Mapping better routes for riders

Group to propose Mon Valley transit improvements

The next plan for improving Port Authority service might not come from within the transit agency at all, but rather from a grassroots group that has fought against service cuts.

After identifying public transportation problems in the Monongahela Valley last year, Pittsburghers for Public Transit is expanding its advocacy role this year by developing formal plans to address the shortcomings.

At its first meeting of the new year Wednesday, the organization announced it has received a $47,000 grant from the Heinz Endowments to develop lowcost options to make routes into those neighborhoods more efficient and go to areas where riders want service.

The group has been working with Pittsburgh firms Civic Mapper, which helps governments and nonprofits use geotechnical mapping, and evolveEA, an environmental architecture firm, to develop a proposal to present to the Port Authority in September. It also has been meeting with elected officials and municipal managers in the Mon Valley to outline its goals.

The authority is cooperating with the study by providing public information such as ridership figures and current routes, a spokesman said.

PPT director Laura Wiens said the group will look at duplicating steps in the suburbs such as dedicated bus lanes and queuing lanes at traffic signals that the Port Authority is planning to establish on the Bus Rapid Transit system under development between Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland. The goal is improving routing from the authority’s transportation center in McKeesport and Monroeville Mall in Monroeville to

the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway’s entry points in Swissvale and Wilkinsburg.

Right now, routes take too much time and often don’t provide access to shopping, health care and employment, Ms. Wiens said.

“We need practical solutions that get people out of their cars and onto public transportation,” she said.

Developing better service options for the Mon Valley grew out of the Bus Rapid Transit plans, which initially would have resulted in a loss of service in the suburban communities, some of which are among the poorest in the county. Those service reductions were dropped last spring after residents worked with the advocacy group, but Ms. Wiens said the process also showed the need for better service in those communities.

Adjusting and improving routes that use the busway, which Ms. Wiens called the authority’s “most important asset,” would be an alternative to a study that projected a nine-year process to extend the busway to East Pittsburgh at a cost of $549 million, plus another $159 million to include a connection to the proposed MonFayette Expressway and a Monroeville station. Because of the cost, that proposal is not on the authority’s priority list, but the advocacy group’s options likely would provide similar improvements at a cost “in the single millions of dollars,” Ms. Wiens said.

Elijah Hughes, senior project manager for evolve, said the firm is working with Civic Mapper to develop a web application to solicit information from the public in four areas: fastest routes; places where the most people live; job centers; and traditional, Main Street areas such as local business districts. The agencies also will hold a series of community meetings from April to June for more public input before writing a report with recommendations for changes.

Emily Mercurio, cofounder of Civic Mapper, said the web application should be ready by the end of March. She called Port Authority a “key partner” in the effort and said her firm will provide the agency with any data it develops.

State Rep. Austin Davis, D-McKeesport, said he’s happy the advocacy group is taking a “creative” look at how to improve transit in the Mon Valley.

“We’ve had a series of productive meetings with them and Port Authority, and I look forward to continuing to work with them,” he said.

Monroeville manager Timothy Little said the municipality “obviously” needs better transit service and more attention to bus stops, some of which are along busy highways that limit accessibility. The advocacy group’s effort “can only help,” he said.

In a statement, Port Authority chief development officer David Huffaker, who was hired last fall to oversee long-range planning, praised the group’s “enthusiasm and passion for public transit.”

“This year, Port Authority will be taking a fresh look at service opportunities countywide, including service to the east suburbs, and we would be interested in seeing their report as it may inform our work.”

In the future, Ms. Wiens said she hopes the Port Authority will adopt the group’s concept of soliciting public input at the start of a project rather than getting reaction after it makes proposals. Municipal leaders have been receptive to the group’s effort, she said.

“They’re well aware of their residents’ need for more transit,” she said.