[PRCo] Re: pat__service__cuts__2007.01.23-changed to 2/1/07

John Swindler j_swindler at hotmail.com
Wed Feb 7 11:37:41 EST 2007 

And I used CTS connection on my first airline flight in 1968 (or maybe '69) 
for SHRT ride.  Actually first six airline flights.  Mohawk Airlines had a 
promotional $25 weekend fare - sort of a system pass.  
Pgh-Syracuse-Cleveland-Syracuse-NYC-Syracuse-Pgh.  (:>)

(and yes, I can stretch this into a PRC coonnection:  car 1664 (?) was the 
Mohawk ad car.)



>From: Herb Brannon <hrbran at sbcglobal.net>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: pat__service__cuts__2007.01.23-changed to 2/1/07
>Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2007 08:15:09 -0800 (PST)
>
>Red Line trains here also enter the main airport terminal building. Was 
>first U.S. city to have direct rapid transit service from airport to 
>downtown in 1968.
>
>Herb Brannon
>Downtown Cleveland temperature is now a swealtering 10 degrees F. Wind 
>chill now minus 15 degrees F.
>
>
>----- Original Message ----
>From: John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Sent: Monday, February 5, 2007 12:42:48 PM
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: pat__service__cuts__2007.01.23-changed to 2/1/07
>
>
>So do Amsterdam and Brussels. (trains in the airport terminal basement).
>Gt. Brit just doubled their airport taxes, and Amsterdam may now be the
>low-cost airport for U.S. travelers, according to internet article last
>week.
>
>
>
> >From: Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> >Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >Subject: [PRCo] Re: pat__service__cuts__2007.01.23-changed to 2/1/07
> >Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2007 12:03:38 -0500
> >
> >John and all:
> >
> >I love my car.   And I think Ken Josephson loves his car too ...
> >maybe as much as his wife and daughter.   But there are still places
> >I will not take it.   I may drive it through but I see no sense in
> >parking it in downtown San Francisco (hotels are a lot cheaper down
> >in San Mateo and Caltrain works just fine or BART works fine from the
> >hotels in the East Bay).   Most of my trips to Europe have been car
> >rental trips because I love the countryside BUT I SCHEDULE THE
> >BIGGEST CITIES FOR THE BEGINNING OR THE END OF THE TRIP BEFORE OR
> >AFTER I PICK UP OR TURN IN THE CAR.   You do not need a rental car in
> >London or Rome or Paris or Munich or Zurich or Basel or any other
> >large European city, so find a hotel near the airport.   Best of all
> >find an airport with a hotel and train service into town and when
> >you're done there, then pick up the car.
> >
> >Zurich, Switzerland, for example, is a fabulous place.   The Swiss
> >Federal Railways has a train station in the basement of the
> >airport.   What better place can you find to arrive in a foreign
> >country.   London Heathrow or London Gatwick are the same ... Gatwick
> >is probably best of all because you don't need the fancy airport
> >trains (the regular Brighton - London locals also stop at the
> >airport).   Frankfurt, Germany also has mainline train service from
> >their airport to all over Germany.   Stockholm has high speed train
> >service from the airport to the center of the city ... rocket
> >sleds ... I think it was something like 125 mph.   (I'm sure Derrick
> >will tell us because he goes there frequently.)   These are a lot
> >better than the bus in Lisbon.
> >
> >On Feb 5, 2007, at 11:28 AM, John Swindler wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Hi Fred
> > >
> > > Those on this list are not the average person.  The average person
> > > does not
> > > know what transit options are available.  And when it comes to foreign
> > > travel, they take with them their US experiences - which often
> > > means renting
> > > a car.  But Fred knows that he can stay in a Newark hotel and that
> > > PATH
> > > exists to take him to NYC.  And the rest on this list have similar
> > > "unusual"
> > > knowledge.  That's one of the reasons I like Fred's travelogues -
> > > they touch
> > > on the transit options.
> > >
> > > A couple from church visited San Francisco and complained how much
> > > they paid
> > > for parking at Fisherman's Wharf.  I replied that Carol and I
> > > didn't have to
> > > pay for parking when we visited this tourist site.  We bought Muni day
> > > passes and rode the streetcar.  At this, his eyes kind of glazed
> > > over - like
> > > I don't understand how you can visit and not have to use a car.
> > > Suspect
> > > most have had similar experiences
> > >
> > > John
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >> From: Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> > >> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >> Subject: [PRCo] Re: pat__service__cuts__2007.01.23-changed to 2/1/07
> > >> Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007 19:13:30 -0500
> > >>
> > >> And once you got that truck, it's bloody hard to go back to the bus
> > >> isn't it....
> > >>
> > >> I used to use the bus too ... every where I went.   But when that car
> > >> is right outside the door, it's hard to ignore.   The exceptions have
> > >> been instance like staying in the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark and
> > >> wanting to go into New York City ... in that case you know it's a
> > >> whole lot easier to walk six blocks to the Lackawanna or
> > >> Pennslylvania stations and take the train into the big city and live
> > >> the damn car sit in the parking lot.   I react the same way if I'm
> > >> going from Lancaster to New York or Lancaster to Center City
> > >> Philadelphia, or Dawntawn Pittsburgh.   But aside from the largest
> > >> cities, it's pretty hard for me to leave my car at home anymore.
> > >>
> > >> On Feb 4, 2007, at 4:44 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> This past Christmas I broke down and bought myself a Christmas
> > >>> present.................a truck. I did not have a vehicle for
> > >>> nearly one year. So I used GCRTA to go everyplace..........the
> > >>> grocery store, the bank, the mall, work, etc. Bear in mind that I
