Reporters say that the Mon-Oakland Connector costs just don’t add up.
On Friday, April 10th, Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) and data analysts at Tech4Society released a new report entitled The People’s Audit of the Mon-Oakland Connector, to evaluate the City’s proposed Mon-Oakland Connector shuttle roadway against resident proposals for expanded public transit services. The report demonstrates that minor Port Authority transit improvements would outperform even the best-case scenario for the Mon-Oakland shuttle roadway, and would better connect Institutions and residents within the corridor.
The People’s Audit of the Mon-Oakland Connector builds on years of resident-led resistance to the project from neighbors in Hazelwood, The Run, and Oakland. They have raised a number of tried-and-true mobility solutions that would provide real access to their essential needs:
“Even during this pandemic, I am still taking the bus everyday; to work in Oakland, to buy groceries in Squirrel Hill or Homestead, and to get my son to doctor’s appointments at Children’s Hospital. Because we don’t have weekend service on the 93, I have to take two buses and choose between arriving at work an hour early or late. Having the 75 to take us directly to Southside grocery stores and Oakland would be a huge benefit for me and my neighbors.”
Deanna Turner, Hazelwood Resident & Public Transit Rider
The outbreak has underscored why data-driven analysis is essential to drive responsible public investment in order to serve the needs of our neighbors. This report breaks down the available data to show that an investment in public transit will provide vast improvements for neighborhood and institutional mobility, at a fraction of the cost.
News coverage below:
- From WESA: “‘A Moving Target’: Getting To The Heart Of Pittsburgh’s Mon-Oakland Connector Planwesa story” by Margaret J. Krauss
- From PGH City Paper: “Report says traditional buses would serve Hazelwood corridor better than autonomous shuttles” by Ryan Deto
- From the Post-Gazette: “Advocates study: Cost too high, riders served too low to justify shuttle through Schenley Park” by Ashley Murray and Ed Blazina
- From The Confluence on WESA: Megan Harris Interviews Margaret J. Krauss on her reporting about the Mon-Oakland Connector