[PRCo] Re: Shoulda, Coulda, would

[John Swindler]

That's more like it, Fred.  Doesn't lump PAT in with the rest of Pennsylvania's transit authorities.  After all, that was a good article on PAT's Early Action Program which you did for Headlights around 1970.  And as you mentioned concerning Bill Middleton and Railway Age, it was an article RA would not have printed.
 
Most transit authorities formed under the "Municipality Authorities Act of 1945.  
 
SEPTA was formed under Act 450 the "Metropolitan Transportation Authorities Act of 1963"
 
PAT was formed under Act 465 the "Second Class County Port Authority Act"
 
And it is almost impossible to make any blanket statement about how public transit is provided in Pennsylvania - other then it is a money losing activity.  Among the state urban areas, Williamsport, Hazleton and Sharon do not have transit authorities.  Neither does Washington (for scheduled service) and Fayette Counties in the Pittsburgh urbanized area.
 
There are still private companies providing regularly scheduled transit service in the Philadelphia urbanized area.  And SEPTA is not the only public transit provider in the Philadelphia area.  There are at least eight others.  
 
There are towns and counties, like Williamsport, Schuylkill and (possibly) Venango and Pottstown that operate public transit as municipal functions, like the police or fire departments.  (haven't visited Pottstown and Venango yet)
 
There are other townships, boroughs and counties that subcontract the transit service to private companies, such as Upper Merion, Abington, Conshohocken, Washington, Fayette and Hazleton.  
 
There are townships and counties that subcontract the transit service to public authorities outside their jurisdiction, such as Monroe Township and Carbon County to ATA and LANTA.
 
Most transit authorities operate the transit service directly.  But Mid Mon Valley sub-contracts most/all of their transit service.
 
Welcome to public transit in the post street railway/private bus company era.
 
John
 
 
> From: fwschneider at comcast.net> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Shoulda, Coulda, would> Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:29:27 -0400> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > No, Fred does not have his legislation mixed up. The Port Authority > of Allegheny County was created by "legislation enacted by the > Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1956, giving it the responsibility > of planning and developing port facilities in Allegheny County." In > 1959 the state expanded its role to enable it to acquire privately > owned transit facilities and operate a public mass transit system, > which PAT did by eminent domain in 1964.> Fred was not oblivious to this.> > Fred was not understood Hunt, and Pete Flayerty and your boss's role > in getting rid of Skybus too.> > Fred said in his e-mail that he was giving the reader the option of > dreaming about a future unincumbered by PAT as if PAT never > happened. Railfans like to dream about what a world without reality > would be like. We like scapegoats. We want our trolleys. We > want to blame their demise on something beyond reality. I was saying > if PAT was not there and but the other conditions remained the same, > the trolleys would be gone anyway.> > The county commissioners would still want to get rid of them. > Westinghouse would still want to promote Skybus. The steel industry > would still collapse. About 350,000 people would move out of > Pittsburgh and maybe 200,000 from the older valley towns and the > county would stagnate. The city officials would still want the > trolleys off the streets. Gulf Oil would still want to sell diesel > oil and gasoline. Certain neighborhoods would sour. There would > also be urban ruinall projects.> > On Jun 11, 2008, at 9:56 PM, John Swindler wrote:> > >> > Fred has his legislation mixed up. The Municipalities Authority > > Act has been around since about 1950 or earlier. This was the > > legislation used to form CAMTRAN, BCTA, WCTA, Red Rose, etc. But > > not PAT (nor SEPTA). PAT was formed under the Port Authority Act > > which was passed mid-1950s.> >> > > > 
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