Nothing good can come of this
The Pittsburgh Port Authority is making noises, and they aren’t happy ones. Faced with a $30 million deficit, they are proposing massive price increases and service reductions if things don’t improve. Calling this their “Doomsday Plan,” the Port Authority officials paint a bleak picture for the future of mass transit in Pittsburgh.
Among the “highlights”
- A 75¢ raise in the standard fare, which is a 43% increase over the current fare of $1.75;
- Elimination of weekend service;
- Elimination of all routes after 9:00 PM on weekdays, and;
- Elimination of “an untold number” of weekday routes
Estimates place the daily ridership of the city buses at 235,000. A quarter of a million people, and then some. If Pittsburgh thinks they have traffic problems now, just imagine if even 10% (a conservative estimate) of those people, 23,500, were forced by the cuts to change their commute to one by private automobile. It’s madness.
And what of those who can’t make the easy switch to an automobile? Don’t they deserve fair access to transportation? Some people simply can’t afford a car, while others realize that their money could be better spent elsewhere. Is it acceptable to let these people slip through the cracks?
If the state legislature fails to make additional tax revenue available to public transportation, I will feel let down and more so, disgusted. For too long public transportation has gotten the short end of the stick while money has flowed freely to road-building projects that have only been successful in causing more congestion, not less. Government has a responsibility to make wise use of the taxes collected from citizens; investment in a solid transit infrastructure is among one of the most rewarding investments a city can make.
