Bus Rapid Transit in Pittsburgh this week

              


          A new series of public meetings, organized by GetTherePGh on the benefits of BRT and the Oakland Corridor project  will take place in three Pittsburgh neighborhoods this week. If you are interested in finding out more about the project, join us and the other organizations supporting it:

Hill DistrictTuesday, April 24, 2012 from 6–8pm
Hill House Kaufman Center Auditorium
1825 Centre Avenue, Hill District

OaklandWednesday, April 25, 2012 from 6–8pm
Carnegie Mellon University
University Student Center, Rangos Ballroom
5032 Forbes Avenue, Oakland

East End:Thursday, April 26, 2012 from 6–8pm
East Liberty Presbyterian Church Social Hall
116 South Highland Avenue, East Liberty

           Considered a cost effective alternative to light rail, Bus Rapid Transit does offer faster, more reliable service to riders. Another major benefit for Bus Rapid Transit is that it relieves traffic congestion on over crowded urban corridors by encouraging drivers to consider the alternative. 

More information on the BRT benefits, costs and shortfalls  on Victoria Transport Policy Institute , TDM Encyclopedia : Bus Rapid Transit. 

Transit Initiatives in Pittsburgh

The North Shore Connector

As the project is is nearing its end, North Side commuters from downtown will soon be able to avoid road traffic during their daily trips. Better news even - riders traveling between the Wood Street and the PNC Park stations will be able to do so at no cost to them, thanks to a contract between the Port Authority and Allegheny Garage.

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Oakland Project

BRT would provide faster, more frequent transit service along major corridors using special buses to provide a smooth, comfortable travel experience. Basically, it offers almost the same benefits as rail but it can be developed at a lower cost.

Several aspects to characterize Pittsburgh BRT service (as compared with traditional bus service) :

• Dedicated lanes for buses to allow them bypass traffic.
• Traffic signal priority for buses.
• Real-time transit information (real-time bus arrival data at the stop).
• Offboard fare collection to reduce time at bus stops.
• Modern, comfortable buses with increased accessibility features offering a comfortable space for riders.
• Added amenities for the bus stops and complete streets.
  

The project is supported by over 30 community planners, innovators, nonprofits, community leaders, cyclists, city officials, educators, investors, neighborhood developers, business leaders, and civic partnerships. One of the project supporters and stakeholders is our own organization : ACTC.

For more information on the project visit the project's website : Get There Pittsburgh.

Bus bike racks, kind of a big deal

Pittsburgh's Port Authority of Allegheny County bus system announced last Friday (Sept. 23, 2011) that it had completed outfitting each of its buses with racks that can hold two bicycles. As one who's been trying to use the Rack-Ride-Roll system since its earliest days, I can provide some helpful perspective.

First of all, for many of us, bicycles are transportation, not recreation. Tools, not toys. Whether we own cars or not (a good many of us do not), or whether we even have driver's licenses or not (you might be surprised how many of us choose this, emphasis upon choose), the bike is an integral part of how we get around. Ignore our backstories. We bike by choice.

More on Anything but the car

How do you get to your bus stop?

There is a very good reason why transit service providers and transit advocates need to get more involved in the discussion regarding pedestrian safety and access. You can design a transit system that provides service with less than a mile from most areas with high population concentration, yet if pedestrians cannot get to it safely then it will be useless.

The issue went beyond pedestrian safety, as shown by this story about a mother from Georgia who was convicted of vehicular homicide this week for having to cross the street with her children in an unmarked place, as Tania Snyder details in the Streetsblog Capitol Hill.

Fortunately, compared to Marietta, GA, our own Pittsburgh is quite safe for pedestrians, according to this Transportation for America study. But it may not remain as safe as we used to know for long if we do not request safe pedestrian access for every new development, for every transit stop. It is our right as pedestrians, and if we are to insist on the matter, we shall see positive results.

Look at this bus shelter on an isolated patch of grass. Beyond it stretches a newly built parking lot and shopping center. Located on Freeport Road, the bus stop is served by four routes - 1 Freeport Road (7 days per week), and 78, P16, P78 (on weekdays). Yet in spite of being in place before Target built its new store and adjacent parking lot in 2006-2007, there was no effort to build a pedestrian pathway or sidewalk from the shopping center to the shelter until very recently. And, since it is Target and not the Port Authority of Allegheny County which has the right of the way, it is only Target which can build those pathways and/or sidewalks.

Picture credit: Michael Sypolt

However, after the picture above was posted on ACTC’s Facebook page and led to an animated discussion on the issue, we were able to contact the Port Authority. Soon we were informed that after receiving numerous complaints, they had contacted Target and the store’s management committed to build the proper pedestrian access. About a month and a half later, there was a sidewalk along Freeport Road, a pedestrian pathway across the parking lot, and access ramps by the most recent ADA Title II standards.



