Will the proposed light rail to New Ken really happen? (Pittsburgh: construction, prices)

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Back then a lot more people lived in the City. Moreover, gas was a lot cheaper, and the roads were a lot less congested.

And you know that how?

Traffic is nothing now compared to the 60's and 70's. No stats to show, I just lived here n'at.

[Impala26]

I tend to feel that now passenger rail might be more effective in these areas than several decades ago IF you manage to pull in a large enough proportion of park-and-rides. I like to think that as recently as the 1970's people in the Pittsburgh area were still in the "honeymoon phase" of suburbia and driving their cars. I think generally more people now are looking to spend less time behind the wheel while commuting, using transit as an opportunity to multitask while en-route to a destination (read, smart-phone, etc.)

About six months ago I took the Blue Line T all the way to Library. I was amazed at how much the station was used even though that Library is nearly in rural-suburbia. As such, virtually all the riders used the park-and-ride. I can't see why such a model couldn't work in the Allegheny Valley or Greensburg. Several people in my family (most of us are near the valley) have said they would take a train along the Allegheny as opposed to 28, even if it took a bit longer.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Copanut

And you know that how?

Traffic is nothing now compared to the 60's and 70's. No stats to show, I just lived here n'at.

You guessed it--there is a stat for that.

Here is one source:

http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/congestion_data/tables/national/table_7.pdf (broken link)

Average yearly hours of delay per auto commuter in Pittsburgh was 18 hours in 1982, 33 hours in 2009.

By the way, I thought you were now working from home, not commuting? Maybe that is why your perception is that traffic was worse before--I have no doubt your personal commute is better.

[PeterRabbit]

I think in the 60s and 70s families had less cars, not the typical two-car family. Our pop. was higher but maybe less drivers.

[Copanut]

Don't forget, cars were wider and longer back in the 70's, so they took up more room.

[MathmanMathman]

Living in Atlanta, I can see advantages to our North/South East/West heavy rail. It's great for those that want to avoid rush hour and great for events be they sports, concerts, or just to get downtown to do stuff and not bother with parking.

It just seems that the Pittsburgh rivers would make natural corridors for rail transport to downtown. I'm basing this on nothing more than intuition but really, a rail line down the Ohio to Beaver/Rochester, up river on the Mon to McKeesport, and up the Allegheny to New Kensington should make all the river valleys appealing to live in unless people are fearful of floods (and that is reasonable concern). Levi's recently did a spot about how depressed Braddock is. Seems to me that place should be ripe for development if it can be tied to downtown.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

It just seems that the Pittsburgh rivers would make natural corridors for rail transport to downtown.

And in fact there have been heavy rail lines along the rivers for a very long time, which is part of why so many of the older settlements are in the valleys (although that actually goes all the way back to the pre-rail/water-transport era).

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Levi's recently did a spot about how depressed Braddock is. Seems to me that place should be ripe for development if it can be tied to downtown.

NEVER HAPPEN

That place has been depressed since the 70's.

[BrianTH]

Never is a long time. I think it will be awhile, but I also think we will eventually need the space in Braddock.

[Uptown kid]

Let's face it! Never is the true date for Braddock's comeback, not becuase of presence of the Down Bottom Gangsta Cripz or crime (yet that plays a big role now) but the depressing vibe and inconvenient location... They gotta do a whole lot of fixin' up (more like a total transformation) of the Central Business streets. Plus look at all of the urban decay and vacancy that thousands of working class people left behind in the residential part. For the most part Braddock cloud give a Realestate Agent a depression attack... Near by Rankin is the same way, and don't forget the declining parts of Swissvale and North Braddock.

Another reason that Braddock can't come back is Woodland Hills... There are four rival gangs in the same crummy and crumbling school district... Not a good place to learn!
To most people Braddock is not a great place to live now, let alone to get enough hipsters to pose a come back in the future.