Time and time again, we’ve been told that there is no money to make those plans a reality.
However, the City is now pushing forward a multi-million dollar mobility project instead of our communities’ solutions. The City’s Mon-Oakland Connector plan would build a roadway through Schenley Park for private companies to operate “micromobility” connections between the Universities and the Hazelwood Green development site.
Neighbors in these communities have put together an alternate plan thatcalls for investment in needs that have been documented for years. It’s time our public money and officials support these priorities.
Congratulations to the Northland Library, CCAC North, Crisis Center North and the hundreds of residents, political officials and businesses along the Perry Highway corridor who have kept up the advocacy for transit service to the corridor for the last five years! We are particularly grateful for the longtime support of the Ross Township Commission and Senator Randy Vulakovich and Senator Lindsey Williams who have taken up the torch over the years.
We know that access to the library, employment and higher education are critical needs that should be robustly served by public transit. You can check out the history of the Buses for Perry Highway campaign –the rallies, letter writing, and Port Authority testimony– here. We will always last ONE DAY LONGER. Sí se puede!
You can read more about the upcoming major transit service changes and learn about next steps in this recent Post Gazette article:
Port Authority to reroute some buses to service CCAC North and Northland Library
“More than five years after North Hills residents, businesses and organizations began lobbying for it, Port Authority will extend service to Community College of Allegheny County’s North Campus and the Northland Library in McCandless next March.
Port Authority announced changes for the 012 McKnight Flyer last week as part of a series of changes mostly involving extended weekend service to be implemented as part of the agency’s annual service review. The agency will take public input about the proposed changes before they begin March 15.”
During yesterday’s City Planning Commission meeting, Commissioners approved a zoning change that will allow for housing to be built at the Giant Eagle Shakespeare site next to the East Busway Station.
Before the vote was taken, Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s Community Organizer, Josh Malloy, and Director, Laura Wiens, gave testimony to talk about the importance of a site like this in building equitable transit-oriented communities. They joined affordable housing advocates and residents to call for a development that includes affordable housing and free transit for residents.
The zoning change is an important first step to building the equitable transit-oriented communities that we need to combat crushing traffic congestion, climate change, and our City’s housing crisis. In the coming weeks, PPT will continue to work with residents, advocates, and political leaders to encourage a development that better aligns with all of these goals. The goal is that by the time this development comes before City Council for approval, the developer has agreed to build less structured parking and direct the savings to increase housing affordability and provide free transit passes.
We need your voice in this campaign. Please reach out to get involved.
Check out this recent news coverage about the development:
Housing advocates urged Echo Realty and their partner Greystar to double the number of affordable units.
“We have been encouraged by the conversations we’ve been able to have” with the developers, said Celeste Scott, housing justice organizer for Pittsburgh UNITED. “We do think that this affordability target in a place like East Liberty, where there has been so much historical harm, is not asking too much.
Representatives from Pittsburghers for Public Transit proposed a way to pay for the increased affordability: reduce the planned amount of parking and use the savings to subsidize more units and provide transit passes.
“This is an opportunity to address several needs,” said Joshua Malloy, PPT’s community organizer. “Pittsburgh’s affordable housing crisis, congestion in East Liberty and Shadyside, underutilization of public transit in the area, and overbuilding of parking.”
Malloy cited a 2018 analysis by Jeanne Batog, a University of Pittsburgh graduate student, that found nearby parking lots experience 40 percent vacancy during peak hours.
Wiens says future developments in the area should be focusing on housing density and trying to limit the number of parking spaces built.
“It is a big opportunity,” says Wiens. “We need more density. It will encourage more people to use [transit]. When you build more parking, you [give] incentive for more cars to come into the neighborhood.”
Wiens also notes there is a lot of money that developers set aside for parking spaces. A paper by PPT argues that Shakespeare developers could save $4.6 million if they lowered the number of parking spaces to align with the zoning minimum requirements in East Liberty, which are one parking space for every two housing units. (The Shakespeare proposal is technically in Shadyside, where minimums are higher, but developers have convinced city officials to agree to a variance to lower them before.)
A 2014 UCLA study shows that above-ground parking garages as required by parking minimums increase the cost of the average U.S. project by 31 percent.
Wiens says it makes financial sense and would be a boost for economic equity in the area if less parking was built at the Shakespeare site, especially if the money saved was used to build more affordable units and/or supply residents with transit passes.
“When we are talking about over-building by hundreds of spaces, like in Eastside Bond and Target, that is millions of dollars,” says Wiens. “There is so much wasted space.”
She says this contributes units being unaffordable to residents, which is only exacerbated by the fact that these units are close to frequent and good public transit, which is more frequently used by low-income people.
“That money should go for free bus passes,” says Wiens. “If you have 30 people getting free bus passes, that lower demands for parking.”