Picture credit: Michael Sypolt



And if we end up asking ourselves how hard was it to provide pedestrian access to the Freeport bus shelter from our story, the answer should be – as hard as we want to make it.



Picture credit: Michael Sypolt



Picture credit: Michael Sypolt



TFAC to propose toll revenues as source for transit funding

The Transportation Funding Advisory Commission plans to present its final proposal on how to deal with Pennsylvania’s $3.5 billion transportation budget deficit. As part of the proposal, there is an increase of funding to mass transit by at least $450 million annually.


One of the suggested resources for funding transiting: redirecting all revenues from the PA turnpike towards transit. Currently , from the $450 million collected annually from Turnpike tolls only $250 million goes to mass transit and $200 million is used for the highway fund. The Transportation Funding Advisory Commission proposed to use the entire revenue to fund transit, while the lost revenue for highways would be replaced from other funding sources.

“HARRISBURG — The state transportation funding commission will recommend
redirecting a portion of turnpike toll revenue to the state's highway and mass
transit funds."It would not be a change in the total money that the turnpike is
obligated to pay," said Barry Schoch, the state Secretary of Transportation and
commission chairman. "But I think the intent here is to say, 'Let's use more of
that available turnpike money for transit rather than for highways.'"

Read more in the Daily Local News: “Commission to push for tolls to fund mass transit” by Eric Boehm, PA Independent.

Finally Something We Can Do about Transit Funding

We all know the Port Authority doesn’t have the funding needed for adequate service. We’ve been complaining about that for months – for years.
Finally, something has happened in Harrisburg which may be a step to solving the problem of adequate funding statewide, for bridges and roads as well as public transportation. Now we can DO something.

Governor Corbett has created a Transportation Funding Advisory Commission that is supposed to put forward a solution to the transportation funding problem by the end of July.
We have been told that it would be helpful for individuals to contact this commission and encourage them to do the job – to recommend a real solution to Pennsylvania’s transportation funding problem. A real solution includes funding for PAAC that is dedicated, inflation-responsive, and adequate. ‘Adequate’ means enough money to make it possible to restore the system recommended by PAAC’s TDP, before the 15% cut.


Please send an e-mail to the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission, TFAC@state.pa.us. We suggest that you e-mail a copy to Ken Zapinsky, kzapinski@alleghenyconference.org, who is knowledgeable and sympathetic and represents Dennis Yablonsky of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce on the Commission. Please cc us as well actransitcouncil@gmail.com. This could be a real step for the Port Authority of Allegheny County to get the essential funds by early 2012.

Let’s do what we can. Keep hope alive. Keep transit alive.

Any real solution will need active support for implementation. I think that all we can do now is be ready to give active support for a real solution to the funding problem. But please send an e-mail of encouragement to TFAC@state.pa.us today.

Jonathan Robison, President, Allegheny County Transit Council

May News

Starting Sunday, June 12, 2011, The Port Authority of Allegheny County will adjusts schedules for 19 bus and T routes. Although lack of proper funding forced the Port Authority to reduce service by 15% on March 27th, in an effort to improve service the following route schedules will be revised:

