<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; font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" face="Tahoma">Jonathan B. Robison, chair; </font><span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Jennifer Bashore, vice-chair</span><font style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;" face="Tahoma"><br></font></div> <div class="ReturnAddress" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><font style="font-size: 11pt;" face="Tahoma">412-683-0237 <font style=""> </font><font style=""></font><a href="mailto:jon@jonrobison" onclick="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>882-9747</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;; text-align: center;" align="center"><font style=""> Jan. 20, 2008<br></font></div> <br> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;;">Dear Colleague,<br> The ACTC Long Range Planning Committee WILL MEET Wednesday Jan 23, 6 pm, at United Cerebral Palsy,4638 Centre Ave., at Neville St., on the 81B, 71A, 54C, and EBO lines.<br> The agenda is 1) PAT access to shopping malls, 2) Restoring Federal Operating Funds, 3) Coordination among transit systems, 4) The East Corridor - will Onorato go through the Hill or around the hill?<br><br> 1) PAT access to shopping malls<br> What shopping malls have cooperated with PAT to provide good access for shoppers and employees using transit? What should we do about lack of cooperation? Jennifer Bashore is working on follow-up to our successful little picket at Century III mall, which objected to the mall moving the bus stop to a less accessible and less safe location. Allegheny County Council member Joan Cleary joined us and introduced in County Council a resolution urging malls to work with the Port Authority to establish safe andf convenient bus stops. <br> There are cooperation issues with Ross Park Mall, South Hills Village, and Edgewood Town Center. The malls are private property, so the Port Authority can only ask for cooperation, even though the malls enjoyed heavy subsidies from us taxpayers.<br> We will also keep an eye on the City of Pittsburgh and buses serving Market Square. 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.<br> We can act. The first step is to find out the facts. At the last ACTC meeting, we asked PAT's liason person, Denise Henderson, to identify malls that did not have safe and accessible transit stops, and what response PAY had gotten from reuests for cooperation. She hopes to have a report at the next ACTC meeting, and a preliminary report at our committee meeting Wednesday.<br><br> 2) Restoring Federal Operating Funds<br> Transit Operating Agencies such as PAT used to receive both federal operation funds and capital funds. The modest operating funds were abolished during the reagan administration.<br> Now everybody's talking about energy conservation. What better time to call for restoration of operating funds? Buses are an existing, proved technology to same energy and protect the environment. Nothing is likely under this administration, but we can support efforts to get the ball rolling.<br> Should this be an ACTC project? Shoul this be an independent project supported by ACTC, enlisting the help of environmental groups, SOT, ATU, and others?<br><br> 3) Coordination among transit systems <br> Lots of political leaders - and PAT CEO Steve Bland - have talked about increased cooperation among transit agencies in the Pittsburgh region. A single regional transit system would raise very difficult problems in sharing costs and governing authority. But cooperation and coordination among all the transit providers can and should happen.<br> For the riders as well as for efficient operations, what are the possibilities for cooperation and coordination?<br><br> 4) The East Corridor - will Onorato go through the Hill or around the hill?<br> County Executive Dan Onorato has released a report of his Transportation Action Team. It's central recommendation is (his caps) "IMPLEMENT RAPID TRANSIT FROM DOWNTOWN TO OAKLAND AND IN AND AROUND OAKLAND." This may be important forward motion for an East Corridor light rail project<font style=""> connecting downtown and Oakland, the 2nd and 3rd largest trip generators in Pennsylvania. <br> Bue any new line must go either through the Hill or around the Hill. Which should it be? There are pros and cons with both alternatives. Most important, has anybody asked the Hill, and organizations such as One Hill?<br><br></font><font style=""> If you have any questions or comments,</font> please contact us, by phone at 412-683-0237 or <font style="font-size: 11pt;" face="Tahoma"> </font>882-9747, or by e-mail.<br>Love and Peace, <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;;">Jonathan Robison, Jennifer Bashore.<br> </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>