[Transit-allegheny] South Busway Walkway/Bikeway & 41D Extension to South Busway.
Glenn A. Walsh
siderostat1991 at yahoo.com
Wed Jul 16 14:38:05 EDT 2008
Sam, Stu,
> QUICK FACT: The Current 47L schedule lists South Bank in
> East Brookline, yet there is no way to access any home in
> East Brookline without either a jet pack or repelling gear.
I am so glad you pointed this out. As I rarely use the 47L, I had not noticed this.
> After a discussion with Mr. Stu Strickland and I
> today, we discussed the idea of having a sidewalk and even
> a possibly bikeway paved along the South Busway between
> these three stops and maybe extending beyond some day in
> the future.
HEAR-HEAR !!!
A simple sidewalk from the Central and Whited Street Busway stations, which have limited service, to the South Bank T Station is an inexpensive idea that would bring greatly improved public transit to these neighborhoods!
I have been thinking about the same plan for several months. But, I have not discussed it with anyone at PAT, simply because the PAT staff have shown such resistance to new ideas [i.e. ideas not generated by them!].
This would be a good ACTC project which would provide greatly improved transit. I heartily recommend that ACTC give this idea strong consideration.
Again, well done Sam!
gaw
Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < siderostat1989 at yahoo.com >
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--- On Tue, 7/15/08, Samuel J Hurst <pittsburghbusjunkie at yahoo.com> wrote:
> From: Samuel J Hurst <pittsburghbusjunkie at yahoo.com>
> Subject: South Busway Walkway/Bikeway & 41D Extension to South Busway.
> To: "Unknown ACTC Member" <laraineh at verizen.net>, "Unknown ACTC Member" <trail_user15146 at yahoo.com>, "Unknown ACTC Member" <cpartanen at comcast.net>, "Unknown ACTC Member" <jamslater at pa.state.us>, "Anthony Boule" <aboule at pittsburghparking.com>, "Bill Buckley" <wpbpitbb at comcast.net>, "Ray Cosby" <heyraysplace at hotmail.com>, "Marjorie DeAngelis" <mdeangelis at acct.actionhousing.org>, "Myron Fisher" <blackkingoflove at aol.com>, "Denise R Henderson" <dhenderson at portauthority.org>, "Laraine Hlatky" <laraineh at verizon.net>, "Robert H. Holmes" <crest531 at verizon.net>, "Eunice Howze" <eunicehowze at netzero.com>, "Marianne M. Jackson" <robbiermr at yahoo.com>, "Anukul Kapoor" <bus at anukul.com>, "Jeff Kaufman" <jethrok1 at earthlink.net>, "Marlene Kern" <mtk472002 at yahoo.com>, "Margaret Krumm" <mkrumm at gmail.com>, "Jon M. LaMotte" <drumstickmick at yahoo.com>, "Cherie Mezynski" <cheriemez at comcast.net>, "Khari Mosley" <kharimosley at hotmail.com>, "Ken Nagel" <nagelkm at comcast.net>,
"Michael Pavlik" <pavlik.m at mellon.com>, "Suella Pipal" <pipal at operamail.com>, "Jonathan Robison" <jon at jonrobison.org>, "Suzette C. Rymuza" <suzette.rymuza at pncbank.com>, "Paul Sielski" <paul at sielski.org>, "Barbara Simpson" <bsimpson at tmail.com>, "Marilyn Skolnick" <emkhs at concentric.net>, "James R. Slater" <jrs1sr at yahoomail.com>, "Jon Smith" <jon.smith35 at verizon.net>, "Jon Smith" <jwsmith1984 at verizon.net>, "Stu Strickland" <stusarah at telerama.com>, "Robert Sullivan" <bobsullivan1947 at aol.com>, "Robert Sullivan" <bobsullivan at comcast.net>, "Michael Sypolt 2" <msypolt at gmail.com>, "John Tague" <JTaguejr at aol.com>, "Unknown Unknown" <chefjmarie at aol.com>, "Unknown Unknown" <nagelkm at comcast.com>, "Unknown Unknown" <spieklik at williamscoulson.com>, "Unknown Unknown" <pearldell at hotmail.com>, "Unknown Unknown" <slater1382 at verizonmail.com>, "Lacy Vong" <lvong at andrew.cmu.edu>, "Audrey Waldock" <audswaldock at yahoo.com>, "Robert Wright Jr." <kproblem2003 at yahoo.com>, "Candice
Zawoiski" <animallibcmz at aol.com>