6 Spring Hill: School trips (marked with an “S” on the schedule) are discontinued for the summer. 8 Perrysville: School trips (marked with an “S” on the schedule) are discontinued for the summer. 13 Bellevue: The last seven weekday evening trips will operate 10 minutes later. The affected trips will now arrive Downtown at 6:25 p.m. and extend to 12:25 a.m.
16 Brighton: School trips (marked with an “S” on the schedule) are discontinued for the summer. 44 Knoxville: School trips (marked with an “S” or “T” on the schedule) are discontinued for the summer. 48 Arlington: School trips (marked with an “S” on the schedule) are discontinued for the summer. 51 Carrick: School trips (marked with an “H,” “P” or “S” on the schedule) are discontinued for the summer. More trips will end at Brentwood Loop, reducing service frequency to Caste Village and Brentwood Towne Square from every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes. Trip times adjusted.
61A Wilkinsburg via Forbes Ave: Some weekday inbound trip times will be adjusted between Wilkinsburg and Forbes at Braddock.
74 Homewood-Squirrel Hill: School trips (marked with an “S” on the schedule) are discontinued for the summer. 78 Oakmont: One weekday evening outbound trip will be added; trip will leave Wilkinsburg Station at 7:46 p.m. 82 Lincoln: School trips (marked with an “S” on the schedule) are discontinued for the summer. Some evening trip times adjusted.
87 Friendship: Some weekday trip times adjusted. 91 Butler Street: Some trips will now end at Old Freeport and Freeport roads rather than ending at the VA Hospital. Weekday midday service will now operate every 18 minutes. Numerous trip times adjusted on weekdays and Saturdays.
G2 West Busway-All Stops: Trip times adjusted. Headways adjusted for consistency. On weekdays G2 will now operate every 10-20 minutes during early morning, every five minutes during peak periods, every 10 minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., every 20 minutes midday and every 30 minutes in the evening.
G31 Bridgeville Flyer: Trip times adjusted. O12 McKnight Flyer: Adding two morning inbound trips to help with overcrowding. The trips will arrive Downtown at 7:35 a.m. and 8:15 a.m.
P1 East Busway-All Stops: Weekday schedule revised with trips added during various periods to address overcrowding. Round trips leaving Downtown between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. will operate 10 minutes later, and a round trip has been added to arrive/leave Downtown at 12:40 a.m. On Saturdays, a 12:35 a.m. round trip will be added. Some minor inbound trip time adjustments will be made on Saturdays in the early a.m. and late p.m., and throughout the day on Sundays.
P2 East Busway-Short: Additional trips added to address overcrowding. Trip time adjustments. Red Line: On Saturdays, all service after 9:00 p.m. will now operate every 30 minutes. Saturday service will also be extended, with the last train leaving Downtown at 12:40 a.m. Service frequency will change on Sundays. From start of service until 11:00 a.m., service will operate every 35 minutes; from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., every 20 minutes; from 5:00 p.m. to last trip, every 35 minutes.

The first phase of the new ConnectCard fare system started today:

Port Authority has completed installation of new fareboxes on buses and rail vehicles and says it has overcome the problems that twice halted the project.
The next step in the run-up to a new high-tech fare collection system begins Monday, when 300 University of Pittsburgh staffers and students begin field-testing the system, to be followed by the entire Pitt faculty, staff and student body in the fall.
Read more in the Post-Gazette.

By the end of the week we will be able to offer you more details on the new experience from the perspective of the riders who enrolled in the testing phase. So, do remember to return for updates.


John Weinhold Memorial

And last but not least, we want to remind you that this Saturday, May 28th , there will be a memorial service in honor of long-term ACTC member John Weinhold at the Beechview Memorial parklet at Broadway and Shiras Avenues. More information on: http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/bio/fotz/jaydee/

Transit and Multimodal Solutions (2)

South Side-
sidewalk repairs are completed in a way that both pedestrian flow and vehicle traffic are maintained.

What I like most about Derrick's rider story is the way it highlights a different perspective on riding transit. The storyteller is not exclusively a transit rider, he is equally a car driver, cyclist and pedestrian. His choices are not motivated by personal finances or commitment to a cleaner, more social mean or transportation - but by pragmatism. Because depending on the goals of each urban dweller there is a transportation service or another that will fulfill the customer's needs best. Sometimes is driving a car, sometimes is riding transit - and sometimes is the ability to walk to your destination safely on a designated pedestrian pathway.

South Side is one of the city neighborhoods where people can choose freely between different transportation modes without having to get out of their way - such as walking a mile unsafely on the side of the road or cycling among inattentive drivers. But South Side is one of the few neighborhoods ,where one can access a diversity of transportation means. There are several city neighborhoods where one or more of these options may not be as easily available, and that is without even counting most suburban areas which are in fact the areas where most Pittsburghers live. [1]

And the reason why, sometimes, there is no access to all the transportation means mentioned above in city neighborhoods, is n the initial car-oriented design of the local infrastructure as in the case of suburban areas. The reason is our misunderstanding of the real value that multimodal transportation options do hold in urban areas. "And our priorities are so skewed that , even in the old city neighborhoods where pedestrian pathways survived the last six decades, we tend to ignore the fact that their role is not ornamental but quite pragmatic."

Note:

[1] According to the Census 2010 data, only about 20% of Allegheny County Residents live in the city of Pittsburgh. The remaining 80% are living in the 130 suburban municipalities that are part of the county.

Transit and Multimodal Solutions -A rider story about the benefits of access to diverse mode of transportation

The following story is not only about riding transit and its shortfalls and benefits as experienced by the storyteller. Instead of choosing on transportation mode or another, this storyteller decided to combine the options that were available to him to maximize the benefits.
When one has different transportation options available, one can become more productive and efficient than when that same person had just one option. If he (or she) had to drive to get to the truck’s pick up point , he (or she) would’ve had to deal with more traffic issues and also pay for parking while loading the bricks and driving the truck. The way Derrick did it –combining riding transit, driving truck and riding his bike home – saved him time and money. And his free brick-load deal, got even better:

"One of the great local resources available to the person wishing to save money is the Freecycle list. When a couple pallets of bricks were offered, I took the opportunity to collect them. This entailed a trip to North Washington Township, Westmoreland County, and would require a truck. As a Zipcar member I have trucks at my disposal, so I reserved onefor as long as it was available the next day. This meant going to Oakland to collect the truck, then heading on to get the bricks, returning home and unloading, and returning the truck. The 75 Ellsworth bus begins a few short blocks from my house, and dropped me across from my Zipcar. About 15 minutes before my reservation was to start, the previous driver returned it, so I took the free extra few minutes as Zipcar allows, and departed.

