[PRCo] Re: How many people ride transit...

Sat Aug 2 18:16:30 EDT 2008

It's just the lull before the storm.  Gas fell from $70 a barrel to $55 a barrel before it headed to $100 a barrel and higher.  People are dumping trucks and moving into cars, but overall demand is still growing especially in China, India and Russia.  The economist I watch said oil is still not high enough to push people onto public transit. Auto sales are down vastly in the US, but up in Canada. But then the US has major made in USA economic problems of its own.

Bill Robb

Thanks, Ed.  That is good to know for end of next week.

I've seen $3.71 in Lancaster County.  

There has been a significant reduction in auto travel recently.  Will be interesting to see if this trend continues after the summer vacation period.

John

> From: trams2 at comcast.net> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> Subject: [PRCo] Re: How many people ride transit...> Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 12:46:55 -0400> > Gasoline was $3.49 yesterday at several locations on the Carlisle Pike west> of Harrisburg. Down from $3.75 last weekend. But it's still typically> $3.89 south of Pittsburgh. On the other hand, it never went above $3.99 in> my neighborhood, so maybe the stations are playing catch-up.> > -----Original Message-----> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of John> Swindler> Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 7:58 PM> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> Subject: [PRCo] Re: How many people ride transit...> > I would be curious to see what $4 gas will do to ridership on several light> rail lines, but we will have to wait awhile for the numbers.> > After a billion dollars spent, Pittsburgh seems stuck around mid-20k in> weekday
 light rail ridership.> !
> John> > > > Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:17:16 -0700> From: pcc_sr at yahoo.com> Subject:> [PRCo] Re: How many people ride transit...> To:> pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > ----- Original Message ----> > > From:> John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com>> > To:> pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > Sent: Friday, August 1, 2008 12:54:43> PM> > Subject: [PRCo] Re: How many people ride transit...> > > > > > Hi> Fred> > > > Within Pennsylvania, as SEPTA goes, so goes the state. At the> national level, > > as New York City goes, so goes the country.> > > >> Remember when APTA was advertising the increase in public transit ridership> in > > the US several years ago, and how the percentage increase exceeded> the > > percentage increase for autos. That was due to New York City, and> primarily the > > subway. It was a time when there was a large influx of> immigrants - > > particularly eastern Europe.> > > > For Pittsburgh and the> T, comparing with New York City is
 meaningless. Two > > d!
ifferent leagues.> The bett!> er comparison is with their peers, and t
hat is where > > there are some> unexpected numbers. Should be in the archives.> > Not unlike comparing> transit and cherry pie isn't it. My initial reaction to comparison was the> same as yours, Mr.Swindler, but in reality it seems that Mr.Schneider is not> making a comparison per se but finds the ridership figures staggering in NY> - Pgh is mentioned to give a sense of these staggering numbers.> > This> gives a whole new dimension to spam-cans or sardine-cans doesn't it.> > >> Phil> > > > > > > Also, might want to check your PAT bus number of 60,000 -> sounds like you got a > > garage daily ridership number rather then the> system number.> > > > John> > > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> From:> fwschneider at comcast.net> Subject: > > [PRCo] How many people ride> transit...> Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 14:27:20 -0400> > > > While we look about> Pittsburgh and how many people ride the T ... > something > > over 25,000 a> day in fiscal year 2006 accor!> ding
 to the > figures PAT!
  submitted > > to the FTA ... now think for a few> seconds > about what big really is.> New York > > City Transit Authority> counts over 6 million fares on a > normal weekday in the > > subways ...> that is 1 thousand 5 hundred times > more than Pittsburgh.> > They > > also> moved 3 million more people a day on buses compared to > PAT's 60,000.> > >> > It simply boggles the mind.> > When a friend of mine pointed out that mass> > > transit was a "big city > thing," I studied it to prove or disprove his> point. > > The most > recent nationwide data I could get by company was the> 1907 U. S. > > > census of electric railways. After I put every company's> passenger > counts in a > > spreadsheet arrayed by city size, and in!> >> 1907 I assumed > that a city of 100,000 or more was a BIG CITY, I found that> > > 80 > percent of the nickels fell into conductor's mitts in big cities.> My > > > friend, curmudgeon first class from New Jersey, was absolutely >>
 correct. And > > looking !
at the numbers for New York, Washington, > Chicago> ... isn'!> t has n
ot > > changed. If anything, it might be 90 > percent today.> > By> the way, if any of > > you want a list of all the current light rail > lines> and subway lines in the > > United States, I am attaching it to > this> message. The server should pull it > > off and make a separate > link to it.> It is a Excel file so you will need Excel > > to open it. > However, the> April 27th version of the same list is on the East > > Penn > Traction Club> web site and this one will eventually get there.> > If any > > one wants> updated passenger figures for all the light rail > lines, badger me > > and> I might just put that on this web site too. I'm > testing the waters.> > > >> Fred Schneider> > > > > > -- Attached file removed !> > by Ecartis and put> at URL below --> -- Type: application/octet-stream>> > -- Size: 239k (244736> bytes)> -- URL : > >> http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/LRT-HEAVY%20RAIL%20CHRON> OLOGY72708.xls> > > > > > >
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