> > >>> have always worked the "Extra Boad". Therefore, every day is a
> > >>> totally diffenent run assignment. I am happy to report that, at
> > >>> least in Cleveland, public transit still works well. I was always
> > >>> able to get to work at any hour of the day, any day of the week.
> > >>> Living downtown helped. Only on one occasion did I have to call a
> > >>> taxi. This was one morning when the 6-Euclid bus due at the Euclid/
> > >>> 32nd stop at 3:57am never showed. Otherwise you can get around
> > >>> Cleveland pretty well. However, now that I have the truck I have
> > >>> not resorted to the bus, car (lrv), or train. I have learned two
> > >>> things from this: 1) I know what our customers go through in order
> > >>> to use our services and I want to give them a decent transit trip,
> > >>> and, 2) We need
> > >>>  to keep a very high level of service, safety, passenger amenities,
> > >>> etc if we want customers to stay with public transit. The new level
> > >>> of "freedom" they attain will keep them in the private vehicle if
> > >>> we (public transit providers) do not do all necessary to keep them.
> > >>> Time to get off the soapbox. I made gumbo and the aroma is calling
> > >>> me to the kitchen. Later gang !
> > >>> Herb Brannon
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> ----- Original Message ----
> > >>> From: John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
> > >>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >>> Sent: Sunday, February 4, 2007 12:50:41 PM
> > >>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: pat__service__cuts__2007.01.23-changed to 2/1/07
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> It's the convenience of letting someone else deal with rush hour
> > >>> traffic.
> > >>> Most small towns don't have rush hour traffic.    But even
> > >>> Harrisburg has
> > >>> rush hour congestion and parking is limited.  So I am happy to let
> > >>> the bus
> > >>> driver deal with it.
> > >>>
> > >>> And transfers on small systems are horrible because of the
> > >>> headways.  So if
> > >>> the factory job is not located in the center city, a car becomes
> > >>> much more
> > >>> attractive.
> > >>>
> > >>> Another factor:  how many young people today experienced the joy of
> > >>> being
> > >>> bused to school?  And getting access to a car eliminated being tied
> > >>> to the
> > >>> school bus schedule.  Suspect many never want to go back to
> > >>> reminders of
> > >>> their school bus experiences.  It has become a tough sell.
> > >>>
> > >>> While the feds will assure you that there is no difference in modal
> > >>> split
> > >>> between bus and rail for new start funding purposes, and that bus is
> > >>> cheaper, don't believe them.  They lie.
> > >>>
> > >>> John
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>> From: Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> > >>>> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: pat__service__cuts__2007.01.23-changed to
> > >>>> 2/1/07
> > >>>> Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007 08:10:36 -0500
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I don't think it is that Herb.   I remember the Chief Dispatcher at
> > >>>> Conestoga Transportation Co. telling me back in the 1970s about a
> > >>>> special bus service they established to serve the women who
> > >>>> worked at
> > >>>> Shick's razor factory and several other plants in the same
> > >>>> industrial
> > >>>> plant.   Their drivers noted that the passengers disappeared after
> > >>>> they received the second pay checks and when they inquired of the
> > >>>> other passengers where Suzy or Martha was the answer was universal,
> > >>>> "They now have enough money to buy a car."   Factory runs no longer
> > >>>> pay.   It's the services to dentists, doctors, lawyers and malls
> > >>>> for
> > >>>> the indigent and retired and under 16 that seem to have become the
> > >>>> mainstay of public transit, at least in the small towns and in the
> > >>>> suburbs of the larger cities.   Some management types will use
> > >>>> transit because it is easier than finding a place to park downtown.
> > >>>> But the factory worker doesn't, even if the factory still exists.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> On Feb 3, 2007, at 7:39 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:
> > >>>>
> > >>>>> Too bad. I guess since there are no factories remaining everyone
> > >>>>> works bankers hours? Or so the PAT management believes. We still
> > >>>>> have 14 routes w/ 24-hour service.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Herb Brannon
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> ----- Original Message ----
> > >>>>> From: Joshua Dunfield <joshuad at cs.cmu.edu>
> > >>>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >>>>> Sent: Saturday, February 3, 2007 5:29:30 PM
> > >>>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: pat__service__cuts__2007.01.23-changed to
> > >>>>> 2/1/07
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Herb Brannon wrote:
> > >>>>>> Interesting to note that 24-hour service is beginning again.
> > >>>>>> When I
> > >>>>>> worked at PATransit 24-hour service was offered on both the 42/38
> > >>>>>> and 35
> > >>>>>> car lines as well as many bus lines.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Unfortunately, 24-hour service died in the first round of cuts,
> > >>>>> around 2003
> > >>>>> if memory serves.  When it started in '01, one of my friends (who
> > >>>>> grew up in
> > >>>>> Stockholm) told me that "Pittsburgh is becoming a real city!"
> > >>>>> Well...
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Best,
> > >>>>> -j.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>
> > >>> _________________________________________________________________
> > >>> Check out all that glitters with the MSN Entertainment Guide to the
> > >>> Academy
> > >>> Awards®   http://movies.msn.com/movies/oscars2007/?
> > >>> icid=ncoscartagline2
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > > _________________________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
>
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