PPT’s new Organizing Fellowship in the South Hilltop Communities is building new leaders to grow our movement and win better transit service.
In October, PPT launched a new organizing fellowship in the South Hilltop. With generous help from multiple organizations including the Hilltop Alliance, Brashear Association, Ms. Charlene Saner and Councilman Anthony Coghill’s office, PPT recruited 7 fellows from across the South Hilltop area to explore public transit access, infrastructure, financial barriers, and equitable development.
Examples of these topics include:
- Canvassing in your community to meet riders and build your base,
- Learning about bus shelter and sidewalk expansion and improvement,
- Winning improved service through Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT’s) Bus Line redesign process,
- Enrolling South Hilltop residents into the half-fare program, Allegheny Go, and advocating for a fully free program,
- Zoning/land use relationship connecting access to housing and quality transit.
[place holder for brief intro + photos of our fellows]
Every few weeks we’re publishing interviews with our fellows with our takeaways, which we’ll add here. See all our reportbacks below!
- Opening Sessions: Reportback on Sessions 1-2
- Midway Through: Reportback on Sessions 3-8
- Closing Sessions: Reportback on Sessions 9 – End
Start of Fellowship: Reportback on Sessions 1-2
7 amazing fellows were recruited in two classroom sessions. The first was an introduction to past and present PPT campaigns with special guest Teaira Collins speaking to winning weekend service on the 93, followed by a brief training on powermapping. Our second classroom session covered transit service, exploring what visionary service could look like with buses that run frequently, are accessible to all riders in the county, and run late and on weekends when we need it. We were able to compare maps of service past and present with former Program Manager of Service Planning and Schedules, Fred Mergner. We talked about the connections that people wish were easier to get to by transit from the Hilltop, including to grocery stores, church service in the Hill District, and family in Hazelwood.
Key Takeaways from the Hilltop Fellowship so far:
- Our newly launched fellowship in the South Hilltop aims to build transit rider power and find ways to advocate for safer, more accessible, and more reliable transit
- Our fellows identified the disconnect between PRT’s planning of service with riders’ lived experiences
- Effective rider advocacy requires overcoming feelings of powerlessness to change civic infrastructure
Read an interview with a fellow on what was learned during these sessions here
Midway Through: Reportback on Sessions 3-8
As we pass our South Hilltop Fellowship halfway point, we have reports on the interesting aspects we’re learning about in our weekly classroom sessions and field visits. Since our first blog post, we’ve covered transit service (frequency, reliability), bus-stop and bus-shelter audits, land-use and development (including Transit-Oriented Development – TOD), and the half-fare program for SNAP recipients – AlleghenyGO. Through this time, our fellows have been engaged in learning about the various considerations when installing a bus shelter, what makes an accessible sidewalk, how planners can incorporate a robust transit network into plans for equitable development, and so much more! Interviews with 3 fellows below, give us a snapshot of what we’re learning about, and how we can keep up the fight for a safe, reliable, and accessible transit network in our city.
Key Takeaways from the Hilltop Fellowship so far:
Takeaways for Bus shelters and sidewalks (Sessions 3-4)
- Safety and dignity for all riders is a must!
- Public agencies need to coordinate with each other
- “Nothing about us without us” – Disability advocacy
- Easier to organize with others who share the same passions than by yourself
Takeaways for Land Use and Development (Sessions 5-6)
- Processes for routine maintenance of public infrastructure
- Role of residents and local organizations in making a neighborhood more livable
- Engaging the youth is important
- We get used to the conditions around us and don’t question how it could be better
- Zoning changes a neighborhood experience
- There should be more avenues for community residents to talk to agencies either directly or through community based organizations
- Fellowship has made the connection between issues clearer and provided necessary information and confidence to be an advocate at local community meetings
Takeaways for Service and AlleghenyGO (Sessions 7-8)
- Inefficient and infrequent bus scheduling, particularly around school start times, creates major daily hurdles for students and commuters alike.
- While programs like AlleghenyGo are a valuable and cost-saving asset for riders, poor communication and a lack of real-time updates from transit authorities remain critical blind spots.
- Advocacy for improved service should start with community meetings to gather consensus on key issues, such as adding shuttle routes or adjusting schedules to reduce overcrowding
- There is a stark disconnect between local development efforts and transit planning, as improved housing isn’t supported by reliable public transportation for new residents.
Closing Sessions: Reportback on Sessions 9-End
This section will be updated as soon as we have a moment to finish our update!