Pittsburgh, PA—(ENEWSPF)—December 16, 2011. As part of Occupy Pittsburgh’s call for a week of action, Today, Friday, December 16, 2011 demonstrators will gather at the People’s Park at 3:00 pm before spreading out downtown to various bus stops during rush hour. Flyers will be handed out at the stops to inform riders about looming cuts to service, who riders can contact to voice their concerns and how to request a moratorium on all cuts to transit service.
In January the Port Authority of Allegheny County will announce the routes that must be cut in order to work with budgetary restrictions. They will be forces to cut up to 35% of their routes effective September 2012. The same reduction was proposed last March, but after public outcry and demonstrations the cuts were reduced to 15%. When combined with the 2011 cuts, the upcoming reduction would slash service hours in Allegheny County in half from 2010.
Facts and figures to keep in mind: PAT has 230,000 riders each weekday, 1/2 of downtown workers commute via bus, 54% of riders are going to work, 15% to school, and 6% to medical appointments, 1/3 of riders live below the poverty line, over 2/3 of riders do not have access to a car at the time of their trip. It is clear the 99% need public transportation in order to help keep this economy running.
Without an increase in state funding, public transportation across Pennsylvania is at risk. To bring attention to this issue Occupy Pittsburgh will be demonstration along with Pittsburghers for Public Transit and One Pittsburgh and telling Governor Tom Corbett that Pennsylvanians need our public transportation. Please join us in this effort to preserve transit system. Unless residents of Allegheny County can once again stand together to stop the reductions in service, many PAT employees and riders will be put out of work.
Demonstrators will hand out postcards addressed to Gov. Tom Corbett at the following downtown bus stops:
|
Location |
Routes That Pick Up There |
|
5th Avenue West of Wood Street Across from PNC |
All Oakland Bound Buses in the 71 Series |
|
Outside Wood Street T Station on Liberty Avenue |
Several North Side Routes and East End Routes |
|
Outside of 969 Liberty Avenue |
P1 P2 and other East Suburban Express Routes |
|
Outside of Burlington Coat Factory |
P1 P2 Express Routes and Southside Routes |
|
345 4th Avenue outside of Dollar Bank |
Mon Valley Bound routes |
|
400 Block of 5th near Ross |
All Oakland Bound Buses in the 71 Series |
|
411 7th Avenue outside Brueggers |
West Bound Express Routes and Airport Flyer |
|
1st Avenue T Station and Parking Garage |
South Bound Light Rail |
|
6th Avenue at Smithfield next to Brooks Brothers |
All East Suburban Routes including 77’s and 78’s |
Source: www.OccupyPittsburgh.org
