Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Regional Transit hears bus riders' needs, expects route changes early next year – Pittsburgh Union Progress
Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s bus line redesign process is finding what the agency suspected: Riding patterns have changed since the pandemic and the agency’s ability to grow will depend on meeting those needs.
The agency’s route planning division began a review of more than 90 bus routes last October and discussed the first round of its public outreach with its Planning & Stakeholder Relations Committee last week. The initial guidance indicates riders want more service to Pittsburgh International Airport and Oakland, better connections between local neighborhoods, service spread throughout the day rather than bunching it during rush hours, and improved frequency and reliability.
“What we’re hearing is people are going different places, not just to work,” Amy Silbermann, PRT’s chief development officer, said in an interview after the committee meeting. “There will be a different balance” of service when the agency begins to implement the plans early next year.
Derek Dauphin, director of planning and service development, said the agency’s challenge is meeting those needs initially without increasing the annual budget. Limited bus operators and lack of additional space at maintenance garages make a huge expansion with a lot of new vehicles difficult at this time.
But by adjusting service in areas with less ridership — perhaps reducing hours during nonpeak travel times or on weekends — there are hours available to shift to other service to better meet riders’ needs, Dauphin said.
“What we’re finding is there are some hours we can acquire,” Dauphin said in an interview. “We think there are hours we can reallocate.”
One element that seems almost inevitable is that many changes will require riders to transfer to get to new locations, Dauphin said. Although the agency has eliminated transfer fees for noncash customers, he acknowledged that persuading riders to change vehicles could be a hard sell.
“We’re certain that it will be,” he said. “We assume a big part of the process will be marketing the changes and showing the people the value [of the adjusted service].”
If the early changes are successful at increasing ridership and the agency can build a fifth maintenance garage, it will be able to implement additional changes using the blueprint it is developing now.
Although additional airport service is high on the list for riders, Dauphin said it is too soon to say whether that can be one of the early changes. The agency expects to refine what it heard from riders in the next few months and return to the public in September with recommended changes.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he’s currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.
A man from Fayette County has been arrested and is facing over 1,000 charges related to alleged animal cruelty and neglect.
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said that John Saxberg, 57, is facing charges in connection with what he called “a suspected illegal kennel operation” in Washington Township.
According to DA Aubele, Saxberg is accused of subjecting numerous animals to “deplorable conditions” and “circumstances constituting torture,” adding that approximately ten animals suffered serious bodily injuries.
Court records show that Saxberg is facing 1,029 criminal charges in total with offenses including aggravated cruelty to animals, cruelty to animals, neglect of animals, penalties related to dog licensing, and violations of vaccine requirements.
52 of the charges that Saxberg is facing are felonies, according to court records.
Online court paperwork shows that Saxberg was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon and is being held in the Fayette County Prison after bail was posted at $85,000.
A preliminary hearing for Saxberg is scheduled for late next week.
An Allegheny County park with 200-year-old trees has been added to a growing network of protected and publicly accessible old-growth forests.
Local leaders announced on Tuesday that Hartwood Acres is now part of the Old-Growth Forest Network, which consists of over 340 forests, though this is Allegheny County’s first.
The 692-acre property features a Tudor mansion built in 1929, and while about a quarter of the park is maintained, the other 75% is forested. Some of the oldest trees include a black oak that’s over 200 years old, and a sugar maple and red oak that are nearing 200 years old.
“Hartwood Acres is one of Allegheny County’s greatest natural treasures, and this designation recognizes both the ecological value of these forests and the generations of stewardship that have protected them,” Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said in a press release. “As we work to build an Allegheny County where everyone can thrive, that includes ensuring residents have access to clean air, green spaces, and the opportunity to connect with nature close to home.”
The Old-Growth Forest Network, founded in 2012, aims to create a national network of protected, mature and native forests that are accessible to the public. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every U.S. county that can sustain a forest.
“The importance of the preservation of these rare forests cannot be overemphasized,” said Brian Kane, the Mid-Atlantic regional manager with the Old-Growth Forest Network. “As seen at Hartwood Acres, forests perform critical environmental services that benefit communities, such as storing carbon, providing wildlife habitat, and retaining stormwater. OGFN is grateful that Allegheny County values its old-growth forests and will enable its residents and visitors to marvel at these old hardwoods far into the future as they grow even more mature and majestic.”
An overturned truck spilled hazardous materials onto the 62nd Street Bridge late Monday night and crews spent several hours working to contain the spill.
The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company said it was assistant on a “large scale hazmat incident” along with crews from Allegheny County Emergency Services and the city of Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Fire.
A truck turned onto its side on the Sharpsburg side of the Senator Robert D. Fleming Bridge, also known as the 62nd Street Bridge, late Monday night and the fire company said crews were working to contain the leak.
An aerial view from the KDKA Drone Team around 3 a.m. Tuesday showed the large response from crews working at the scene of the crash.
A first responder told KDKA’s news crew at the scene that the chemical that was spilled was peroxide and the fire company said crews were working to keep the material from entering drainage systems.
Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, the fire company provided an update and said that all “hazardous materials have been mitigated,” but that the bridge is expected to remain closed for an extended period of time.
Drivers are being urged to use alternate routes for the morning commute.
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