Takin' the Bus to Revive the City

Well, the last two mornings I have decided to take the bus to work. Yesterday (Monday) I had to be in early because of a conference call that I had to be on, so I decided to take the 43E (Mt. Washington Express) which drops people off at various points downtown. The bus stops at the corner of Oneida and Grandview, which is right across from the Duquesne Incline (two streets west of my street). So it was a 5 minute walk to the bus stop. Then I got on the bus, and was downtown within 10 minutes. It was so fabulous!

Today I took the bus again. It was a little slower because of all the people driving to work today (the rain caused this, I think). However, it still has its benefits. I said this earlier this month about the "T", but I can say it's true of the bus system as well. There are a lot of cute girls that ride the bus. In particular, there is one girl that I can't get out of my mind; she had a great smile and cute curly blonde hair. I remember the sentiment when I was in college that Western PA has no cute, single girls; from my experiences so far, I can't believe I ever agreed with this.

So the whole public transportation thing gets me thinking many times about politics and beliefs that people hold. Public transportation is vital to cities and urban life, yet in many places (including Pittsburgh) it keeps facing budget cuts, which leads to a cut in services. Our cities are dying. Look at the declining population in the traditional Rust Belt cities (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit, etc) and look at the cities that are gaining population, like Aurora, Colorado. I have never been there, but it's basically a suburb of Denver. This isn't a city! Yet it has more population than we have in Pittsburgh. The same thing, "white flight", is happening in Western PA, where people are fleeing to the suburbs.

This gets to a whole bunch of problems, including the racial inequalities and disparities that exist because of this situation. When the Port Authority cuts services, who does it disproportionately affect? Minorities that live in the city. And why do they cut services? Because people don't want to pay a little more in taxes.

I believe in the necessity of urban growth and renewal for the sake of the country in the 21st century. One of the most important ways that this happens is with a vibrant public transportation system. That's why, when I am Allegheny County Executive, I am going to expand the "T" to all corners of the county.