Who's afraid of a Beltway? (Pittsburgh, Penn Hills: living, dangerous, club)

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Lobick

If we already have highways that serve the "main purpose" of a beltway, why in the world would we spend some of the precious little resources dedicated to transportation on this?

Because apparently it doesn't. Pittsburgh's core didn't empty as is asserted as a negative effect of a beltway. As for transit, it's useful if all you want to haul is a warm body. Transit is not very useful for moving stuff in a region.

[dbsteel]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

So what if if a married couple bought a house in Penn Hills when they both had jobs in Monroeville, but then one of their jobs was transferred out to Moon Township?

Ya... I love when people say to live closer to your job, when we are in a time when people change jobs every five years. That kind of limits your opportunities unless you pick up and move 25 miles all the time doesn't it?

[Aqua Teen Carl]

"Given the terrain, Downtown is the location that's most convenient for people all over the region to get to," Mr. Zapinski said

Is this an Onion article?

[Der Schwabe]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Because apparently it doesn't. Pittsburgh's core didn't empty as is asserted as a negative effect of a beltway. As for transit, it's useful if all you want to haul is a warm body. Transit is not very useful for moving stuff in a region.

How do you figure? Explain how you conclude that "apparently it doesn't." I'm not sure what the second sentence is trying to point out. T

ransit takes warm bodies, aka people, to their jobs and off of the roads making transport of goods via roadway that much easier.

Seems like the beltway is the monorail of highway development.

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Because apparently it doesn't. Pittsburgh's core didn't empty as is asserted as a negative effect of a beltway. As for transit, it's useful if all you want to haul is a warm body. Transit is not very useful for moving stuff in a region.

Perhaps, Pittsburgh accidentally stumbled into a more optimal and beneficial form of Beltway when the surrounding highways skirted the city at a greater distance than some highway planners would have previously thought optimal. We built the second ring road prior to constructing the first and we're better off for it as the "convenience" that would lead to the abandonment of the core city never materialized.

In my view highways shouldn't be designed and built to address concerns about moving goods within a city/region as much as moving them either from, through, or past a city/region. It seems to me that the current system, while far from perfect, doesn't call out to construct redundancies when other transportation priorities should clearly take precedence.

[phatty5011]

We need an 8 lane tunnel under the river going from 376 by the point coming out in the west end and continue as a 6 lane high way to 79.

[gb933-lon]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

I hate to sound like a city living suburb hater, but if you live in Penn Hills and work in Moon Township, I don't feel sorry for you. You have decided to live where you live and work where you work. I get the whole different strokes/folks thing, but part of your lifestyle choice of living in the suburbs is that you have to deal with the commute. Part of my lifestyle choice of living in the city is less room, but I have less of a commute.

Each has it's trade offs, and we each make decisions that lead to our current situations. Everyone can't have it all.

I totally agree.

We can't be spending taxpayer billions on fancy beltways just because a few Yuppies got relocated for work. If you love your job that much, sell your house and move closer to your new job. Or rent a small apartment close to the new job you can stay at during the week. Why is this so hard to understand?

America has raised a generation of crybabies. The big mean world is not supposed to adapt to your lifestyle --- you need to adapt your way of living to the challenges life throws at you. I learned that long ago by my parents who grew up in a tougher era than we did.

[JoeP]

The areas covered (or would be covered) by the Southern Beltway would not hurt downtown.

It's challenging to get from certain parts of the metro to others. This helps fill some gaps.
Really, the complete version would allow for completely avoiding a large congested mess when one needs get from the turnpike area to west of the city or vice versa. Additionally it allows many communities south of the city to have better access that a myriad of various surface streets.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by gb933-lon

I totally agree.

We can't be spending taxpayer billions on fancy beltways just because a few Yuppies got relocated for work. If you love your job that much, sell your house and move closer to your new job. Or rent a small apartment close to the new job you can stay at during the week. Why is this so hard to understand?

America has raised a generation of crybabies. The big mean world is not supposed to adapt to your lifestyle --- you need to adapt your way of living to the challenges life throws at you. I learned that long ago by my parents who grew up in a tougher era than we did.

It's also about attracting companies. Companies like to locate to places where people from anywhere in the region can get to their company. It would also make getting to and from the airport easier, hopefully improving PIT's O&D.

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

It's also about attracting companies. Companies like to locate to places where people from anywhere in the region can get to their company.

Like Downtown

It would also make getting to and from the airport easier, hopefully improving PIT's O&D.

I have an alternate proposal. How about we give the airport .01% of the money the beltway would cost in cash. They could then lower gate fees and maybe have enough left over to pay people to fly out of PITT, substantially improving O&D.

This beltway development seems firmly rooted in 1980s urban planning, especially when it's tied to improving the airport's role in economic development.