In the summer of 2019, several residents of our street expressed interest in adding speed humps to improve safety. Our street has over 20 children living on it, and studies have shown that speed humps reduce the likelihood by over 50% that children living on a street will be injured or killed by being hit
Author: Jon Salmans
The Port Authority should Promote Transit to New Residents
Soon after my wife and I bought our house, we received a lot of material in the mail from people who had an interest in connecting with us as new residents. Politicians sent us letters welcoming us to their district. We received a schedule for garbage collection and letters from the utilities. Salespeople sent us
The Port Authority should Eliminate Transfer Fares
Jarrett Walker at the blog Human Transit writes persuasively that transit agencies should do away with transfer fares. The basic argument is that having a route structure that includes transfers allows the transit agency to provide better service more cost effectively. When booking airline tickets, trips that involve a transfer typically cost less for this
What if Steeler Games were as Dangerous as Driving
Imagine you’re at a Steelers game at Heinz Field, and all 68,400 seats in the stadium are full. Partway through the game, part of the stadium collapses. 8 people are killed, and 578 people are injured. Imagine the level of shock, inquiry and general reaction there would be that this type of accident is unacceptable.
Consolidating Stops will Speed Up Buses and Improve the Transit System
Who would want their most convenient bus stop eliminated? No one. However, after boarding every stop lengthens the trip for anyone not boarding or getting off. And everyone wants a faster tip. Unfortunately, the goals of stop convenience and bus speed are in conflict. The Port Authority has been working to strike a better balance
Pittsburgh Should Invest in More Bus Shelters
I recently took the bus from downtown to the airport to make a flight. None of the stops for the 28X bus that goes to the airport have shelters downtown. I decided to wait in a coffee shop and use the true time app to get to the stop at the same time as the
Pittsburgh needs Better Bus Service at Downtown Events
This past fourth of July, my son and I took the bus to see the fireworks downtown. After the show was over, there were enormous crowds at the various bus stops downtown. There were multiple stops with over 100 people waiting. Unfortunately the bus service was operated on a Sunday schedule for the holiday, which
The Port Authority should Charge for Parking at its Park and Rides
If the Port Authority started charging to park at its most in-demand park and rides, it would increase transit ridership. This is counter intuitive, because usually charging more for something increases demand. The reason demand would increase is that a majority of the park and ride lots fill to capacity, some very early in the morning
Pittsburgh Needs to Implement Traffic Calming to Improve Street Safety and Reduce Traffic Deaths
In November 2014 a truck hit two pedestrians in a crosswalk on East Carson Street, killing one of them. In January 2016 a 36 year old woman was hit and killed after walking into Maytide street in Carrick. That same month a 23 year old man hit a deer on Windgap Avenue in the middle