Pittsburghers for Public Transit outlines initiatives
Mon Valley effort celebrated
A grass-roots effort to restore and maintain public transportation options for residents of the Mon Valley was celebrated Monday night in Rankin. But the message of Pittsburghers for Public Transit was clear: More work needs to be done.
The event at the Rankin Christian Center began with a victory party of sorts. Then the issue of access to public transportation for those who need it most — particularly low-income residents — took on a human face, with an eye on the future.
PPT, which maintains that transit is a human right and a civil right, unveiled a four-plank strategy titled “Riders’ Vision for Public Transit” to help the most marginalized residents.
The first proposal, a road map for economic opportunity, calls for extending or connecting the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway through bus-only lanes and signal priority to Monroeville and McKeesport, beyond its current terminus in Swissvale.
Tina Doose, president of Braddock council, said she believes extendingthe busway would help to get the financially distressed borough removedfrom state Act 47 oversight.
“The Mon Valley needs economic revitalization,” Ms. Doose said. “Transportation is the key to that happening.”
Ms. Doose cautioned those in attendance to move forward. “If we stop here, is it really a victory?”
Second, a foundation for equity is being proposed, calling for widely available access to Port Authority ConnectCards, free transfers and the elimination of fare capping.
“A fair and equitable transportation service is an equalizer,” said Pearl Hughey of Rankin. “It allows us to go in and out of the city as necessary.” Ms. Hughey, who works Downtown, called for more ConnectCard filling stations.
The third proposal, a solution for air quality and climate change, calls for using Clean Air Act funds — fines on regional polluters — to pay for some free-fare days next summer.
PPT member Jay Ting Walker said those free days also could include ozone action days, when air quality is poor and cars could be kept at home. Tying them with other community events is anotheroption, he said.
Mr. Walker said free transit days also could be an incentive for more commuters who have cars to take the bus instead.
The final plank, a vital link for quality affordable housing, calls for all relevant city and county agencies, including the Urban Redevelopment Authority, housing authorities and planningand zoning boards, to have policies that require affordable housing to be built near existing transit. Further, the proposal said that when housing is built along key transit lines, a percentage of it should be affordable housing.
Jonathan Reyes, an employee of the Carnegie Free Library of Braddock, shared his experience to make the affordable housing issue less abstract. The Allentown, Pa., native came to this area after serving time in prison, he said, and had “six or seven different living conditions” in McKeesport. Mr. Reyes eventually was accepted into a housing complex where he paid rent of $220 per month, but it subsequently was raised to $620.
Two months ago, Mr. Reyes bought his first home, in East Pittsburgh. “There is no real affordable housing,” he said. “It’s slim pickings. Once you get there, it’s not affordable.”
“The Mon Valley needs economic revitalization. Transportation is the key to that happening.” — Tina Doose, president, Braddock council