Where are the leaders at?

Pittsburgh PA - More on the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) and the fiscal saga they are in was reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It brings up a very important point which is where are the business, civic and political leaders at the public hearings?

While transit may seem an unimportant issue to business, civic and political leaders, it effects them as much as it does the daily transit rider. They should be present so they understand the impact on the proposed route cuts and how it will effect them.

PAT's Executive Director, Steve Bland, asked that very point. "It's time for [leaders] to step up," he said. "I don't know that they appreciate the impact [of public transit] on the community, business and the economy."

What the recent transplant from Albany is tasting is a bit of Pittsburgh. If it doesn't involve sports, the arts or pandering to the United Way, screw it. I grew up in and continue to live in the Pittsburgh area so I am more than qualified to say that the entire Western Pennsylvania area is totally backwards in its thinking and in its priorities. This goes from the individuals that live here all the way up the ladder to business and politics. It's no wonder the Western Pennsylvania region continues to stagnate, and even slip downhill further, while other areas of the country are moving forward.

In most every other city, business, civic and political leaders step up when it comes to public transit. Generally, they understand the importance of public transit to the region's economy. Not in Pittsburgh. From a City Council that periodically floats bills to ban buses from downtown to businesses that fail to even try to remotely assist the employees that depend on public transit through scheduling or reduced cost transit passes that literally don't cost the employer more than a few cents an employee, you have all the ingredients of a city that doesn't have a clue to the importance of public transit to the well being of the area.

Granted, PAT has been crying wolf on this for several years in a row now and perhaps the leaders are just tired of hearing it. Earlier doomsday plans did bring in a bit more input from the community leaders than the current plan is but it was still way under what you get in many other areas of the country.