Pittsburgh needs a better, greener transit system

I’ve worked in Downtown Pittsburgh for over 30 years and I’ve always thought that we could greatly improve how people get around in the Golden Triangle if only we had leadership with vision, creativity and determination. Also, if only the leadership understood the difference between what we need and what we want.

Do we need a gondola connecting Mount Washington with Gateway Center? No. Would it create an international tourist attraction elevating the perception of Pittsburgh? Yes!

Do we need bike lanes? No. Do they provide a few cyclists with a safer lane to travel and do they appear to attract millennials? Yes. Are they discriminatory against most of the population (older, less mobile, poorer, etc.), who get around in Downtown? Yes.

What we want is mentioned above. What we need is a sensible, cost-efficient, environmentally friendly transportation system that can be built in phases and eventually connect Gateway Center with the Strip

District, then to Oakland and then to the South Side and Station Square. If you’ve been to Europe, you know the solution is an above-ground trolley system.

Just imagine being able to go from Point State Park down Liberty Avenue to the Strip District in less five minutes. Add several stopping points along the way and you’re only a five-minute walk from PNC Park, PPG Paints Arena and everywhere in between.

Eventually, it could connect to Oakland over to the South Side and Station Square. I know we already have a subway system, but it’s used mainly as a connector from the South Hills to a couple of stops in Downtown before going to the North Shore.

Let’s rally around what the Golden Triangle needs, which is a transportation system that is user-friendly, nonpolluting, quiet and cost-efficient and decreases the need for buses and automobiles. PAUL ORIS Murrysville