[PRCo] Pittsburgh Transit Topics (April 8, 2014)

Wed Apr 9 11:14:07 EDT 2014

Not AM radios, fountain pens, polio, movie theaters with shows on film but…..

The most recent census data shows people are moving back to the northeastern cities.   

I suspect that there are some that will never recover, particularly in the south where it remains important that we live far away from anyone who looks different from ourselves even if we have some of the same DNA.   Little Rock, Arkansas comes to mind but don't bother to look at the census numbers because the city has annexed everything around it … it is far bigger in land area than it was in 1960 so that the suburbs everyone ran to are in the city today.   

But look at the census data for some of the northeastern cities.  The population of Washington, DC grew by 5.2% from 2000 to 2010 …first time since the 1950 census.   Philadedelphia advanced 0.6% … again, first since 1950.  Boston … up 4.8% first since 1990 and second time since the 1950 census.   Even Newark, New Jersey grew for the first time since 1950.   There were some small ones that were surprising.  Allentown, Pa., jumped almost 11% in the 2010 census, the first gain of that magnitude since the war years.  Bethlehem, Pa. advanced 5%, the first real gain since the steel mill shut down.   Lancaster, Pennsylvania … back up to 59,322, within a little more than 4,000 of its all-time peak before everyone dashed to the suburbs.  There are some places that simply are stretching my imagination like West New York, Hoboken and Jersey City where slums of the past have become prestigious housing overlooking New York.  

What I do not know is who is doing it.   Have not had time to find out.    Is it gentrification?   Immigration from Latin America?  The raw census numbers were posted to Wikipedia long ago but the demographic breakdowns are not there yet for 2010.   And when they are posted, they will immediately strip away 2000 data so we won't be able to make comparisons.   But we do know that some of our northern cities are again growing.

There are also Census Bureau estimates for 2012.   Many of them show growth but I have always had a problem with those estimates.   Am I to believe that, after huge drops in every census after 1950 including an 8.6% drop in the 2010 census, that Pittsburgh's population grew from 2010 to 2012?   I'll wait for the complete count in 2020.   

And if the world is going to put an embargo on Russian exports, 50% of which would be petroleum (not plastic streetcar models) and sometime in this decade we expect world oil demand to exceed supply, something has to give.   We cannot drive our cars on air.   I think Derrick might be suggesting that.