Last month, the Port Authority announced its plan to eliminate bus stops on all its routes, starting with the 51 Carrick and 16 Brighton. Now they are moving onto the 88 and 48.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit knows that the best way to build a transit system is to engage the riders and operators who use it every day – they are the experts in how to improve it. And that means allowing riders to give input on the project and the process BEFORE a plan is drafted. PAAC needs to take this input into consideration as they draft their project plans because data and observation alone will not create the most equitable, effective outcome. PAAC also has to give riders space to give input AFTER the project has been implemented so they know what is working for riders and what isn’t. This has to be an ongoing conversation between the Port Authority, their riders, and their workers.
PPT is heading out to ride the buses and collect feedback from riders so we can pass it on to Port Authority. It is important that riders have a say in this process. We hope you’ll join us for these upcoming canvasses:
Wednesday, November 6th, 5pm-8p (Meet at the Crazy Mocha on Liberty Ave/Tito Way at 5pm).
Riders can visit the Port Authority’s website to learn more about the bus stop consolidation project and give their feedback. And check out this Post Gazette article from last month when the changes were announced.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s new report, “Wait, Who’s Driving This Thing?: Bringng the Public to the Autonomous Vehicle Table”, with Forward by Anita Cozart, Senior Policy Director at PolicyLink
It did not take much time for Pittsburghers for Public Transit to come to a decision about who to invite to write a forward to the organization’s new Literature Review on the impact of Autonomous Vehicle technology, “Wait, Whos Driving This Thing?: Bringing the Public to the Autonomous Vehicle Table”.
Anita Cozart, Senior Director at PolicyLink, has been doing important justice-oriented policy work at the intersection of race, mobility, and economics. Her work and that of her team at PolicyLink have been leading the conversation about how to ensure equity and human rights in a time where private investment is rapidly flowing into both the development of urban neighborhoods and new transportation technology.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit was honored when Anita accepted our invitation to author a forward to this Literature Review because we both agree: conversations about new technology need to begin with the people who will be most affected by them.
Read Anita’s forward below, and read the full copy of “Wait, Who’s Driving This Thing?: Bringing the Public to the Autonomous Vehicle Table”.
“Charting a New Course for Urban Mobility” by Anita Cozart, Senior Director at PolicyLink
Everyone deserves to live in a healthy, safe and inclusive community with affordable and accessible transportation that connects them to jobs, schools, health care, grocery stores, and more. Over the past few years, private sector leaders and some local officials in Pittsburgh and other cities have championed the idea of autonomous vehicle technology as a means to deliver on that vision.
The history and the future of our nation tells us that, as we consider integrating such technology into their transportation systems, community members must be at the table. Our historic transportation policies and investments, fueled by structural racism, have saddled communities of color with burdens including longer travel times, higher costs, environmental damage and illness. And, as we move toward a future in which by 2040, the U.S. will be a majority people of color nation, in order to realize a vision of healthy communities and shared prosperity, we must ensure that community has voice and agency in shaping the way we move through our neighborhoods, cities and regions.
The findings from Wait, who’s Driving this Thing? are a reminder that when it comes to transportation, we should embrace the “curb-cut effect”1. Curb cuts in sidewalks were originally developed to accommodate people in wheelchairs, but they benefit a broad swath of people. This concept can be applied in other areas of infrastructure (or the built environment): the most vulnerable transportation users should be the focus for the plans that are developed to integrate autonomous vehicle technology in cities. Simply put, the priorities of the most vulnerable communities should drive transportation policy and planning in our cities.
A national coalition of more than 100 groups dedicated to advancing racial equity into transportation policy, the Transportation Equity Caucus has developed a set of principles that can be used to consider the benefits and harms of automated vehicle (AV) deployment:
Create affordable transportation options for all people.
The cost of using AV for daily travel must be accessible for all incomes, particularly if they are to be an extension of the public transportation system.
Ensure fair access to quality jobs, workforce development and contracting opportunities in the transportation industry.
Jobs and contracts that come from the growth of AV must be accessible to workers and firms who have historically been shut out, namely people of color and people with disabilities. Economic security and new work opportunities should be prioritized for people working in sectors that will be eliminated due to AV deployment.
Promote, healthy, safe and inclusive communities.
Just like there are food deserts, there are transportation innovation deserts. Many communities of color are the last ones to have access to on-demand rides, bikes, and scooters. As AV is deployed, it is important to assess the spatial distributions of affordable transportation options using a racial equity lens.
Invest equitably and focus on results.
It is important to ensure that bias is not embedded in the computer algorithms that drive automated vehicle technology, and that rigorous data privacy regulations, which are currently lacking, are put in place. To ensure equitable outcomes, people of color and people with disabilities must be co-designers of the deployment of AV in cities.
Let’s take the wisdom from this report and chart a new course for urban mobility that is centered on ensuring that our most vulnerable in society can benefit from transportation innovation.
Riders succeed in removing controversial member of Port Authority Board, continue calling for Heather McClain to be appointed in his place, and for rider involvement in board selection process
Riders were able to claim a victory today with Gov. Wolf’s removal of a controversial member of the Port Authority Board! This decision came just mere hours after Pittsburghers for Public Transit released an open letter co-signed by more than a dozen regional and statewide organizations and elected officials, and after launching a public letter writing campaign for riders to support the position. But the fight isn’t over!
