"Missing The Train"

STPP has identified a study prepared by the Sierra Club called "Missing the Train".  The report speaks both to the role of public transportation in supporting our workforce needs and to the need to prevent the increase of local match from the current 20% to 50% for transit capital projects such as the North Shore LRT.  The report is available at:

www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/report04

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Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Testimony

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission has closed the public comment period for the review of the draft 2005-2008 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP is a four year list of federally and state-funded highway and public transportation projects. The Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) Project attended the Public Participation Panel (PPP) meetings in each of the ten counties within SPC's region. SPC will adopt the draft TIP on June 30, 2004.

TLC met with several groups who had submitted testimony in the summer of 2003 to notify them of the PPP meetings and to determine if their project was included on the draft TIP. Sustainable Pittsburgh submitted a letter to SPC noting the effectiveness of the SPC prepared Status Reports presented at the PPP meetings in helping to track projects that were submitted in the summer of 2003. A copy of this letter and SP's original testimony letter may be found here and here.

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Mon-Fayette Expressway (PA 51 to I-376)

Sustainable Pittsburgh submitted a letter dated April 9, 2004 on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) based upon the comments submitted in the review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (see below). SP stated that the project should not receive a Record of Decision (ROD) from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) until the following four points are addressed. The ROD is needed to proceed to the right-of-way acquistion and final design phases.

  • Extent of Alternatives Analyzed

  • Methods of Alternatives Analysis Used

  • Financing Accountability

  • Absence of Economic Rationale.

SP offered to be available to work with FHWA, PTC, or any other agency of Commonwealth or County government, community based organizations, municipalities, school districts, and others to foster sustainable development through the applications of Smart Growth and "good government" practices.

To read Sustainable Pittsburgh's entire comments, please go to http://www.sustainablepittsburgh.org/NewFrontPage/mfe_feis_testimony.htm

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Pennsylvania Public Transportation Funding Crisis

David Ginns of Transportation for Livable Communities arranged several meetings with Senate and House key members and their staffs to discuss the public transportation crisis on December 8th and 9th in Harrisburg.  Joining TLC was Fred Brown of the Pittsburgh Transportation Equity Project, Stu Strickland of Save Our Transit, Richard LeGrande of Allegheny County Transit Council, and Marc Stier of the Northwest Campaign for Public Transportation in Philadelphia.  A letter was sent to Craig Shuey, Executive Director, Senate Transportation Committee, to provide a response to the proposal he discussed with the meeting participants.

TLC will continue working with its partners to develop a more formal position statement and add members to the coalition addressing public transportation.  If you would like to be a member of this coalition, please contact David at mailto:dginns@sustainablepittsburgh.org.

View the text of the letter by clicking here.

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Sustainable Pittsburgh Endorses the Riverlife Task Force/Vollmer Route 28 Alternative

On December 5, 2003 Sustainable Pittsburgh sent a letter to PennDOT regarding State Route 28 - Sections A09 & A10 - East Ohio Street Improvement.  Sustainable Pittsburgh requests that PENNDOT select the Riverlife Task Force/Vollmer Route 28 alternative.  

Click here to read the entire text of the letter.

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Clearing the Air 

On Tuesday August 19th, Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) in partnership with the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) co-released STPP's Clearing the Air report. This report identified that Pittsburgh is the 6th worst in the nation for exposing residents to unhealthy air. Pittsburgh recorded 134 days of unhealthy air quality from 2000 to 2002. TLC and GASP conducted a media event on the day of the release to highlight the introduction of a County idling ordinance that will put in placed diesel vehicle idling regulations.

Click here for to read the entire news release.

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SP Comments on Draft 2030 Long Range Plan.

Click here for the Long Range Plan Formal Input

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Joint Letter to Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission Requesting Extended Public Comment Period - Draft 2030 Long Range Plan

Click here for the letter

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Public Transportation Funding Crisis

The Transportation for Livable Communities Project is a partnership of Sustainable Pittsburgh and the Surface Transportation Policy Project serving to advance transportation reform in southwestern Pennsylvania.  TLC has joined forces with the Campaign to Build Pennsylvania Public Transportation to address the public transportation funding crisis in Pennsylvania. 

There are two primary concerns.  One, restore the funding cuts to public transportation operations that are contained in the current Fiscal Year 2003/04 (beginning July 1, 2003) state budget.  Second, develop a stable and reliable source of funding for public transportation operations at both the state and federal level for future years. 

A copy of the letter to send to your state legislators is included at Sustainable Pittsburgh’s web site http://www.sustainablepittsburgh.org/Transportation_Funding_Crisis_Letter.htm.  A link to find your legislators is below.  Please call David Ginns of TLC at 412/258-6652 or e-mail dginns@sustainablepittsburgh.org if you have any questions. 

Find your legislator here!

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"The $300 Billion Question: Are We Buying A Better Transportation System?"

STPP's analysis of ten years of federal spending, titled "The $300 Billion Question: Are We Buying A Better Transportation System?" is available on www.transact.org. A press release was prepared by David Ginns who serves as coordinator for the Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) Project. The Transportation for Livable Communities Project is a partnership of Sustainable Pittsburgh and the Surface Transportation Policy Project serving to advance transportation reform in southwestern Pennsylvania. 

Link to the full text of the press release here.

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Sustainable Pittsburgh Urban Cycling Committee Input to East Corridor Transit Study

The Port Authority and Southwestern PA Commission, along with Westmoreland County Transit Authority are undertaking a year-long planning effort to identify transportation needs and potential public transit improvements within a study area that extends from Downtown Pittsburgh to Greensburg and from the Allegheny north shore northeast to New Kensington and to the south shore of the Monongahela southeast to Clairton. The agency team recently met with the Urban Cycling Committee to gain input relative to non-motorized priorities. The Cycling Committee's recommendations are found here.

Sustainable Pittsburgh releases Sustainability Assessment of Mon Fayette Expressway

 

Click here to read a Post-Gazette article regarding the report.

 

Click here to read the Assessment. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed)

 

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Sustainable Pittsburgh releases Sustainability Assessment of Mon Fayette Expressway

 

Click here to read a Post-Gazette article regarding the report.

 

Click here to read the Assessment. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed)

 

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Sustainable Pittsburgh Comments on Mon-Fayette DEIS

Stating its support for enhanced transportation access in the Mon Valley, in March '02, Sustainable Pittsburgh released a Sustainability Assessment of the Northern Sections of the Mon Fayette. Our assessment preceded the Turnpike Commission's release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the toll road. SP has reviewed the DEIS and submitted the following letter (see link below) to the Turnpike Commission together with the original SP Sustainability Assessment.

Click here for the letter.

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STTP invites support for The Alliance for the New Transportation Charter

The national Surface Transportation Policy Project has recently released and invites organizations to sign-on in support of The Alliance for the New Transportation Charter. This is a broad-based coalition working to make transportation better serve communities. 

The Alliance seeks to affirm the successes of ISTEA and begin to articulate needs for reauthorization of the federal transportation law, TEA21 in 2003. The charter features principles describing the many ways in which transportation investments are a means to achieve broad public objectives and community economic, social, and environmental outcomes.

To view the charter and the principles being articulated, 

click here

To view a list of Alliance endorsers of which Sustainable Pittsburgh is one, click here

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Mayor's Office Responds to Urban Cycling Committee

The Urban Cycling Committee received a response regarding expanding the road bicycle system for the City of Pittsburgh.

Read the text of the letter here.

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The Urban Cycling Committee sends recommendations to Mayor Murphy regarding additional dedicated bike lanes on city streets.

Click here to read it.