On Apr 9, 2014, at 8:49 AM, John Swindler wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> Why should we expect society to return to the 1940s?
> 
> 
>> From: fwschneider at comcast.net
>> Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2014 20:00:06 -0400
>> To: pittsburgh-railways at mailman.dementix.org
>> Subject: Re: [PRCo] Pittsburgh Transit Topics (April 8, 2014)
>> 
>> Now tell me how, Herb, we can get the people to come back?   Changing the names of the streets isn't going to do it.   There was an item last September where Macy's closed the last downtown department store in St. Louis … the old Famous Barr store.   The people from the cities now have to take bus to the 'burbs to shop. 
>> 
>> My memories are a Sunday school in East Liberty Presbyterian Church … the church was full of people.    About two blocks west of the church on Penn Avenue was a model railroad store where my Strombecker kits came from.   On a north-south side street a block from the church was a barber shop … dad called the barber Charlie.   I think there were half a dozen movie theaters in S'Liberty back then.   If dad needed a box of nails, Sears Roebuck was several blocks up Highland.   A nice place to spend an afternoon was the zoo in Highland Park but I never saw the prairie dogs come out.   But on a weekend, the 5200s were always sunning themselves at Bunkerhill Car House.   
>> 
>> In the time we lived there, I never saw a 1700 but I remember the night Dad passed the advertising supplement of the Pittsburgh Press across the dinner table to me … the one where all the companies that supplied parts to the 1700 advertised their products.  But by the time they were delivered, we had moved out of town.
>> 
>> Oh yes, in my era living there, there were no malls or suburban shopping centers.   There was an A&P store on Frankstown Road at Rosedale (where the 78 Oakmont car crossed until 1938 or thereabouts).   There was nothing on Rodi Road where all those stores are now … some houses.   Ola (never advertised his last name) had a Gulf station where Laketon Road and Frankstown Road joined and about 1948 he added a restaurant behind it.   There was a frame family-owned, convenience grocery store across from the Penn Township (now Penn Hills) municipal building …. probably the only store in miles.
>> 
>> And Monroeville?   No malls.   No Miracle Mill.   No motels.   But you went there to buy a quart of milk from a farmer on Sunday if you ran out and baby sister was crying.   
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Apr 8, 2014, at 6:21 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:
>> 
>>> I forgot number 4.
>>> 
>>> *4. East Liberty Street Names Return To Former Names*
>>> 
>>> The Penn Circle street name is vanishing from East Liberty, as part of a
>>> long effort to reverse the *urban renewal disaster of the 1960s.*
>>> 
>>> East Liberty Development Inc. announced that street signs have begun to be
>>> changed and the conversion will continue throughout the week.
>>> 
>>> Street names that were changed to Penn Circle will revert to their previous
>>> designations: Penn Circle South and Penn Circle East become Centre Avenue,
>>> as does Collins Street between Station Street and East Liberty Boulevard;
>>> Penn Circle West becomes Euclid Avenue; and Penn Circle North becomes
>>> Station Street.
>>> 
>>> A map of the new designations can be viewed on East Liberty Development's
>>> website <http://www.eastliberty.org/post/penn-circle-name-changes>.
>>> 
>>> Read more:
>>> http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/04/08/Penn-Circle-street-name-vanishing-in-East-Liberty/stories/201404080149#ixzz2yKtCqH00
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 5:03 PM, Herb Brannon <hrbran at cavtel.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Following are Pgh Post Gazette stories from today concerning PATransit and
>>>> other transportation topics.
>>>> 
>>>> *1. PATransit Service Cuts Problems*
>>>> 
>>>> A couple years ago, when Gloria Jefferson of McKeesport wanted to go
>>>> somewhere, she walked to a bus stop near her house.
>>>> 
>>>> Then, in 2011, her commute became much less convenient. During a round of
>>>> cuts to fix a budget deficit, the Port Authority canceled her route, which
>>>> ran through the middle of McKeesport. Now, Ms. Jefferson, who is 80, has to
>>>> walk a mile downhill to another stop.
>>>> 
>>>> The walk is tough for her, especially when she's carrying grocery bags.
>>>> Sometimes, she pays for a ride there or avoids going places. She wonders
>>>> whether she'll still be able to make the walk when she gets older.
>>>> 
>>>> "Right now, I feel good. How long it's going to last, I don't know," she
>>>> said. "I keep on praying that one day they'll turn it around and bring the
>>>> bus back up the hill."
>>>> 
>>>> Ms. Jefferson is among thousands of commuters whose lives were changed
>>>> when the Port Authority nixed 29 routes and scaled back dozens of others in
>>>> March 2011. The authority cut the routes to make up for a $47 million
>>>> budget deficit caused by rising cost of benefits for its employees and a
>>>> $27 million shortfall in state funding.
>>>> 
>>>> Last year, the state government passed Act 89, a transportation bill that
>>>> restores funding to the Port Authority. But the authority isn't considering
>>>> expanding its routes right now, communications director Jim Ritchie said.
>>>> 
>>>> Instead, the authority plans to repair its infrastructure and improve the
>>>> experience of riders. After years of declining ridership due to cutbacks,
>>>> it hopes to draw riders back. Also, Act 89 requires that much of the new
>>>> funding to be used for maintenance, Mr. Ritchie said.
>>>> 
>>>> "The goal of the state was not to give money to expand, but to stabilize,"
