<html><body> <div class="DocumentLabel" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><font style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;" face="Tahoma">Jonathan B. Robison<br></font><font style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;" face="Tahoma">154 N. Bellefield Av. #66<font style=""> </font><font style=""> </font>Pittsburgh, PA<font style=""> </font>15213</font></div> <div class="ReturnAddress" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><font style="font-size: 11pt;" face="Tahoma">412-683-0237 <font style=""> </font>683-0177 <font style=""> </font><a href="mailto:jon@jonrobison" onclick="return true;Popup.composeWindow('pcompose.php?sendto=jon%40jonrobison');; return false;" target="_blank" mce__onclick="Popup.composeWindow('pcompose.php?sendto=jon%40jonrobison');; return false;">jon@jonrobison</a>.org</font></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;; text-align: center;" align="center"><font style=""> Oct. 22</font>, 2007</div> <br> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;;">Dear Colleague,<br> ACTION!<br> Certain shopping malls have been hostile to public transit riders. Finally, there will be a picket at Century III mall Saturday, Oct. 27. We will meet at 10 am at Chick-Fil-A on Route 51 at Century III.<br> This will be an informational picket, peaceful and lawful. We urge Century III management to show some respect for transit riders, specifically including restoring bus service adjacent to the stores in the mall, at a site safe and convenient for the elderly and handicapped who shop or work at the mall. (How would <span style="text-decoration: underline;">you</span> like walking across a dark empty parking lot when your shift ends?)<br> The action is organized by Jennifer Bashore, one of our newer members. She has also done a marvelous study of problems with three malls owned by the Simon Property Group - Century III, Ross Park, and South Hills Village. Several shopping malls are acting as if none of their employees use
public transportation and no transit riders shop in the mall. The malls are private property, so the Port Authority can only wish
that its riders will be considered. But all these malls enjoyed heavy
subsidies from us taxpayers. Of course, they all had to go through
public permit processes, and claimed the mall would benefit the
public. PAT can't make a fuss. But we can.<br> If you want a copy of Jen Bashore's report, just e-mail her at pghtransitoutrage.gmail.com.<br> The Long Range Planning Committee of the Allegheny County Transit Council wull meet Wednesday, Oct. 24, 6 pm. at United Cerebral Palsy. Centre Av. and Neville St. Our meeting Wedmesday will discuss the ramifications of this problem,
and also outreach to encourage participation. Please join us Wednesday
as well as Saturday.<br> <br> At the meeting, we will also discuss Market Square. The problem with the malls is an ugly reminder of the situation in Downtown Pittsburgh. The city of Pittsburgh has scheduled the exclusion of buses (but not cars or trucks) from Market Square, and will force PAT to modify its routes. ACTC is trying to get involved in the planning process. <br> On a back burner is energy conservation. There is no better tyool than public transit, for both energy independence and environmental conservation. Maybe we should start organizing support for public transportation and mindful land use. Maybe we should start support for a restoration on federal <u>operating</u> funds for public transportation, which was discontinued under President Ronald Reagan.<br> Also on the back burner for the ACTC Long Range Planning Committee<font style=""> </font>is the proposed East Corridor light rail project. <font style=""> Nothing seems to be happening until some person or group develops a consensus on the possibilities. <br> I think we should have a light rail connecting downtown and Oakland, the 2nd and 3rd largest trip generators in Pennsylvania. Either such a line will go through the Hill, or around the Hill. The answer to this should depend largely on the Hill. I have sent an e-mail on this, and mentioned some factors involved in this choice, to contacts in the One Hill organization, a broad assembly of Hill District groups. Stay tuned.<br> Also on the back burner is </font><font style="">a regional public transit system.</font><font style=""> There continued rhetoric. But there is a lack of specific proposals, and no discussion of how power would be shared amoung the counties in the region. What are the alternatives? Maybe we need a regional system, a "Pittsburgh Area Transit" system, with each county remaining independent, but agreement on protocols of cooperations on transportation across county lines, and an agreement on fares and funding. </font><font style="">(That's still PAT.)</font><br><font style=""> If you have any comments,</font> please contact me, by phone at 412-683-0237, or by e-mail.<br>Love and Peace, <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;;">Jonathan Robison, chairperson, </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;;">ACTC Long Range Planning Committee</div> </div><font style="" face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font style=""> </font></font><pre><br></pre></body></html>