Pittsburgh job growth (like elsewhere) shifting to city center (York: for rent, insurance)

[youngabe]

Originally Posted by tclifton

Overrated? Who rates it high?? It's horrible. Traffic is bad, parking is bad and expensive, public transportation is bad. I loved it when I worked near Cranberry. No traffic, free parking, plus I could get in my car at lunch and go to the park, go shopping, eat at any number of places, etc.

You and I think alike. Trust me, there are apparently; apparently being the keyword, a lot of folks that rate it quite high...or so I'm told.

It's a shame--I do like the idea of working in a Downtown versus an "office park," but for me personally, convenience and money don't quite fit into the Downtown equation.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Depending on who I'm working with I work both downtown and in the suburbs. They both have their pro's and cons. My biggest gripe is that it's very dangerous to be a pedestrian downtown. Cars just don't give a sh*t and I've had some close calls. I know there are bad pedestrians out there, but I cross with the correct signal and in crosswalks and I've still been apart of some crazy situations.

Out of all the cities I've been to in my life I have never seen anyone not yield to pedestrians in cross walks like they do in Pittsburgh. It's insane.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by tclifton

I could get in my car at lunch and go to the park, go shopping, eat at any number of places, etc.

This is exactly what I miss about working downtown.

[UKyank]

It is quite pathetic when I had to commute to an office in wexford (19 miles) it took me less time to drive & be sitting in the office then when I have to drive to my downturn office (1.7 miles).

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

This seems odd to me. Just looking at Southpointe/Canonsburg's explosive growth from the mid-2000's onward makes me question how the suburbs only grew 0.1%.

Not to mention Cranberry. I read an article awhile ago that Cranberry gained ~15,000 jobs from 2000-2007.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by tclifton

Overrated? Who rates it high?? It's horrible. Traffic is bad, parking is bad and expensive, public transportation is bad. I loved it when I worked near Cranberry. No traffic, free parking, plus I could get in my car at lunch and go to the park, go shopping, eat at any number of places, etc.

It is a hassle, yes, for people choosing a car dependent lifestyle, but not because Downtown is lacking. It is far from perfect, but I can zip in and out on PAT when I need to. The food options are adequate. I usually walk to the CBD from where I live. Yes, that is a pain in the brain, but again - its lifestyle choices.

I would not call Downtown "horrible" by any stretch of the imagination! I think it is almost perfect for a lot of people NOW who must use mass transit.

By comparison, I would HATE Cranberry because I can't stand melding my existence to a car. I did that for years.

[tclifton]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

It is a hassle, yes, for people choosing a car dependent lifestyle, but not because Downtown is lacking. It is far from perfect, but I can zip in and out on PAT when I need to. The food options are adequate. I usually walk to the CBD from where I live. Yes, that is a pain in the brain, but again - its lifestyle choices.

I would not call Downtown "horrible" by any stretch of the imagination! I think it is almost perfect for a lot of people NOW who must use mass transit.

By comparison, I would HATE Cranberry because I can't stand melding my existence to a car. I did that for years.

I loved being able to go to the bookstore at lunch and browse, or do Christmas shopping, or go to the driving range and hit golf balls, or head to the park. As for melding an existence, Public transportation is where you're really melding an existence to someone else's schedule. With a car you're free to come and go as you please.

But then again, I suppose the differences are what make the world go round.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by tclifton

I loved being able to go to the bookstore at lunch and browse, or do Christmas shopping, or go to the driving range and hit golf balls, or head to the park. As for melding an existence, Public transportation is where you're really melding an existence to someone else's schedule. With a car you're free to come and go as you please.

I really good public transit system allows for the above things too.....unfortunately we don't have one of those though.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I really good public transit system allows for the above things too.....unfortunately we don't have one of those though.

I was thinking the same thing. I have been to many cities where the public transit ran nearly flawlessly and it wasn't an inconvenience to plan your life around it. But here though? "Eh, when it comes it comes".

A lot of people around here think that public transit means having less freedom (and they're right at a local level). However, in many places having a good public transit system gives you far more freedom.

[PghYinzer]

I guess I am either on a very reliable bus route or have really low expectations of what public transportation should be like. My bus shows up on time (give or take a minute at most) and delivers me to within a block of my office building for a set fee each day. Should it be doing more?

Honestly, I have never really taken public transportation in cities similar in size to Pgh, so I am not sure what should happen. More inter-neighborhood routes? Not being snarky, just honestly don't understand what we would be so different. Maybe the issue is lack of amenities in many of the neighborhoods. Maybe my confusion is a result of me not having to rely on it for all of my transportation but rather just to work each day and a few misc trips now and then.