>>>> he said. "Of course, we will be looking at the bigger picture down the
>>>> road."
>>>> 
>>>> In the three years since the cuts, commuters have dealt with the lost
>>>> routes by paying for rides, walking long distances, or by simply going
>>>> fewer places. The transit cuts made it harder for many to get to work,
>>>> apply for jobs, run errands, visit the doctor and attend classes at
>>>> community colleges, commuters and community advocates say.
>>>> 
>>>> The poor economy and rising cost of gas have made the problem worse, said
>>>> John Lydon, CEO of Auberle, a McKeesport nonprofit that provides shelter
>>>> and other services for families in the area. Fewer people can afford to buy
>>>> a car and pay for gas and insurance, he said.
>>>> 
>>>> "These people are sort of caught between a rock and a hard place, where
>>>> the cost of a vehicle is increasing and the availability of public
>>>> transportation is decreasing," he said.
>>>> 
>>>> In addition to limiting commuters' movement, the cuts have led to big
>>>> wastes of time. Since 2011, Wayne Gray of Glassport has spent a larger
>>>> portion of his days waiting for and sitting on buses. Often, he spends five
>>>> or six hours a day traveling to construction sites where he finishes
>>>> hardwood. He sometimes waits 45 minutes for buses, causing him to be late
>>>> for work.
>>>> 
>>>> "It's boring, frustrating," said Mr. Gray, who passes the time by checking
>>>> Facebook on his phone, listening to music, staring out the window and
>>>> chatting with other passengers. "Hard-working people, we can't get back and
>>>> forth to work if there aren't any buses."
>>>> 
>>>> The effect of the cuts on him goes beyond work, though. His girlfriend is
>>>> pregnant, and the lack of buses makes it hard for them to make it to her
>>>> appointments with her doctor.
>>>> 
>>>> Inconvenient and expensive
>>>> 
>>>> The cancellation of bus routes has also put strains on the finances of
>>>> many commuters. Mr. Gray, like others, sometimes pays friends to give him
>>>> rides to places he used to reach by bus. For him, the rides cost $10 or
>>>> $20. Ms. Jefferson pays friends $5 to drive her to the bus stop on Lysle
>>>> Boulevard when it's cold or she's too tired to make the walk.
>>>> 
>>>> The bus schedule is usually convenient for Monica Henderson, with the 11
>>>> Fineview route stopping outside her house in Perry South. On weekends,
>>>> though, the bus doesn't come early enough to take her to her job as a
>>>> referral coordinator at UPMC Presbyterian because its hours were shortened
>>>> in the 2011 cuts. She usually pays someone $7 for a ride to the nearest
>>>> operating bus stop, the 16B Brighton.
>>>> 
>>>> Those extra payments strain the passengers' budgets. To make up for the
>>>> cost, Ms. Jefferson has delayed buying medicine and groceries, and Ms.
>>>> Henderson works overtime.
>>>> 
>>>> "You're paying $90 for a monthly bus pass, but when you're working
>>>> weekends that's another $14," Ms. Henderson said. "That's a bit too much."
>>>> 
>>>> Mr. Lydon said he's met people through his work who have lost their jobs
>>>> because of a lack of public transit. Sometimes, the long bus rides make it
>>>> impossible for them to have several jobs, which they need to pay the bills,
>>>> he said.
>>>> 
>>>> The lack of bus routes also limits shopping options for low-income people
>>>> in McKeesport, he said. It limits them to the few stores within walking
>>>> distance, preventing them from looking around for good deals.
>>>> 
>>>> "The people who need to have savings the most are the most unable to do
>>>> that," Mr. Lydon said. "It's like the company stores of years past."
>>>> 
>>>> Apart from the 2011 cuts, the Port Authority has fought off budget
>>>> deficits several times in the past decade by cutting service, raising fares
>>>> and laying off employees. But Act 89 will give the authority enough money
>>>> to ward off deficits for the next several years, Mr. Ritchie said.
>>>> 
>>>> Now that its budget is secure, the authority will concentrate on repairing
>>>> its infrastructure, he said. Busways need to be paved, and bridges need to
>>>> be fixed. It also plans to buy new buses to replace aging ones that will go
>>>> out of service.
>>>> 
>>>> The Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit that advises cities on land use,
>>>> development and other urban issues, will hold a weeklong panel discussion
>>>> in May in Pittsburgh at which local organizations will discuss how they
>>>> want the Port Authority to change. Taking the discussion into account, the
>>>> institute will evaluate the authority's finances and recommend changes.
>>>> 
>>>> While restoring routes is not on the horizon, Mr. Ritchie said, a priority
>>>> for the authority is improving the experience of commuters to increase
>>>> ridership, which has been in decline since the cuts. For example, the
>>>> authority might ease overcrowding on buses by adjusting the frequency of
>>>> routes, making buses stop more often during peak rush hour times.
>>>> 
>>>> "If we start to improve the service that's on the street today, and people
>>>> start to realize, 'I won't always be sandwiched on the bus,' then we'll
>>>> start to grab those people back," Mr. Ritchie said.
>>>> 
>>>> Of the 29 routes cut in 2011, one has been restored: the 55 Glassport,
>>>> which runs through North Versailles, McKeesport, Glassport, Clairton and
>>>> Jefferson Hills. The authority decided to bring it back after Heritage
>>>> Community Services, a nonprofit based in Braddock, cut back its Worklink
>>>> bus line in response to a reduction in federal funding. The authority
>>>> revived the route to avoid a devastating impact on the area, Mr. Ritchie
>>>> said.
>>>> 
>>>> That was good news to Patricia Richardson of Clairton. When the bus was