The trip out of the city was simple. Loading the bricks by hand was tedious,and I loaded about a ton. Then I drove back into the city on the Parkway East, an experience which is often as it was that afternoon quite unpleasant. Upon reaching the end of my street, I moved my car,which had been left to reserve the space I'd need to unload, and reversed the process I'd done over an hour earlier, again using my hands to transport the bricks.

In order to get home more quickly, my bike was deposited in the truck, and a short drive later, the Zipcar truck was awaiting its next driver, and I was bicycling home. I am multimodal. I use the tools at mydisposal to optimize my trips, saving both time and money. You can, too. Be aware of your options, and use them as best you can. "

Derrick B. works as a software developer for a local company. He lives with his wife in their South Side home.

Public Transit and a Social Pittsburgh. A rider story . Oakland

Do you recall our story about social cities, the way in which a city's walkability and its social desirability were interconnected? A place where events do happen is a place where people can walk to these events, or from event to event since walking spaces maximize our ability to interact socially.
The following rider story tells us how important is transit for a social Pittsburgh. And how her daily commute helped her develop not only a social network but also better social skills:


"I began my love of bus riding when I was in elementary school and had been chosen to attend the Carnegie Museum’s Tam O’Shanter art classes. Every Saturday morning you could see me catching the 67F (now the 69) to get into Oakland. I have been riding the bus to and from work for 20+ years now. Over the years riders have come and gone but those of us that have been riding the same routes for years I refer to them as my mobile family. The commute in the morning is usually quite quiet but on the way home more conversations take place. We catch up on what people are involved in, ask about their true family members, and comment on things taking place around the city and country – or just settling back and relaxing. I recall one time when we had a baby shower for one of the passengers, another time there was concern for an ailing rider who soon was no longer with us and last of all when a passenger gave out candy canes during the holiday. There is something to say about sharing the ride with others and yes, you are never alone!"


Laraine H. is a former ACTC member and a University of Pittsburgh employee.

Celebrate the Earth by riding public transit



Original Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP



Because a comprehensive public transit system that is smartly integrated with other means of transportation and planning decisions is one of the fastest, safest ways to reduce America's dependency on foreign oil. Because the best way to stress the importance of transit to all factors of decision is to take action. And taking action is a simple step as riding the bus to work. Or if you would like to take a step further - transit advocacy- join us for the monthly general meeting in the 5th Floor Board Rom of the Heinz 57 Center at 345 Sixth Ave 15222

Celebrate Earth Day : Ride the Bus

This year Earth Day will be celebrated a couple days past April 20^th, the day that marks one year since the Deepwater Horizon explosion that lead to the most devastating oil spill until now. And I hope you did not forget about that day and the months that followed.

 I know the people living in Gulf Shores Alabama did not forget. How could they when tarballs still hit their beaches?

 I know that the Oystermen in Louisiana did not forget. How could they when their fishing grounds are now dead waters and their livelihood’s all gone? Nor did the birds, the plants – crude poisoning must be now part of their genes…

What I do not know, is how must have felt behind the wheel of a gas –eating car when pictures of the disaster hit the media. I do not know how it feels because I ride the local public transit system most of the time. And public transit is a major factor in reducing the United States’ oil needs and our dependency on foreign oil.  A study by NRDC shows that better public transit and community transit has the potential to lead to 1.6 million bbl/d of oil.  

It is no secret that, with the exception of a handful of cities, metropolitan US has one of the least functional transit systems out there.  And one reason why investments and development lagged behind was the belief that no one will want to use it anymore.  This is why I am asking you to ride the bus or T on Earth Day. Tell everybody who is willing to hear us that we still want to ride public transit. We still need public transit. We understand that a car centered transportation system will never be sustainable.

I know I will be riding a bus that day. Because I know that we can have this : 

or we can have  this:

What do you choose?

Sources:
for news :
Washington Post Business - BP faces protests....