> Cc: "Joe Grata" <jgrata at post-gazette.com>, "Amanda Harber" <aharber at sustainablepittsburgh.org>, "Richard LeGrande" <legrande at members.hillhouse.org>, "Richard LeGrande" <publictransit at usa.com>, "Bus Man" <shadow at andrew.cmu.edu>, "Patrick McMahon" <pmcmahon.atu85 at verizon.net>, "David Mooney" <dmooney at pacol.net>, "Todd Owens" <towens at skiinc.com>, "Marc Roncone" <mroncone at mmvta.com>, "William Schultz" <billybobbridges at yahoo.com>, "Glenn A. Walsh" <gawalsh at planetarium.cc>, "Glenn A. Walsh" <siderostat1991 at yahoo.com>, "Bobbie Womeldorf" <teachnuts2 at aol.com>, "Amanda Zeiders" <zeidersamanda at gmail.com>
> Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 10:10 PM
> ACTC & Transit Supporters,
>
> I apologize that I will not be able to attend
> tomorrow's meeting due to the fact that I am looking at
> buying a new home. However, I noticed there would be at
> least a half hour of open discussion at the meeting and I
> have been pondering something I would like you all to
> consider and please, provide feedback on.
>
> W A L K W A Y - / - B I K E W A Y
>
> The Port Authority open the worlds first
> 'busway" along Saw Mill Run Blvd. It currently
> has 10 Stations (including the inbound only Station Square
> Station) and two stop (Pioneer Avenue and Dawn Avenue) and
> allows Route 51 Cooridor Routes bypass the nearly stand
> still traffic during peak hours along with 41B bypass stand
> still traffic entering/exitting the Liberty Tunnels on West
> Liberty Avenue.
> The T System overlaps at South Hills Jct (all
> rail routes), Palm Garden (42C, 42S) Dawn (42C, 42S) and
> South Banks (47L, 47S).
> I want to focus on three stops along the busway;
> Whited Street, South Bank and Central.
> In 2003, Port Authority re-opened the Overbrook
> Line, converted to Light Rail Standards, and condensed all
> South Busway Stops to one station at Whited Street.
> "Word at the bus stop" (opposed to word on the
> street) says that the Port Authority had considered a
> station at the southern end of the busway at Glenbury, but
> choose South Bank instead because with the adjacent land,
> there were plans to build a park-n-ride lot. The PNR Lot
> idea came to "the end of the line" because
> the land along the now abandoned Ansonia Place was deemed
> a "flood zone". Even without the lot being
> paved, many commuters, including myself, entered Anasonia
> and parked their cars and choose transit, prior to three
> jersey barrier being placed at the bridge to Anasonia Pl.
> Sadly, due to transit cutbacks, Evening, Weekend
> and Mid-day service has been slashed. Within the past 5
> or so years, the Port Authority has elminated three routes
> altogether (46S, CL & JL) and has only two routes (46F
> & 46G) running midday and only one route (46G) evenings
> and weekends. The Whited Street, South Bank and Central
> Busway Stations all clearly within walking distance of each
> other. South Bank only pedestrian walkway leads down the
> abandoned Anasonia Pl, which has overgrown vegetation and
> "possibly" wildlife living there. If you travel
> about 850 feet or so north to Whited Street, the South
> Busway runs along Jacob Street, a residential street, and
> also a small Mobile Home Park. Within walking distance,
> also is Fiat, Moredale, Ballinger and Hallowell Streets.
> If you travel south about the same distance, give or take,
> you'll reach Central and it's pedestrian access
> point to Brookline Blvd and also the southern tip of Jacob
> Street.
> The residents of Jacob Street pretty much have the
> South Bank T Station in their back yards (with an altitude
> drop) but have to walk all the way down Jacob Street, bang
> a right at Whited, bang another right at Saw Mill Run Blvd,
> walk down a tiny sidewalk along a busy Highway with crazy
> motorists and cab drivers zooming bye, and up Anasonia Pl
> and it's jungle. Roughly a mile of walking to go
> about 200 feet from your point of origin. That type of
> journey should be saved for The Crocodile Files. Blimey!