>>>> gone, she had trouble getting around, especially with her arthritis and
>>>> back problems, which sometimes make it hard for her to walk. She had to pay
>>>> for jitneys, which took a toll on her finances.
>>>> 
>>>> "You have to rob Peter to pay Paul," she said. "Buy less groceries, you
>>>> know."
>>>> 
>>>> Now that the bus is back, she's relieved. "It's a big difference," she
>>>> said.
>>>> 
>>>> Read more:
>>>> http://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2014/04/06/Cuts-in-suburban-bus-routes-changed-lives/stories/201404060065#ixzz2yKVy6lpC
>>>> 
>>>> *2. Trolley Delays Today*
>>>> 
>>>> Light rail riders should expect possible delays of up to 40 minutes this
>>>> afternoon because of a power issue, the Port Authority of Allegheny County
>>>> said.
>>>> 
>>>> T riders could see "significant delays" on all light rail service,
>>>> according to the alert posted on the Authority's website at 3:15 p.m.
>>>> 
>>>> Read more:
>>>> http://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2014/04/08/Port-Authority-T-riders-can-expect-delays-of-up-to-40-minutes-this-afternoon/stories/201404080185#ixzz2yKX3e5cx
>>>> 
>>>> *3. Morning Landslide Stops Duquense Heights Incline & NS Railroad*
>>>> 
>>>> A swath the size of a football field tore loose from the face of Mount
>>>> Washington this morning, sending a torrent of mud and trees across railroad
>>>> tracks along West Carson Street and briefly closing the Duquesne Incline.
>>>> 
>>>> City officials also ordered a precautionary closure of LeMont restaurant
>>>> above the slide zone, but an engineer said a visual inspection found no
>>>> signs of instability around that structure.
>>>> 
>>>> No one was injured and the main impact of the slide was disruption of
>>>> freight train traffic along the Norfolk Southern Railway line. Railroad
>>>> crews were working to clear the tracks, a section of which shifted as the
>>>> hillside tumbled across it.
>>>> 
>>>> At a briefing this afternoon, city Public Safety Director Michael Huss
>>>> said the ground was still moving in the area. Railroad engineers were to
>>>> determine when it is safe to resume service on what Mr. Huss described as
>>>> "a very busy rail line with significant commerce."
>>>> 
>>>> As for LeMont, it will remain closed until engineers from the city and
>>>> those hired by the restaurant determine it is safe. "We're erring on the
>>>> side of caution," Mr. Huss.
>>>> 
>>>> The city Bureau of Building Inspection will meet Wednesday morning with
>>>> CEC Inc. -- civil engineers for the LeMont -- to determine whether the
>>>> restaurant can reopen Thursday, Public Safety Department spokeswoman Sonya
>>>> Toler said.
>>>> 
>>>> The slide was reported shortly after 4 a.m. by the engineer of a passing
>>>> train. The slide area was about 100 yards long and it left a debris field
>>>> about 10 feet deep and 30 feet back toward the hillside, city Operations
>>>> Director Guy Costa said.
>>>> 
>>>> Norfolk Southern spokesman Dave Pidgeon said this morning that the
>>>> company's freight trains were being rerouted but wouldn't elaborate, saying
>>>> the company doesn't provide details about train routing because of safety
>>>> and security concerns. By early afternoon, westbound trains were seen
>>>> moving slowly through the slide area.
>>>> 
>>>> The Duquesne Incline was closed for a time but reopened when officials
>>>> determined it was not threatened by the slide. The structure is equipped
>>>> with sensors that are designed to detect earth movement, Mr. Huss said.
>>>> 
>>>> Conductor Lucille Gabler said one of her co-workers on night shift heard a
>>>> "funny noise" before closing, but the incline was running normally today
>>>> until shortly before 7 a.m., when someone from the mayor's office told her
>>>> they'd have to close. The incline reopened around 9:15 a.m.
>>>> 
>>>> The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority checked water and sewer lines
>>>> along Grandview Avenue above the slide and found no damage, Mr. Costa said.
>>>> 
>>>> The slide was typical in that it involved a failure of weak claystone
>>>> called "red beds" that were saturated with moisture from recent rainfall,
>>>> said Bruce Roth, a geotechnical engineer with GAI Consultants, the company
>>>> brought in by the city to inspect the scene. "That is a common occurrence
>>>> in Western Pennsylvania," he said.
>>>> 
>>>> In addition to visual inspection, the company will examine the history of
>>>> the scene and drill to collect soil samples that will be analyzed in a lab,
>>>> a process that could take about a month. It will then offer the city a
>>>> variety of options for correcting the problem.
>>>> 
>>>> "If they run across something that needs to be immediately addressed,
>>>> we'll have to address it," Mr. Costa said. "It could be fine, all the loose
>>>> stone and shale came down and we don't have to do anything."
>>>> 
>>>> Debris from the slide was on railroad property. County property records
>>>> show that the city owns the hillside between the restaurant's property line
>>>> and the railroad right-of-way.
>>>> 
>>>> Read more:
>>>> http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/04/08/Landslide-blocks-railroad-tracks-closes-Duquesne-Incline/stories/201404080148#ixzz2yKXlFCmo
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> Herb Brannon
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> * In Pittsburgh.............................A City And.........A State of
>>>> Mind *
>>>> Let's Go Pens
>>>> Let's Go Bucs
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -- 
>>> Herb Brannon
>>> 
>>> 
>>> *In Pittsburgh.............................A City And.........A State of
>>> Mind *
>>> Let's Go Pens
>>> Let's Go Bucs
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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