Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'll be starting a new position Downtown on Tuesday, July 5, and while I'm very much looking forward to being able to walk to work via the Strip District from my home in Polish Hill in under an hour I've also considered utilizing the 77 Penn Hills bus, which stops at Bigelow/Herron/Paulowna and then stops again about two blocks from where I'd be working. I'd primarily be looking to do this if we have some brutally cold weather again like we had in early-2014 and early-2015.
Does anyone on here take the 77 into town from Penn Hills? Is it normally packed to capacity by the time it reaches Polish Hill? Would I be in danger of the bus passing by my stop for that reason? It looks like the bus only runs every half-hour, so missing it or having it pass me up wouldn't be an option, as this job has inflexible hours. I've also considered walking to the Herron Avenue stop on the East Busway, but the 77 stops closer to my home and to my new office.
You would probably save time, even with the extra walking, by catching the P1 or P2 at the Herron Avenue Busway Station and get downtown in a few minutes. The buses come every 5 minutes or so during rush hour. Car traffic backs up at the multi-lane merges coming off the Veterans Bridge and Bigelow and getting to Sixth or Seventh avenues if you take the 77.
You would probably save time, even with the extra walking, by catching the P1 or P2 at the Herron Avenue Busway Station and get downtown in a few minutes. The buses come every 5 minutes or so during rush hour. Car traffic backs up at the multi-lane merges coming off the Veterans Bridge and Bigelow and getting to Sixth or Seventh avenues if you take the 77.
I thought of that too, but if he's taking the P1 during rush hour, the chances are pretty high it will be totally full in the morning. I regularly see the P1 fill up so much around 5-6 that it doesn't even pick up people at half the stops Downtown.
You would probably save time, even with the extra walking, by catching the P1 or P2 at the Herron Avenue Busway Station and get downtown in a few minutes. The buses come every 5 minutes or so during rush hour. Car traffic backs up at the multi-lane merges coming off the Veterans Bridge and Bigelow and getting to Sixth or Seventh avenues if you take the 77.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton
I thought of that too, but if he's taking the P1 during rush hour, the chances are pretty high it will be totally full in the morning. I regularly see the P1 fill up so much around 5-6 that it doesn't even pick up people at half the stops Downtown.
Thank you both for the quick replies. Much appreciated.
Given that Herron Avenue was the last inbound stop on the East Busway (and I know how PACKED the East Busway is) I figured many buses would just keep on going past the Herron Avenue stop because they were already full.
I hadn't considered that the 77 would obviously get stuck in that same "mixing bowl" mess where inbound Bigelow's ramp mixes with the inbound I-279 ramp to Sixth Avenue/Seventh Avenue. For a 5-minute longer walk in the opposite direction to get to the East Busway station it would probably be a quicker commute, despite the fact that the closest P1 stop to my office, the U.S. Steel Tower, will still be further from my office near PNC First Side than the 77's stop at Fifth & Sixth Avenues.
My hours will be 8 AM-3 PM. I'm guessing if I walk to the U.S. Steel Tower by 3:20 PM I should be able to get onto a P1 bus, as they probably won't start filling up until after 3:30 PM, right?
One little trick that a lot of people do is to walk a few more blocks to Liberty and Tenth (in front of Images) and get on the P1 at the first stop it makes coming into downtown. You have to ride the loop outbound, but you may get a seat for the way home.
I've learned that you just can't depend on the bus service in Pittsburgh to get you to work by a certain time (or back home by a certain time). It's the unfortunate truth. Fortunately I have flexibility in my job and no kids so late, or no show, or even early buses don't cause me any problems. When I absolutely need to be at work by a certain time, I either get the bus before or drive.
So on those days that are too cold to walk, get on one bus earlier than you would expect.
Last edited by MountainDewGuy; 06-29-2016 at 02:20 PM..
I recommend doing the trip by bus a few times this summer. Try the 77 and the busway, maybe for a week each? You probably don't even need a week.
Catch the first few buses much earlier than you have calculated. This will give you a feel for the route. Get a coffee or read a book to kill the extra time you will have.
Once you have a feel for total commute time (including walking and any potential long waits to cross specific intersections), you can catch the later bus the next few days to further familiarize yourself.
You should never try to catch the bus every day that puts you there right on time. Plan on arriving 15-20 minutes early and consider it your insurance policy if something goes wrong one day. At least if all else fails you are situated perfectly to catch a quick Ãœber ride to work.
Since you will only be doing this on rare occasions and aren't yet an expert at the ins and outs of the daily routes you will be riding, allow yourself a lot of extra time on those days
I think your trip home on a P1 or P2 will be good. I actually use the busway here and there and love it. Talk about fast access to the city! Anyway I don't know about your ride in. I think you will get picked up, but you may get passed here and there. I would almost always use the busway over any other route into and out of the city. So much faster.
I think your trip home on a P1 or P2 will be good. I actually use the busway here and there and love it. Talk about fast access to the city! Anyway I don't know about your ride in. I think you will get picked up, but you may get passed here and there. I would almost always use the busway over any other route into and out of the city. So much faster.
I agree the ride home on the P1 won't be a problem. Just make sure you get a space near the front of the bus, or it will be impossible to get through the crowd of people standing. And never, ever wait to get picked up at Penn Station.
And never, ever wait to get picked up at Penn Station.
Even at that hour?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