Miami Herald- Mayor: Tarballs still hitting Ala.

for information on potential oil savings from better transit and community planning:

Luke Tonachel - We Can Meet (and Exceed) President Obama's Oil Security Goal with Clean Energy

Public Transportation Solutions for Pittsburgh

Saturday, April 9th, several Allegheny County Transit Council members participated in an interesting open table discussion within the frame of the Solutions Festival organized by Coro Pittsburgh. The participating members were Jon Robison, Ana Bayne, Michael Sypolt and Stu Strickland.

The Coro Center for Civic Leadership is a national non-profit organization that prepares young people for civic leadership as part of its own fellowship program as well as in collaboration with Americorps’ Public Allies.

The event brought together citizens of Allegheny County who were asked to address issues such as demographics, water quality, pensions and transportation and present their solutions to a group of elected officials. The ACTC members were asked, of course, to participate in the transportation group and our tasks was by no means easy since we had to present short term solutions for the financial issues troubling Public Transportation in Allegheny County. The problems leading to Port Authority’s current financial troubles and recent 15% service cuts were on 1. one side the lack of dedicated funding and 2. on the other legacy costs, i.e. those costs due to previous bad management and investments and previous union contacts. Most of the solutions discussed were focused on increasing funding by increasing ridership as well as state and local funding.

The issue to be addressed when the goal is to increase ridership is: how to provide better access. Better access implies more park and ride options, sidewalks as well as technology solutions.

When the goal became to identify more public funding sources the solutions were split between new state resources such as a Vehicle Mileage Tax and a new local resources such as a tax on land ownership. However, most members of the discussion group agreed that the best would be to convene to an open discussion table as many stakeholders in the public transportation issue as possible for an initial round of comprehensive discussions and realistic solutions. This solution was also stressed in his final presentation by the CORO fellow who acted as an observer – Tosin Abgabiaka. Among the stakeholders that were identified during the discussion:

The Port Authority

The City of Pittsburgh

Allegheny County Council

The Downtown Partnership

Riders through their representatives:

Pittsburghers for Public Transportation

Allegheny County Transit Council

Several major Pittsburgh Universities

ATU 85

Transit Service Cuts (2) - March 27th was Yesterday

Now that the Port Authority service cuts we had hoped to avoid have become reality, it does not mean that there is no longer a place for a riders' advocacy group such as the Allegheny County Transit Council. It shouldn’t mean that we are the only rider advocacy group in Allegheny County either. What changed is that we are now determined to work towards restoring the lost service and improving transit service in the region while doing so. Transit is a must-have for the 21st century metropolis. So, if Pittsburgh is hoping to grow as an urban area, as a social city that makes the “most livable” top year after year in magazines and newspapers, it cannot afford to lose its transit and its riders. Concrete Steps : 1. The first step one of our members took was to develop an alternative map/timetable for Mon Valley riders whose lost service is partially replaced through the WorkLink Initiative. Also, new timetables for East Busway riders who lost early/late EBA and EBS service. Michael Sypolt is a young architect, map expert and transit system design enthusiast strongly appreciated by his peers. We strongly suggest that you follow his blog as he will continue to post updates on his work on alternative routes and options for stranded riders. 2.On this blog we will continue to post updates on our work within the community. Our general meeting schedule and soon, the minutes from these meetings, will be found on our Facebook Page.

Transit Service Cuts: March 27 is Tomorrow

Update: March 28 2011 - Negotiations failed. First weekday in Pittsburgh after the 15% service cuts…

In a final attempt to prevent the March 27th service cut and the layoff of about 180 Port Authority employees, local ATU-85 put an unexpected offer on the table: a $18.6 million concession resulting from employees accepting a 10 percent pay cut as well as a one year salary freeze. Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato countered with two proposals of his own

“Mr. Onorato's proposals use the mixture of union concessions and new revenue to boost the authority's financial position by about $30 million a year”

Read more: Pittsburgh Post Gazette A final decision is expected today at 3pm when the Port Authority Board will meet again to evaluate all proposals. Where are we, the riders, in these negotiations? Stu Strickland draws an illustrative parallel between riders and the balls used in a football game on his blog:

“In public transit, riders are the ball. Nobody cares about the riders, really. We're kicked and pushed around just like the football. How different a football game would be if, instead of a leather ball, it was played with a pot of soup. Carry that soup pot and jump on it all you want, but don't spill the soup! "


"However, there are really three sides to a football game: Officials! Officials, in this case our elected representatives, really decide what happens. They don't so much spill the soup as spoil the soup. "No you can't add ingredients." "Yes, you must add paprika and I don't care if you hate paprika." Right now they're saying, "No, you can't plug in the burner under the pot."

And we as riders do agree with his final statement : "Enough already! We riders want our soup. We do not want it spilled. We do not want it spoiled. Figure it out! Don't spill our soup!”

So you built a green house because you care. Have you considered transit access as well?

