Garfield

Save the Date: Bus Service Celebration on October 8th!

Penn Hills and Garfield Photo

IT’S TIME TO PARTAYYYY!

Please join us on Saturday Oct 8 to celebrate getting increased bus service in Garfield and Penn Hills! After a year long resident-led campaign, the 89 will now run on weekends in Garfield. The 79 will run all day and on weekends along the current P17 route. WE DID IT!

Residents worked hard to advocate for this service, and riders are thrilled to have these much needed connections to jobs, school, shopping, events, medical appointments, places of worship, and more. Thanks to all who helped make this happen!We know more communities still need service, and we look forward to keeping up the fight.

Residents will ride Route 89 from Garfield and Route 79/82 from Penn Hills to attend the celebration at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater lobby. Supporters are invited to join us on the bus or at the theater. We’ll have refreshments, a short film, and featured speakers! 

Garfield riders: meet at 9:20 am at Fern and Mossfield St to take the 89 to East Liberty
Penn Hills riders: meet at 9:10 am at Mark and Calmar to take the 79 (which becomes the 82). Or you can hop on the 79 from the Giant Eagle .
All supporters: please join us at the celebration! you all helped make this possible, and we encourage you to come celebrate with us!

The event is cohosted by Pittsburghers for Public Transit, the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation, the Lincoln Park Community Center, and the Kelly Strayhorn Theater

For more information, contact Pittsburghers for Public Transit:

info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org

412-216-9659

89 Garfield Action Team

On Friday May 27th, residents and riders from all over the county came together to encourage Port Authority to approve staff recommendations for service extensions.

The proposal includes adding weekend service the 89 Garfield!!

20160527dsTransitLocal02-1 

Residents from Garfield and Penn Hills came together to celebrate the added service to stand with communities who still need better transit.

Annie McGowan, resident of Garfield said: “Me and my mom have to depend on someone else to take us to church. A lot of senior citizens can’t get out for church activities, shopping, and meeting family and friends. Now we’ll be able to hop on the bus!”

Displaying IMG_7014.jpg Displaying IMG_7011.jpg

Aggie Brose of Bloomfield Garfield Corporation and Donna Terry of the 89 Garfield Action Team addressed the crowd at the celebration and rally for more service.

News coverage of the event:

Riders want Port Authority to further boost service

Proposed changes add Port Authority bus lines to Penn Hills, Garfield

Port Authority improvements don’t go far enough, advocates say

Residents came together on May 4th to discuss action steps for Port Authority’s service change announcements. We also worked on one-to-one organizing conversations and how to get more people involved in the fight for better transit!

IMG_6911 IMG_6918

Elected officials came together to write a joint letter of support for weekend service on the 89 bus route. Thank you to Senator Fontana, Representative Gainer, County Councilwoman Russell, and City Councilman Burgess for your support of the Garfield hilltop community.

Residents from Garfield came out to speak about the need for weekend service on the 89 at the February 26th Port Authority board meeting. Baldwin residents came out in support of Garfield’s fight for service and to highlight how adequate transit has improved the lives of people in their community.

IMG_6397 garfiled

Terry Breisinger and Dennis Donahoe of Baldwin and Annie McGowan, Mary Johnson, and Donna Lee Terry came together to speak to the Port Authority board about the need for solidarity between communities.

At the February 16th county council meeting three residents from Garfield Commons, Annie McGowan, Donna Lee Terry, and Myval Johnson, along with PPT’s Molly Nichols and BGC’s Aggie Brose spoke in support of councilwoman’s Denise Ranalli Russell’s motion to urge Port Authority to restore weekend service on the 89. The council voted unanimously in support of the motion. Thank you councilwoman Russell and congratulations to the residents of Garfield on all of your hard work! Click here for press coverage of the event.

image1

Aggie Brose, Denise Ranalli-Russell, Annie McGowan, Donna Terry, Molly Nichols, and Myval Johnson celebrating the unanimous support from county council for weekend service in Garfield.

photo (1) photo (2) photo

Donna Terry, Annie McGowan, and Myval Johnson addressing county council.

On February 1st we met for a community meeting with elected officials to push for weekend bus service on the 89.  Thank you to senator Wayne Fontana and county councilwoman Denise Ranalli Russell and staff from representative Ed Gainey’s office foe coming out and showing support for the Garfield hilltop community!

2-1 meeting 1 2-1 meeting 2

We had a great rally and meeting on Nov 2oth. For coverage of the event click here. These campaigns are continuing to push Port Authority and our elected officials to get transit service where it is needed most. Nearly 400 requests were turned into Port Authority.

Residents from Garfield came out to make signs for Friday Nov 20th’s Bus Riders Unite for Service Rally!

IMG_5739    IMG_5740

Folks from Garfield canvassed on Nov 7th and garnered dozens more service requests from the hilltops of Garfield!

Bill Lawson and Nina Pettiford of Garfield spoke at the October 23rd Port Authority board meeting to call attention to the desperation and need for weekend service in the hilltop neighborhood.

IMG_5599 (1)

Nina Pettiford speaking at the PAAC board meeting surrounded by community members and PPT volunteers.

 

A canvassing day in Garfield Commons on October 10th yielded 50 more requests for service for the neighborhood!

Garfield Canvassing 10-10 2 Garfield Canvassing 10-10

Bill Lawson and Del Royce Tatum, of Garfield, talk to their neighbors about addressing the need for bus service in their community.

 

50 Garfield residents came together on Wednesday October 21st for a community meeting. 15 signed up to speak at the next PAAC board meeting!

Garfield Meeting 10-21 2 Garfield Meeting 10-21

 

Six Garfield residents, along with the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation, spoke at the September 23rd Port Authority Board meeting to call attention to the need for weekend service on the 89 bus line! They brought nearly 50 written requests for service to the Port Authority board and staff.

IMG_5279

PPT has been working together with the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation and community members for weekend bus service on the 89. On Thursday Sept 17, 60 Garfield residents came out to a community meeting to discuss their transit needs. Many of them took action steps including writing letters to elected officials and making requests for service. Others signed up to speak at the Port Authority board meeting on Fri Sept 25.
      

We are having a canvassing day on Sat Oct 10 to go door to door and get support for this campaign. We will leave from N Aiken Commons at 10 am.

The next community meeting is Wed Oct 21 at 530 pm at North Aiken Commons.

In the meantime, we encourage folks to make sure they share their need for weekend bus service.

You can make a service request to Port Authority.

The suggested proposal for this community is:

  • 89 Garfield Commons service on the weekends


Phone: 412-442-2000

Web Form:http://www.portauthority.org/paac/RiderServices/ServiceRequests.aspx

Mail: 
Port Authority
ATTN: Service Request
345 6th Avenue, Floor 3
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

We also encourage folks to contact their elected officials to make sure they are aware of your public transit needs

Hon. Ed Gainey 
100 Sheridan Square 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 665-5502
http://www.pahouse.com/Gainey/

Wayne Fontana 
932 Brookline Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA 15226-2106
412-344-2551
http://www.senatorfontana.com/contact-me

County Councilwoman Amanda Green Hawkins 
436 Grant St, Room 119
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-350-6585
agreen@alleghenycounty.us

City Councilman Rev Ricky V. Burgess 
510 City County Building
414 Grant Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(412)-255-2137
reverend.burgess@pittsburghpa.gov