>
> QUICK FACT: The Current 47L schedule lists South Bank in
> East Brookline, yet there is no way to acess any home in
> East Brookline without either a jet pack or repelling gear.
>
> After a discussion with Mr. Stu Strickland and I
> today, we discussed the idea of having a sidewalk and even
> a possibly bikeway paved along the South Busway between
> these three stops and maybe extending beyond some day in
> the future. I have cited testimonials of Port Authority
> passengers living near the Whited Street Station walking
> along the unpaved right-of-way of the South Busway to get
> to the T Station, frustrated in the limited bus service at
> Whited (and even one testimonial of walking from Central to
> South Bank). And here is the interested part. There is
> already a strip of land that simply could be paved over
> between Whited and South Bank and a "No Pedestrians
> Beyond This Point" sign or two need removed. And
> many Port Authority Patrons could now "legally"
> walk between the Stations.
>
> QUICK FACT: The Port Authority has a walkway/bikeway
> along it's East Busway Extension in Wilkinsburg and
> Swissvale called Linear Park. It is used, weather
> permitting and a great PR booster for both the Extension
> Project earlier this decade and to the Port Authority
> itself.
>
>
> Here is my quick, very low tech version of a
> not-even-close-to-scale map of the area of referrence.
>
> B = Busway
> T = Light Rail "T" Line
> 51 = State Route 51
>
> T T T T T T T T T
> T
> T
> 51 51 51 51 51 51 T 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51
> 51 51 51 51 51 51 51
> T
> T T T T T T T T T T T T
>
> T
>
> B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B
> B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B T T
> T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
> Whited
> Street South
> Bank Central (No T
> Stop)
>
> 4 1 D - T O - S O U T H - B U S W A Y:
>
> Also, just a half mile or so just past the
> southern end of Jacob Street is Brookline Blvd and Altmar
> Street, the physical end of the terminus. The 41D
> Brookline time table is questionable, stating the end of
> the line on the outbound trips is the stop along side the
> park. It looks like it's a guessing game to get all
> the way to Altmar and Reamer and service is non existant in
> the evenings on the inbound 41D/G. Here's my
> question. Why not extend this down three or four city
> blocks to the South Busway. Have the outbound 41D
> continue on Brookline Blvd, banging a left onto Jacob
> Street, following straight onto Ballinger, and entering the
> South Busway at the Ramp (that was used to allow South
> Busway Routes to exit during the South Busway/Overbrook
> Line Reconstruction in the early 2000s) and parking at the
> outbound Whited Street Platform for standard layovers.
> Then inbounds would continue about 50 or so feet to the
> exit ramp,turning left
> on Jacob Street, right onto Brookline Blvd and continue to
> Merrick Avenue.
> Such a service improvement would allow residents
> of Ebenshire Village and East Brookline a more efficient
> way to and from downtown with a connection to the 46 series
> routes, a far quicker transfer method for patrons wishing to
> travel to and from destinations of South Busway routes and
> an alternative for waiting for an inbound trip during non
> peak hours. It woud also remove a parked bus from a
> residential community to a Port Authority private right of
> way.
>
> QUICK FACT: The Port Authority operated route 46E East
> Brookline until February 1977, then re-naming the route
> into the EB East Brookline Flyer for an unknown period of
> time to allow express service for residents of East
> Brookline, and allowing a direct Overbrook-East
> Brookline-Brookline route. I assume the 46E became the EB
> Flyer due to the opening of the South Busway in 1977.
>
> Please, everyone. I value your opinions of my
> idea. After reading all feedback, I will revise my idea
> and convert it into an Action Form format. Please, feel
> free to tell your thoughts.
>
> I have sent this to everyone on my ACTC address
> book, and afew additions, however, I have not updated my
> list for a year or so. I asked Stu to forward this to any
> people I have forgotten. If for any reason you do not want
> to receive e-mails like this from me, please respond telling
> me so.
>
> Sincerely,
> Samuel J Hurst
> Allegheny County Transit Council
> Collier Division
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