To quote from the New Urban Network:

Transit-oriented development is the key to cutting energy consumption — even
more so than Energy Star construction or green cars, according to a
peer-reviewed study supported by EPA.

You decide to build a “green”, energy-efficient house because you really care about energy conservation and preserving the environment you shall build it where there is access to transit. Green cars are not as energy-efficient as transit. Car-sharing, thus maximizing the use of fuel and vehicle is a new concept, and its effectiveness is still tested.

Urban , ‘Brownfield’ developments, have a greater “green” potential than Greenfield ones, because they usually offer greater access to transit. And each new urban development should be in sync with investments into transit infrastructure.

That was once the case in Pittsburgh when land developers also invested in public transportation infrastructure - if we look up the histories of our oldest suburbs and neighborhoods we will note that they were built around or at the same time with a T line or bus route. Maybe that will be the case again in the 21st century though, this time, it will be the buyer to let the land developer know that he cares about transit as well.

ACTC members made a good impression at Transportation Camp East

The Transportation Camp is an “unconference” or participant-led conference organized by OpenPlans in order to bring together technology developers, urban planners, policy makers and marketing and social media experts to the same discussion table.


Transportation Camp East took place in New York City, March 5th and 6th, bringing together people from a wide variety of backgrounds to present their work covering a multitude of transportation issues –from cost to access and from mobility to safety issues.

The camp presented a unique opportunity for ACTC members to interact with policy makers and other advocacy groups. We also got an overview to the new paths that the Department of Transportation is planning to follow. Most notable were keynotes presented by H. Giovanni Carnaroli, Senior Accountable Official for USDOT and Chris Vein, the new Deputy US CTO for Government Innovation. We would also like to point out the presentation about DOT’s research on connected vehicles given by Christopher Pangilinan , P.E., Special Assistant to the Deputy Administrator during the #IGNITE night. He brought humor and a human touch to technology. *

A core issue for transportation is urban congestion. Heavy traffic in urban areas has a multitude of negative consequences: delays, costs due to time loss , safety, and higher stress. A multitude of solutions were discussed from transit to cycling and from car sharing to bike sharing, however one solution was remarked by most : multimodality. And we had the unique opportunity to listen to Susan Zielinski from SMART describing how owning five cars is so last millennium. And perhaps even owning one if car sharing will make a good, reliable vehicle to be more accessible.


Ana Bayne suggested a similar concept during the #IGNITE night presentation - integrating transportation modes such as transit and personal vehicles with bicycles, sidewalks, etc., is not just “increasing access even as it reduces our need for mobility” but increasing mobility overall. Another session co-lead with TransportGooru Andy Palanisamy, YPT’s vice-chair for Communication, focused on social media applications to transportation. A few key words ensuing from the conversation: Credibility, Transparency, Marketing Potential, Mobile Government. And an interesting case study for transit agencies and local governments dealing having to deal with vertical hierarchies making them slow to react and less transparent : the US Army tweep.


Michael Sypolt and Stu Strickland talked about “Getting Non-Riders to Use Transit” by “Designing a System to Meet Demand”. Some suggestions ensuing from this conversation – the utility of system maps; interlining two routes with odd frequencies in order to meet demand but reduce cost instead of eliminating service in the area altogether; streamlining routes. More about technology and development can be read in: "Highlights of TranspoCamp! (includes Travel Log) "

Some other focal points for the conference were a discussion with Ellyn Shannon from the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA on how they are funded and how they are able to influence transit related decisions. Also Tana Green made an interesting presentation on High Speed Rail and we were able to discuss how transit and High Speed Rail advocates can support each other.

Our participation in the Transportation Camp also raised the interest of potential investors, and for our technology whizzes, an opportunity to develop networks of connections with developers from the North and North-East.

* Peter H. Appel the Administrator for DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Department with whom we had the occasion to exchange a few ideas is also "to blame" for the research.

Do you know how much you really spend driving to work

In this post I will try to address a personal finance issue, the costs of using your personal car when commuting for work and several resources that enable you weigh your transportation alternatives. What I won’t discuss here is the cost of car ownership because I think that considering the local geography and specific needs of the contemporary American family, car ownership is a necessity when it comes to activities such as shopping and family trips.

The obvious

The two costs that are obvious to every car owner are one’s car payments and gas. While you may consider buying a used car in order to eliminate car payments for his budget, you have to consider that when you drive to work every day the main quality you are looking for is: reliability. A car does you no good if it breaks down when you needed it most. And when browsing through Kelley Blue book for used vehicles that are no more than 5-6 years old and have less than 100,000 miles on board, I realized that the price tag on a reliable vehicle will probably be around $5-6000. This is an amount that most people cannot afford to pay cash for. However if you do not drive the car every day, you may be able to negotiate and purchase a car for a couple thousands instead and eliminate car payments from your budget.