Around midday, Governor Wolf’s office issued a press statement removing Robert Kania from the Board seat and naming an interim member. The press statement says that his office will work with “stakeholders and legislators” to identify someone to fill the seat permanently.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit continues to call for the appointment of rider advocate Heather McClain to the position, and encourages others to voice their support by sending letters to Governor Wolf. More than 100 riders have taken action to contact Governor Wolf since the campaign launched this morning.
Laura Wiens, Executive Director of Pittsburghers for Public Transit, says: “While we appreciate that Governor Wolf has heeded transit riders’ call in removing Kania from the board, we have yet to hear from his office. Transit riders and transit workers are key stakeholders in this vital public asset and must have a say in the appointment process.”
Senior Communications Associate Hayley Richardson of TransitCenter added, “Decision-making at the Port Authority should be informed by the lived experience of those who use it. Governor Wolf should seize the opportunity to appoint Heather McClain, a bonafide transit expert and rider advocate, to the Port Authority’s Board.”
Pittsburghers for Public Transit Calls on Governor Wolf to Remove Port Authority Board Member Embroiled in Controversy, and Appoint Rider Advocate Heather McClain
In an open letter co-signed by 13 regional and statewide organizations and elected officials, Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) is calling on Governor Tom Wolf to appoint rider advocate Heather McClain to the expired Port Authority Board seat currently occupied by Robert Kania.
PPT believes that the demographics of the Port Authority board should reflect the demographics of the riders, and that board members should have a deep understanding of the importance of transit in advancing equity and economic development. Moreover, effective board members must be regular users of the transit system which they oversee, in order to understand and uplift the grassroots expertise of fellow riders and operators.
“In her role as the Community Initiatives Manager for Healthy Ride, Heather McClain has been a tireless advocate for increasing mobility and access, particularly for marginalized communities.” says Laura Wiens, Executive Director of Pittsburghers for Public Transit. “She is a long-time, regular transit rider, and is a leader in advancing equitable, inclusive growth in the Beechview community. We believe that Ms. McClain is an ideal steward of this vital community asset.”
Current Port Authority Board member Mr. Kania is the subject of a campaign finance complaint recently filed by the DC-based nonprofit transparency organization Campaign for Accountability, for failing to register with the state around his political activity and report campaign finances. Moreover, the term of his appointment by Republican former Governor Corbett expired in 2017. WESA broke this story back in November and covered it again in December. This week the Post Gazette and WESA took an even deeper dive into Kania’s grossly inappropriate behavior.
Alice Huling, Council for the Campaign for Accountability – the DC-based non-profit that filed the Complaint against Kania, commented; “Pittsburghers are right to question whether Robert Kania is fit to serve on the board of the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Mr. Kania attempted to unfairly influence an election outcome by operating a secret campaign; he tried to dupe voters and appears to have run afoul of Pennsylvania’s campaign finance laws. Mr. Kania should be held accountable for any campaign finance violations, and Governor Wolf should seriously consider whether someone who behaved in this way is fit to serve as a public official in Allegheny County.”
Pittsburghers for Public Transit welcomes Representative Austin Davis as the newest appointee to the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Allegheny County.
As a sophomore Representative of the Monongahela Valley, a region where transit’s usage is high and its value is essential, Austin Davis has been vocal about the vital role that transit plays in his constituents’ lives. PPT expects that this perspective will support increasing access and equity for all riders of Allegheny County, by advancing policies outlined in the Riders Vision for Public Transit, pushing for projects like an extension of the East Busway to McKeesport and Monroeville.
Additionally, we believe that Representative Davis will play a critical role in the PA legislature in advocating for long-term, sustainable transit funding in Pennsylvania and Allegheny County.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit will call on Rep. Davis and the rest of the Port Authority Board to advance high-equity projects, secure funding, and improve our system for our riders. Congratulations to Representative Davis – let’s get to work.
Labor day is an important holiday in Pittsburgh. It is a reminder to those in power that it is people like us who keep the city and county running. Thousands of union members from all over the area marched together in celebration of fights won and in preparation for fights to come. When riders’ unions like ours join hands with labor and service unions there isn’t a boss or company we can’t take on and beat. ATU local 85 members have been absolutely instrumental in many of our fights. They have testified in support of riders at Port Authority board meetings, they connect us with riders who are in need of expanded transit, and they show up at many of our rallies. PPT will continue to ensure that riders and transit workers are unified in the fight for a growing, equitable, sustainable transit system that pays living wages and benefits to its workers.
Good news that riders give the Port Authority high marks! But this is important too:
“Price seems to be such a sensitive issue for riders that TransPro recommended that the agency do everything it can to avoid raising fares over the next few years. Last year, the agency switched to a flat $2.50 fare for ConnectCard users and $2.75 for cash instead of fare zones based on distance traveled, which reduced fares for about 26 percent of riders.”
