<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="">Feb 25, 2008<br></font></div> <br> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;;">Dear Colleague,<br> The ACTC Long Range Planning Committee will meet Wednesday Feb. 27, 6 pm, at United Cerebral Palsy,4638 Centre Ave., at Neville St., on the 81B, 71A, 54C, and EBO lines.<br> The agenda includes 1) Flex-car is coming to Pittsburgh. Could this be an important support for more reliance on public transportation? 2) Dealing with shopping malls and PAT. The next step is sending the malls a letter asking for better access. 3) Coordination among transit systems<br><br> 1) Flex-car.<br> In a Flex-car system a person pays to use a car when really necessary, and can leave it at drop-offs. It can be cheaper and easier than renting a car, and far cheaper than owning one. Could this encourage more use of public transit for most trips, and less dependence on owning two tons of tin?<br><br> 2) Shopping malls and PAT access.<br> Some shopping malls are cooperating with PAT and providing good access - others are not.<br> The next step is a letter to malls reminding that riders can be their shoppers (or employees), and suggesting specific improvements. If we get an unsatisfactory answer, or none, we can reason further with the mall management. Our committee vice chair, Jennifer
Bashore,is working on a draft for this letter. She organized the successful little picket at
Century III mall, which objected to the mall moving the bus stop to a
less accessible and less safe location. <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> <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, especially with PAT's new planned Smart Card system for fares. What do riders want in cooperation and coordination among all the transit agencies?<br><br> There are several items of old business. There is the East Corridor - does the Hill want a line from downtown through Oakland to go through the Hill or around the Hill? Hill groups have yet to speak. There is possible lobbying for restoration of federal Operating Funds. 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> <br> <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>