Speed-public hearings

[John Swindler]

Bill Vigrass wrote:
>
>. . . .More how PAT LRT came to be what it is. When the transition was made 
>from SkyBus to LRT, there was a public input process, or at least input 
>from local communities. I had heard from sources now forgotten that each 
>community had its input in the public process.  Beechview wanted it in the 
>street, so they got it.  Mt. Lebanon wanted it off the street, so they got 
>a tunnel, with no stations yet.  I guess they didn't want it at all.
>

I guess, Bill,

  that I'm become much more cynical with age.  Public input process???  In 
many cases, it seems that the basic decision has already been made (why else 
would you have a public hearing?) and the public input process is merely 
"eyewash" to satisfy a federal requirement.  The "bureaucrats" running the 
public hearing might make some minor adjustments based on public comments, 
but to effect any substantial change probably would require a lobby effort 
to our legislative officials.

   And that's why Pittsburgh doesn't have Skybus.  Didn't matter what the 
local taxpayers and municipal elected officials wanted.  Allegheny County 
and federal money were already in place.  PAT was already acquiring 
property, including the Wabash tunnel and the South Hills maintenance 
facility.  For all practical purposes, Skybus was a "done deal"!  What 
finally stopped PAT was when the state said no funding for Skybus.  Not to 
be overlooked was that Gov. Shapp was an "outsider" within the Democratic 
party, and perhaps thus more willing to go against the majority Allegheny 
County commissioners.  That was an extremely important fact.  To put it 
bluntly, we got light rail in Pittsburgh because of political decisions at 
echelons (those of us with military service will understand) above our 
level.

As for Mt. Lebanon and Beechview, I'm afraid those decisions were already 
made.  I recall a light rail conference around 1975 which quoted subway 
construction at about $100 million a mile, stations not included, which was 
about the cost of PAT's Sixth/Liberty Ave. subway when you add up the 
construction contracts.  By comparison, San Diego's first line was built at 
about $5.6 million per mile, or about one-third the cost of PAT's East 
Busway!  No matter what the residents of Beechview wanted, they were NOT 
going to get a subway.  And as for Mt. Lebanon, tracks on West Liberty Ave. 
were doomed.  Since Skybus called for a tunnel, it was an easy "sell".  And 
with such a short tunnel, no need for an expensive intermediate underground 
station.  (Overall, it seems that many good operational decisions were 
eventually made.)

Speaking of public input, isn't there a similar case today in the East Hills 
were several municipalities, particularly Edgewood, have requested that the 
2.3 mile East Busway Extension be built as a light rail line?  I think the 
busway cost is $62 million or $26 million per mile.  When the local 
residents expressed their LRT preference last year, PAT agreed to study the 
cost of light rail construction and - surprise - came up with a cost of $401 
million to convert the East Busway to light rail.  PAT priced out the 2.3 
miles through Edgewood and Swissvale at $134.4 million, or $58 million per 
mile.

Guess no one thought to look at the federal governments "Report on Funding 
Levels and Allocations of Funds" report, dtd Aug 1996, which is available on 
the internet.  The 17.4 mile St. Louis extension through St. Charles Co. is 
projected at $295 million or $17 million per mile; the 14 mile Salt Lake 
City LRT is $312 million or $22 million per mile, and the Denver 8.7 mile 
southwest extension to Englewood is projected at $177 million or $20 million 
per mile.  Guess Pittsburgh has a different definition of what constitutes 
"light rail"!

Sorry, Bill, for being such a cynic.

John

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