkins is District 13, Robinson is District 10, and Danko is District 11).

If you are not in District 10, 11, or 13 (see map here: http://www.alleghenycounty.us/council/dist/coundis.aspx) please call to express your disappointment that your council member did not support this.

Below are the numbers and emails of the councilmembers. And here is the letter PPT sent to the council on Dec 10, which also highlights additional revenue that will be coming in this year: 

***

Dear Allegheny County Council Members,

Pittsburghers for Public Transit is writing to thank and acknowledge the council members who proposed and supported the amendment to the county operating budget that allocates 3 million dollars from the transit support fund’s balance to be used for Port Authority’s operating costs. These members are: Ms. Hawkins, Ms. Heidelbaugh, Ms. Danko, and Mr. Robinson. We deeply appreciate your recognition of the serious problem of transit deserts, and while we understand that the money cannot be designated to specific routes, any additional operating money that allows Port Authority to add service is a boon to our county and its residents. For example, in 2014, 2.7% of service was added for approximately 4 million dollars. This has made a huge difference for transit riders.

We are disappointed by the council members who chose to vote “no” to this amendment. This allocation would not have to be a “one time thing.” The transit support fund (drink tax and car rental tax revenue) has grown by close to 10 million dollars in just 4 years, and the county can afford to designate a few million every year to operating costs. We cannot wait 10 more years for the state to come up with matching funds. The county has decided to fund capital projects without matching state money, so why can’t it fund operatingcosts without matching state money?

A few council members were concerned about what the Port Authority would do with the money. We want to clarify that the Port Authority is working on developing their “service guidelines” which lay out the process for how and where they add transit service. They have indicated that increasing ridership is their primary concern (especially due to the performance-based state funding formula), but they are also working to address the needsof riders throughout the county. The county is in a position to help them improve our transit system, and they should use their resources to do so.

We recently learned that the county transit fund will be collecting 650,000 additional dollars due to an error from a car rental company. Based on demonstrated need and ridership potential, this revenue should be allocated to Port Authority’s operating costs so that they can grow our transit system in the most equitable ways. We expect our council members to support using the county’s resources to the benefit of their most vulnerable constituents.

***


Contact info for council members:

County-wide Representatives
John DeFazio: jdefazio@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6516
Heather Heidelbaugh: heather.heidelbaugh@alleghenycounty.us, 412-638-8165

District 1: Thomas Baker, thomas.baker@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6525
District 2: Jan Rea, jrea@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6530
District 3: Edward Kress, edward.kress@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6535
District 4: Michael Finnerty, mfinnerty@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6540
District 5: Sue Means, sue.means@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6545
District 6: John Palmiere, jpalmiere@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6550
District 7: Nicholas Futules, nfutules@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6555
District 8: Charles Martoni, cmartoni@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6560
District 9: Robert Macey, rmacey@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6565
District 10: William Robinson, wrobinson@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6570
District 11: Barbara Daly Danko, bdanko@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6575
District 12: James Ellenbogen, jellenbogen@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6580
District 13: Amanda Green Hawkins, agreen@alleghenycounty.us, 412-350-6585 

Here is a video of the heated discussion of this topic on Dec 2 (you can watch it here starting at 2:50, it goes about 50 mins): 
http://allegheny.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=604


Giving Tuesday!

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