If your vehicle uses traditional fuel, that is gas, the price trend for it shall worry you. The average gas price in Pennsylvania is little over $3 and unlike 2007 it will not go down. In fact according to president’s Obama State of the Union speech if oil companies lose their subsidies, gas prices will reach the feared $4 /gallon sooner than expected. A way to save on fuel and still drive to work is to switch to a hybrid or electric car. But the price tags for hybrids and alternative fueled vehicles are still much higher than for the average gas fueled car. So while from an environmental point of view these alternatives are great, from a personal finance point of view the trade is not worth since at the current prices one may expect to recoup its investment at best but there is no proof yet that considering both the car price and fuel costs there are significant savings with respect to gas fueled cars.

The not-so-obvious

The three costs most people tend to ignore when writing down a budget are car maintenance, toll roads and parking. And from these three most important is car maintenance. Given the climate of the North East and the Midwest a cautious driver will consider using snow tires during the winter instead of the typical all weather tires.  And even if you can get away with only using all weather tires, as long as you drive the car every day you will need to change them every two years. Same goes for your breaks, rotors and there are the regular oil changes, alignments and registration fees. Now get your bank statements and add all your expenses that are related to car maintenance in last two years. I’ll bet you an oil change that your yearly average is somewhere between $3-500 per year, unless you drive a brand new car with a high price tag.

Of course, if you do not drive the car every day there will be less wear and tear on its breaks and tires and thus your maintenance costs will also be lower.

Rural costs versus urban costs

For most rural dwellers who deal with little or no congestion in their daily commutes the cost of driving to work is a simple equation. They say - I drive x miles round trip  and my car’s mpg is y  and the price of fuel is this z so to figure out how much it costs me to get to work I divide x miles to y and multiply the result with z and that’s the cost per day . So ok , using x, y, z makes it look more complicated than it is but you all get the drill. The main cost related issue that most rural commuters do have is the distance they have to drive to work.

For urban dwellers is a little bit more complicated because the closer they live to the city center the worse is the traffic congestion. And traffic congestion is the worse during peak hours when everybody drives to work and back home. Thus if you figure out your costs  using the simple equation above you are going to miss the time and money you spend slowing down, restarting the car and sitting in traffic. That amount is not that easy to figure out but fortunately the Texas Transportation Institute figured out this type of data  for you. So what does congestion cost you?

To focus only on Pennsylvania:

·         if you live in Philadelphia or the surrounding urban area you are likely to spend another $919 a year due to congestion

·         if you live in Pittsburgh or the surrounding urban area you are likely to spend another $778 a year due to congestion

·         if you live in Allentown or the surrounding urban areas you are likely  to spend $628 a year due to congestion

So, if we disregard the data for Harrisburg, York and the surrounding urban areas that was not available to us, on average the Pennsylvania urban resident spends $775 due to congestion.

Now, assuming you are a PA resident, let’s go over your new car-related expense spreadsheet:

	Rural driver	Urban driver
Car payment [1]	$352.3	$352.3
Maintenance	$35	$35
Gas	$100	$30
Parking and Tolls[2]	$20	$50
Congestion	$0	$64.6
Total	$507.3	$531.9

                                                        [1] For a $15,000/ 48 moth loan at an interest rate of 6% - bankrate.com auto loan calculator

                                                        [2] A rough estimate since parking and toll expenses will vary from widely from case to case

So, it looks that driving to work can easily cost you over $500 a month. Costly, you think? Very much so indeed, but what alternatives do you have:

Commuting alternatives

For urban residents the first option is public transit - visit your region’s public transit agencies website now

If you live in a small city or on a campus you may consider alternatives that are cheaper and more reliable than public transit such as biking and driving to work.

If you reside in a rural area or a suburb that was affected so badly by the most recent transit cuts that you cannot take advantage of public transportation it may be more difficult to find an alternative. Some people may still bike over 10 miles to work but let’s face it most of us cannot even think about biking that far… But there are alternatives such as vanpools and carpools and several websites that provide comprehensive resources on how to go about it. After all you want to know with whom you share your ride. For start these are the two websites I suggest:

PACommutes a website developed and supported by PENDoT

CommuteInfo a website focused on South-Western Pennsylvania residents and a SouthWestern Pennsylvania Commission initiative

Both websites offer a diversity of options from biking trails and lanes/roads to public transportation providers and vanpools and carpools in your area. You can also use their calculators to figure out which option is the best for you time wise and cost wise.

