Pittsburgh Infrastructural Suggestions/Recommendations (Republic: how much, unemployed, military)

[Clint.]

How about just keeping the roads paved so 6 inch deep potholes aren't accepted as a fact of life?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Clint.

How about just keeping the roads paved so 6 inch deep potholes aren't accepted as a fact of life?

I wish the city would pay for vehicular damage caused by their infrastructural maintenance negligence. I already need another alignment not long after just getting one due to the horrible potholes everywhere. It's almost May. What is the city waiting for in terms of fixing them?

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by LIRefugee

Intellectual exercise idea:

Ban all automobiles within the city limits except for limited-access highways (279, 376, 28, 65, etc.) and special-purpose vehicles like moving trucks

Construct large parking garages adjacent to major roads at the city limits so that motorists will have a place to store their cars while they are in the city. Also make am ample number of bicycles and Segways and such available for rental and provide storage for those who own such conveyances.

Expand the T so that it runs over all major roadways such that:
- 95% of the population of the city will be no more than one-half mile from the nearest stop
- Light rail will stop at the outer parking garages no less often than every fifteen minutes at all times, except every 30 minutes from 1-4 AM.

This idea would certainly increase the number of people employed in areas like retail food in the city, and bring back the traditional mom and pop stores that were on their last legs when I was a kid and are now just about extinct.

The old school, before automobile era, has lots of local grocers, produce men and butchers- the automobile allowed people to make longer and bigger trips for their provisions. Waiting for 15 minutes for a train with a lot of groceries and then having to walk up to 1/2 mile with them once you are at your destination, is something that people won't like doing today (and didn't like doing before the automotive age- hence the role of mom and pop).

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Tinare

Ugh, there is one that drives me crazy every morning. From Forbes Avenue into the Armstrong Tunnel. Why would there be no turn on red there? There is no opposing traffic to turn left (at the tunnel Forbes becomes one way.) It's the perfect place to turn right on red. Then when you get to the other side of the tunnel at Second Avenue -- there is not a "no turn on red" sign, so theoretically you can turn on red even though the sightlines are horrible and you can't really see traffic coming from the left on Second Avenue. Additionally, the traffic from the 10th Street bridge that is turning onto Second Avenue has a left green arrow. My personal theory is that some genius hung the sign on the wrong side of the tunnel. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Actually, there used to be a sign there, permitting a right turn on red back when right on red was illegal in Pennsylvania, so your point makes perfect sense.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Let's face reality: the United States is in decline and at home we're doing the bare minimum to get by at an infrastructural level. Second tier cities like Pittsburgh are not going to see any massive infrastructure overhaul in our lifetimes and probably not in our children's lifetimes. The only thing that would pull cities out of their near-second world infrastructure status would be a new "New Deal". Until then it's potholes, rusty bridges, backed up sewers, litter, and decaying buildings for us.

[stburr91]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Let's face reality: the United States is in decline and at home we're doing the bare minimum to get by at an infrastructural level. Second tier cities like Pittsburgh are not going to see any massive infrastructure overhaul in our lifetimes and probably not in our children's lifetimes. The only thing that would pull cities out of their near-second world infrastructure status would be a new "New Deal". Until then it's potholes, rusty bridges, backed up sewers, litter, and decaying buildings for us.

As much as it saddens me to say this, I agree with you. We can expect to see only the bare minimum in infrastructure spending.

Last I read, there was $2 trillion worth of maintenance need just for our existing infrastructure. I'm not sure where that kind of money is going to come from, so I just can't see how we can expect to see a lot of new infrastructure projects in the future.

[Clint.]

Now that globalization is here to stay, e.g., no more job/wage boom times in the U.S., the only way out is to raise taxes. They are at historic lows, but it's unlikely to happen. Too many people want something for nothing. Raising taxes on the top earners would help, but we know how easy that is to do. The average middle-income earner is loaded with so much consumer debt that many of them seem to have accepted it as the new normal and so regard higher taxes as financially unbearable. Plus, there aren't as many middle income earners as there used to be and they earn less in adjusted dollars than they used to. So yeah, barring something amazing happening I agree - get used to it.

Where Does the Money Go? | Center for American Progress
Where Are Your Tax Dollars Going? | Center for American Progress

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Let's face reality: the United States is in decline and at home we're doing the bare minimum to get by at an infrastructural level. Second tier cities like Pittsburgh are not going to see any massive infrastructure overhaul in our lifetimes and probably not in our children's lifetimes. The only thing that would pull cities out of their near-second world infrastructure status would be a new "New Deal". Until then it's potholes, rusty bridges, backed up sewers, litter, and decaying buildings for us.

You said it. Ironically, if the government would do a massive spending program on infrastructure, just think of the jobs and boost to the economy it would create. I have friends who travel to China and believe me the Chinese are spending on infrastructure. One of my friends described Shanghai as "something out of the Jetsons". The US is falling behind.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by stburr91

As much as it saddens me to say this, I agree with you. We can expect to see only the bare minimum in infrastructure spending.

Last I read, there was $2 trillion worth of maintenance need just for our existing infrastructure. I'm not sure where that kind of money is going to come from, so I just can't see how we can expect to see a lot of new infrastructure projects in the future.

Sad, but true. If we had politicians with vision who could convince voters that it was worthwhile to spend on infrastructure...

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by Clint.

Now that globalization is here to stay, i.e., no more job/wage boom times in the U.S., the only way out is to raise taxes. They are at historic lows, but it's unlikely to happen. Too many people want something for nothing. Raising taxes on the top earners would help, but we know how easy that is to do. The average middle-income earner is loaded with so much consumer debt that many of them seem to have accepted it as the new normal and so regard higher taxes as financially unbearable. Plus, there aren't as many middle income earners as there used to be and they earn less in adjusted dollars than they used to. So yeah, barring something amazing happening I agree - get used to it.

Where Does the Money Go? | Center for American Progress
Where Are Your Tax Dollars Going? | Center for American Progress

I just finished an article that relates: Empowering Regions to Reinvent Themselves - Bruce Katz and Judith Rodin - The Atlantic Cities