[PRCo] Re: West Carson Street

[robert netzlof]

On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 11:28 AM, Edward H. Lybarger <trams2 at comcast.net> wrote:
> Somewhere I saw an article that said PRC acknowledged to (I believe) the
> Allegheny Conference in 1949 that they would not be operating streetcars
> over the new bridge.  I fervently wish I could find the reference, because
> it would demonstrate that the later commotion about replacing money-losing
> West End trolley routes with buses was a bunch of crocodile tears designed
> to get someone else to pay for the buses and let PRC of easy on the paving
> obligations.

A short time later Derrick said:

If they did, I bet it would be in here:
Mass transportation study of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Volume 1
http://books.google.com/books?id=xWpAAAAAIAAJ&q=%22allegheny+conference%22+%22point+bridge%22+1949&dq=%22allegheny+conference%22+%22point+bridge%22+1949&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QqdPT_epOsiJsQKI68XADg&ved=0CEYQ6AEwAQ

Now I say:

I got a copy of the 1949 report* from the Penn State library. The only thing I found in it regarding the new bridge at the point was in a discussion of through routing to reduce or eliminate street car loops in the Triangle. Page 35 has:

"Routes coming over Point Bridge would be combined with routes along Penn and Liberty Avenue. This combination requires no looping whatsoever in crossing the Triangle. More than 900 passengers or almost 11 per cent of all passengers originating on routes that cross Point Bridge would be potential users of this route combination during the morning period.

"Discussions are now taking place with a view to toward substituting buses for street cars on the new bridge that will replace the present Point Bridge. If that takes place, then this recommendation would have to be modified."

* The report I got may not be the report y'ns had in mind. This one has two cover letters. One, dated Sept. 22, 1949, signed by Phillip Robinson, 
says that the report is:

"the results of the study of mass transportation in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County which has been made for your three agencies [Allegheny Conf. on Community Devel., Pittsburgh Regional Planning Assoc., Pennsylvania Economy League]...". 

The other letter, dated Aug. 27, 1951 says:

"...results of the study are set forth in two reports; one completed in September 1949, jointly sponsored by [list of agencies as above] ... the First Phase Study was not released publicly. The Second Phase Study has been substantially completed and will be released when printed." 

I conclude that what I have is only the first of the two reports. It was the only such report I could find in the Pattee/Paterno Library's catalog. 

Bob Netzlof a/k/a Sweet Old Bob