Using one or more of these transportation alternatives instead of driving to work does not mean that you have to give up your car. This is not about waging a war on cars; it is about gaining back the ownership of your car instead of letting the car own you. It is about having multiple transportation alternatives… And to have access to different transportation alternatives in the end it is about having choices…

Notes and resources

Caveat:  Average expenses for things such car maintenance and fuel are based on my discussion with diverse car owners from across the US. I did not collect or analyze this information as statistic data for the purpose of this paper.

The Urban Mobility Report 2010 developed by the University Center for Transportation Mobility, Texas Transportation Institute and retrieved from: http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/mobility_report_2010.pdf  

Bankrate.com

To locate public transportation options in your area
 you can use this map.

Why “ Public Transportation service cuts will affect only bus riders” is a myth...

If you are among those who still think that Port Authority’s service cuts will only affect bus and T riders, you may want to read this post carefully. Because we have enough information at this point to draw quite a complex and accurate picture of the impact that the lack  public transportation services will have on drivers, the air we breathe and the local economy.

Drivers

What if your daily commute will take 3 minutes longer? After all 3 minutes does not seem to be that much time and a trip of 30 minutes does not seem to be much longer or costlier if it lasts 33 minutes...[1]

According to a study developed by Tim Lomax and David Shrank from the Texas Transportation Institute (Developing a Total Travel Time Performance Measure ) those 3 minutes will cost you more than you may think.  The study offers a better measure for the way traffic congestion will cost commuters in terms of travel time and wasted fuel. Instead of matching fuel costs with miles traveled or time spend in traffic, Lomax and Shrank use the Travel Time Index (TTI) as measure. TTI is the ratio between the actual travel time and travel time in ideal traffic conditions or free-flow in an urban area.

For now Pittsburgh does not fare that bad - with a Travel Time Index of 1.17- it is the  29^th most congested  areas among the 101 urban areas evaluated in 2009.  For Pittsburgh TTI of 1.17 implies that each auto commuter wasted 27 gallons of fuel due to congestion and spent $778 per year just for being stuck in traffic. But if the average auto commuter will have to spend 3 more minutes in traffic, the area’s TTI will also be higher and so Port Authority's 35% service cut would’ve caused a 0.08 increase in the region’s TTI from 1.17 to 1.25. Now I know that bare numbers are hard to translate into real traffic conditions, but I will use the information from the   National Congestion Tables  to draw a more tangible picture of what congestion would mean to someone who would  live in Pittsburgh's urban area for a TTI of 1.25*.

·         A Travel Time Index of 1.25 will make traffic congestion in the Pittsburgh Urban Area comparable with Chicago rather than with Charlotte as it is now.

·         Among urban areas of similar size, i.e. large urban areas, only Austin and Las Vegas are likely to have worse traffic than Pittsburgh.

·         The average auto commuter will waste about 5-6 more gallons of gas on average and spend $161.5 more for being stuck in traffic.[2]

·         The situation will be much worse for those commuters who spend most of their commute time within the city limits.

Us, our children and the air we breathe

According to  the Clymate Analysis Indicator Tool in 2005 USA accounted for 18.33% of the global yearly greenhouse emissions, second only to China and it is ranked as number one for cumulative emissions in the 1990-2005 period. The main factor beyond poor air quality is no longer an industry - as once were the manufacturing, chemical and mining - but our traditional fuel powered vehicles . The more the vehicles on the road the higher the emissions … [3]

The local economy

On the short term the most visible impact – two weeks ago I accompanied a coworker in order to help with a conference downtown and he drove in circles trying to find a parking place as three garages and a parking lot we had passed were already full by noon.

On the long term – if the study quoted by AP and Yahoo! News is even remotely correct -crude oil reserves will be depleted before an alternative energy personal vehicle will be available for the mass markets. And investors will avoid putting their money in area that do not offer multiple alternatives for their employees to commute or in other words economic growth will stagnate in areas where the main option for commuters is a personal vehicle.

Fortunately

...Port Authority's service cuts will only be 15% come this March. Thus less routes will be affected and impact could be somewhat limited during peak hours. So, there shall be less car trips than we feared and Pittsburghers will not experience Chicago like traffic this spring. But without a long term solution for dedicated funding for local public transit and multimodal networks the day when traffic in Pittsburgh will be as bad as in Houston may not be that far.

Notes:

[1] According to a study we had mentioned here and here , if former governor Ed Rendell  was not able to prevent the 35% service cuts by finding a temporary  funding solution the average  commute time during peak hours within the Region was estimated to increase by 3 minutes.

[2] Considering a 9% increase in vehicle hours (Transit Operators Committee: Request for Data retrieved from KeepPGHmoving grace to the Downtown Partnership.)

[3] or more details see table -Transit Operators Committee: Request for Data

* these numbers are rough estimates