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. 

March Transit News

The ConnectCard



We published the first details on Port Authority's new fare system in June, last year : Technology to improve Port Authority’s rider experience with the fare-system. As frequent riders on Oakland routes had noticed , all Pitt students and staff are now using the new ConnectCard system. Starting March 1st , another category of frequent riders on the Port Authority transit lines will be using the new system too: annual pass holders.

Market tests for monthly passes will also start in March. Another series of market tests -for those riders who are interested to load only cash fares, rather than monthly or weekly passes will follow soon.

More information on the ConnectCard and its benefits can be found here: connectcard.org.


Lenora P. Brooks , the project manager for the new ConnectCard fare system, answered a few additional questions about the new system on February 15th during the last general ACTC meeting:

• Were will I be able to buy the ConnectCard?

Most retailers that sell ticket books and passes right now will be equipped with ConnectCard Sales Terminals. Additional vending machines will be placed in high traffic areas cross the Allegheny County. With time, you will also be able to order and recharge a ConnectCard online.

• What if I lose my ConnectCard?

If you lose your ConnectCard, you will be able to call the PortAuthority and ask for a replacement card. A "Balance Protection" program will be available at no additional cost to you. The program will link each card to an individual user so as soon customer reports a stolen or lost card, the balance is automatically transferred on the customer's new card.

• What if my ConnectCard gets demagnetized?

The ConnectCard is not a magnetic card. The system uses RFID technology to store the information on the card.

• How do purchase a transfer?

there will be no need to purchase a separate transfer any longer. Once a rider had charged a full fare on its ConnectCard , any consequent trip in the next three hours will be charged at transfer rate instead of full fare rate.

The North Shore Connector

The North Shore Connector will become fully operational on March 25th. And again, once the North Shore Connector becomes fully operational , two bus routes the 14th and the 18th will turn around at the Allegheny stop instead of going all the way downtown. As it stands right now , all riders on these two routes will receive the mandatory free transfer so they can use the North Shore Connector in order to continue their travel downtown.

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.

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

Technology to improve Port Authority’s rider experience with the fare-system

I do not know about other transit riders, but I can barely wait until I will be able to use the new ConnectCard system to pay for my fares.  This is why I decided to make sure that I will board the same bus as my friend F.H who is one of the 300 University of Pittsburg employees and students asked to test the system.

Like all Pitt staff and students, my friend’s fare is covered by her employer and she can use her University issued ID in lieu of a bus pass. With the new system in place, instead of presenting her ID to the bus driver she is swiping it over the orange magnetic reader positioned on the top of the fare box. The system validates her ID instantly, bypasses the current procedure by which the driver has to check the pass to validate it manually and streamlines the process.

Another advantage of the new system is a significant reduction of fraud.  Currently there are riders who “share” one transit pass by transferring it with one quick move to the next rider. With the new system this “trick” won’t work any longer.  As I was trying to take a picture of my friend as she was swiping her card,   I missed the first shot so with the driver’s concurrence she swiped it again. As we were expecting, the second time she tried her ID was no longer validated.



Bus rider using the new farebox system



L.H., another friend and University of Pittsburgh employee who is participating in the system’s first test group,  told me that the new system worked perfectly until today. We believe that she is one of the 25 test participants who will have their IDs deactivated randomly during the four week test period in order to make sure that previous students who are no longer enrolled with the University as well as former staff members will not take advantage of the system by using their expired IDs long after they stopped being valid. 

L.H. also noted that while the new system will make streamline the fare paying process for those riders who purchase tickets or passes, when it comes to paying the fare in cash the system is slower. This implies that in order to make the new system successful the Port Authority will have to develop a comprehensive system of distribution for ConnectCards  that includes on-line , brick-and –mortar and why not, mobile options.

To read more about the new ConnectCard fare system check our April updates. And a short note on the first testing phase here.

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

Pittsburgh Transit: Headed Where?/ February Updates

Update:

The bus schedules effective March 27th as a result of a 15% cut in service are now posted on the Port Authority's Website: March  27 Service Changes.



Monday, February 14th, President Obama released a new six-year transportation plan [PDF] . One of the highlights of this new plan is a 127% increase for transit funding that aims to reduce the gap between the percentage of funds going for highway and road development, 80% now, a meager 20% for transit. Under the newly proposed plan highways will only receive 74% of funds.

Meantime transit agencies across the country struggle to find the funding resources that will allow them to survive during the next fiscal year. And this is no news for Port Authority riders who are facing the loss of more than one sixth of the service come March. As a matter of fact, Pittsburghers rallied the day after President Obama’s release of the new transportation plan to protest service cuts.

Photo Credit: Lauren Daley

Since transit is an essential feature in the economic development of 21st century urban centers (and this is a topic we had covered here), members of the Allegheny County Transit Council became involved in several projects aimed at not only preserving but improving transit service for Pittsburgh and surrounding urban areas.

Real-Time Bus Schedules:
Real-Time Bus Schedules use data provided by local governments and transit agencies to keep riders informed of delays, detours, and traffic and trip connections. ACTC members Ana Bayne and Michael Sypolt took part in a live chat session where guest Nick Grossman from Open Plans discussed the benefits of real-time bus schedules and the success of the project among MTA riders. Several ACTC members will meet with Mr. Grossman and other developers to discuss real-time schedule related technology during the March East TranspoCamp unconference.


Tiramisu:
On the upside, before the whole GPS issue is clarified, CMU’s transportation project team Traffic 21 is in the last stages of launching a smart phone app that provides real time information to riders by using crowdsourcing, i.e., data collected from riders. Thanks to ACTC member Noelle Badertscher we will be able to return with more details on the app as soon as March. Until then you can check the Traffic 21 website for updates.

Soon transit riders from Pittsburgh will know whatever their bus is late or not or if they should take an early bus because of bad weather or traffic conditions.


Funding:

ACTC members are working on proposals for funding resources with several other community oriented non-profits. Also, by the end of February, a comprehensive map that provides information on service cuts for each electoral district will be available on: http://www.publictransitguide.info/

The map allows riders to compare the effect of service cuts on their own electoral district and take the matter into their own hands by contacting their local representative.