Skybus, a history (Pittsburgh, Washington, Monroe: fit in, movers, home)

[Mugatu]

Very interesting! I lived in South Park when I first moved up here and had no idea this existed. Thanks for the history lesson.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by slamont61

Another thing I miss from that era, Andy's Loop Cafe in Mt Lebanon. Great place to have a beer and hang out or to wait under cover for the trolley to begin it's inbound trip into town.

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Almost forgot about that place. Back in the early 80's we had a group of guys that played hoops at Julia Ward Howe school. Then, we would immediately proceed to that gin mill. What a great place.

[jimmyev]

Just think of all the pensions that wouldn't have to be paid now if they actually had implemented the unmanned skybus system. I bet we wouldn't be facing a 35% service cut.

[slamont61]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Almost forgot about that place. Back in the early 80's we had a group of guys that played hoops at Julia Ward Howe school. Then, we would immediately proceed to that gin mill. What a great place.

It was a great little family owned spot that had regular characters and the best drink prices in town. Perhaps we crossed paths there - or at the one of the two places I worked - The Corner Pub or Sunken Cork. Who knows? I do know Andy's Loop was the my very favorite dive bar, ever.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by slamont61

It was a great little family owned spot that had regular characters and the best drink prices in town. Perhaps we crossed paths there - or at the one of the two places I worked - The Corner Pub or Sunken Cork. Who knows? I do know Andy's Loop was the my very favorite dive bar, ever.

I lived in walking distance of the Corner Pub, great little dive, it's still there. Sunken Cork??? What a great place back in the day.

I know we met at the Loop, and you owe me 20 bucks, you slacker.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by jimmyev

Just think of all the pensions that wouldn't have to be paid now if they actually had implemented the unmanned skybus system. I bet we wouldn't be facing a 35% service cut.

And development patterns might have been more transit-oriented, and the local economy in general might have been more involved in transit, which means we might not be facing state funding cuts in the first place.

[Copanut]

We could have been the front runners in Public Transportation had we adopted Sky Bus. Too many politicians and union people fought against it.

Gee, some things never change.

[BrianTH]

Don't forget the press and a bunch of other people opposed Skybus and/or preferred the alternatives as well, including an odd coalition of poorer City residents and wealthier suburbanites, various rival business interests (Skybus opposition actually united ownership/management and labor in the steel, industry), and so on.

To be fair, Skybus really was conceived by elites who expected to be able to run it through the process they had established for getting things done in Pittsburgh, and when that process fell apart (in general, not just for Skybus), they weren't really prepared for the new dynamic.

[Copanut]

Whatever, we had a chance to be visionaries, and politics shot it down.

Do you really think the gondola thing will happen in this area?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Whatever, we had a chance to be visionaries, and politics shot it down.

I guess my point is that chalking it up to "politics" without elaboration absolves specific people and groups of responsibility for the role they played. In other words, the politicians had constituencies they were representing, and the constituencies themselves share in the responsibility.

Do you really think the gondola thing will happen in this area?

Maybe! Political conditions are gradually changing both locally and at the state and federal level, so you never know.