You think its bad for PAT now, it's about to get A LOT WORSE! (Pittsburgh: city hall, to live in)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Goinback2011

The trouble with your analysis, BrianTH, is you never acknowledge the legacy cost issue

I acknowledge it all the time. PAT's legacy costs are in fact an ongoing problem. Unfortunately, there is very little that PAT's current management can do about those legacy costs in light of the current state laws. So, as I did above, and do all the time, I am more than happy to talk about possible state law reforms that would help PAT address those legacy costs.

What I reject, however, is the notion that doing something about PAT's legacy costs is a live alternative which could prevent these service cuts. That notion simply has no basis--there is no action pending on these issues in the state legislature, and indeed no reason to believe that the current state government would be interested in such reforms. Hence, any campaign on these issues will have to be long-term, and there is no chance of such campaign achieving results in time, not for that matter any guarantee that the savings would be enough.

Instead, you point to the giant unicorn in Harrisburg and ask why it isn't pooping more skittles for everyone around the state so that the pensioners could have their ill-gotten pensions and the transit riders could have all the transit they would ever desire.

Again, that "unicorn" is FED BY OUR TAXES.

Seriously, you want to actually kill the unicorn, so that it neither provides "skittles" NOR eats our taxes? Be my guest--I am very confident Allegheny County would come out way ahead if you did that.

But you can't argue that we should feed the unicorn with our taxes, but then get no unicorn "skittles" in return.

This is the position of the Transit union. Or its attorney.

No, this is the position of a person who understands:

(A) that everyone in Allegheny County has an economic stake in public transit in Allegheny County, whether they personally ride it or not; and

(B) that we're paying state transportation taxes in Allegheny County, and not getting back our fair share in non-transit state transportation funding.

Given A and B, it does not make any sense for the people of Allegheny County to accept the notion that the state should not continue to contribute funding to PAT.

[BrianTH]

By the way, I really recommend that anyone interested in these issues look through the Commission report:

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Note that was a Commission appointed by Corbett himself, and it included a wide range of stakeholders.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

By the way, I really recommend that anyone interested in these issues look through the Commission report:

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Note that was a Commission appointed by Corbett himself, and it included a wide range of stakeholders.

Link didn't work on my end.

How big is this report?

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by raubre

Link didn't work on my end.

How big is this report?

40 pgs. The executive summary is 17 pgs.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by Lobick

40 pgs. The executive summary is 17 pgs.

I would think a summary would be less than one page.

[BrianTH]

It isn't a simple issue or proposed solution, even summarized . . . but if you skip or skim the charts and pictures in the Executive Summary and just read the text, it should only add up to a handful of pages.

[squarian]

Thanks to Anthony R. Joseph, 36, of Ross, there's one less pension PAT has to pay for.

[h_curtis]

Originally Posted by squarian

Thanks to Anthony R. Joseph, 36, of Ross, there's one less pension PAT has to pay for.

I doubt it. The power of unions has no boundaries. He might get a medal and a raise.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

I doubt it. The power of unions has no boundaries. He might get a medal and a raise.

I hate to agree with this, but there are a handful of rude and ignorant bus drivers that are still with PAT that sghould have gotten the boot. On the other hand though, most of the bus drivers are good decent friendly people (they seem to know me since always on the bus.) It's those few bad eggs that spoil the whole bunch.

[h_curtis]

Originally Posted by raubre

I hate to agree with this, but there are a handful of rude and ignorant bus drivers that are still with PAT that sghould have gotten the boot. On the other hand though, most of the bus drivers are good decent friendly people (they seem to know me since always on the bus.) It's those few bad eggs that spoil the whole bunch.

I had a guy get off a bus and warned me that the bus driver was telling everyone on the bus that he would love to run me over on my bike and hated cyclists. He of course came really close to me and showed me he was boss. I don't like being passed by buses in the first place and will do whatever I can to avoid them, but after hearing that, I don't trust any of them.