Mon Valley critics target plans for Bus Rapid Transit

For some Port Authority customers, the agency’s decision to push for a Bus Rapid Transit system between Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh is serving the “haves” at the expense of the “have-nots.”

Through a series of neighborhood meetings and last week’s authority board meeting, dozens of Monongahela Valley residents have sharply criticized the agency for an expected reduction in local service and an added transfer in Oakland if they want to travel from their communities to the Downtown area. They view the project as improving service for mostly

white, middle-class riders and cutting service for lowerclass, mostly black communities that don’t have other transportation options.

The authority says it is aware of those concerns and is working to identify the exact times and areas of service needed in outlying areas if the BRT system is established. The agency is waiting for a decision on federal funding for BRT, and construction of the $195 million project should take about two years.

If the BRT system moves ahead, it could result in a 45 percent cut in neighborhood service in the Mon Valley, Jonah McAllister-Erickson of Pittsburghers for Public Transit told the authority board last week. He called that “a job destroyer” for residents there.

Under the BRT system, Mon Valley routes such as the 61A, B and C, which currently pass through Oakland on their way Downtown, would become feeder routes and riders would have to transfer to the BRT in Oakland. Although the agency hasn’t announced a formal policy yet on the cost of transfers, Allegheny County ExecutiveRich Fitzgerald has said at public meetings that the transferswould be free.

Pearl Hughey of Rankin said charging Mon Valley residents extra for transfers when they now have a direct ride to Downtown would be “a quasi-tax.” Port Authority “should support bridges to opportunity” for residents in less-affluent communities by providing early and late transit service, she said.

Laura Wiens of Pittsburghers for Public Transit questioned whether the authority was showing a “lack of real will” to help residents in poor communities by considering cuts in service. Andrew Hussein of the Allegheny County Transit Council said changes in neighborhood service as a result of BRT could “turn Mon Valley service unto a cadaver.”

Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said three neighborhood meetings the agency held in the past month and a survey of how riders use public transit show that it is aware of concerns about potential service changes. He stressed that the agency would consider direct express service from the Mon Valley to Downtown if a demonstrated need exists and that the agency may expand service to other areas in the valley, as well.

“We’re still looking at all of the options available,” he said. “That’s what those surveys are about — to find out what our customers need.”

To complete the authority’s survey, go to http:// www.portauthority.org/ paac/ and click on the rotating item at the top of the page that says Help. Shape. Transit.

“We’re still looking at all of the options available. That’s what those surveys are about — to find out what our customers need.” — Adam Brandolph, Port Authority spokesman