[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh - Bring back the streetcars!

[Jim Holland]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Fwd: Re: [Lo] Pittsburgh - Bring back the streetcars!
Date: 	Sun, 18 Nov 2007 01:45:34 -0000

	

	



"Frank S. Miklos" <miklosfrank at ...> wrote:

Several years ago a friend was doing some research about public 
transportation in Pittsburgh. Among other places that he did this 
research was the headquarters of the Port Authority of Allegheny County 
(PAT). One of the files that he unearthed was a report that was prepared 
for PAT setting up a transportation policy for them. It was the result 
of a study that was authorized by the transit agency. It specifically 
recommended that all of the trolley lines be replaced by buses and that 
bus rapid transit be adopted instead of light rail. PAT followed the 
recommendations exactly even to the point of providing all weekend 
service with buses while those trolley routes were still 
operational.     Potential rail rights-of-way were later paved for 
busways. In the span of about five years the last major trolley system 
in the United States was abandoned in favor of buses. What was 
especially interesting about this report was the firm which conducted 
the study. It was the General Motors Company. And there are some who say 
there was no conspiracy.

Frank


----- Original Message -----
From: Edward B. Havens
Subject: [LRPPro] Pittsburgh - Bring back the streetcars!

An opinion piece today in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says Port 
Authority of Allegheny County made a mistake by busing its PCC-operated 
streetcar lines in the 1960s. Robert Sechler says the mistake can be 
rectified by building a 21st century-style modern streetcar system:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_538380.html
Edward B. Havens
Tucson, Ariz.

--- End forwarded message ---


^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
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Jim  Holland
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Studying Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo)
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..............................From 1930 -- 1950
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Pennsylvania  Trolley  Museum  (PTM)
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http://www.pa-trolley.org/
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N.M.R.A.
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http://www.nmra.org/