the future as relived in the past

On the 19th of April 2005 the County executive unveiled his 6 point transportation planhttp://www.alleghenycounty.us/news/2005/250419a.asp clearly stating his goal of a Regional transportation authority and the dreaded public-private partnership.

March 15 2006 the Transportation Action team is announcedhttp://www.alleghenycounty.us/news/2006/260315.asp. A stated goal of the team is to focus on the VIABLE next steps for the Chief Executives six point transportation plan. This team is headed by David Hickton recently announced as the front runner for the U.S. Attorney in the Western Region of PA

January 3, 2007 the Chief Executive and Steve Bland announce proposed Port Authority fare and service changes. The first stage is set for a crisis in county transit is set as imminent and drastic service cuts are planned. http://www.alleghenycounty.us/news/2007/270103.asp

June 3, 2007. The first stage is set for a dedicated source of revenue for the mass transit system as lobbying in Harrisburg for a tax is pursuedhttp://www.alleghenycounty.us/news/2007/270603.asp. This becomes a necessary tool for a public-private partnership as a dedicated source of revenue is a stated goal of Veolia VP Ron Hartman.

what's to come

ON the 23rd of October the board of directed did what they do best. They rubber stamped a policy decision that will affect all the transit riders in Pittsburgh. In the near future these route changes will be seen for what they are a shrinking of the coverage area provided by the Port Authority and a reason to implement a regional transit authority. We'll soon be hearing of another funding crisis, legacy costs, and more service cuts. Soon our tax dollars will be going into the hands of a private concern running our authority in one form or another all in the name of efficiency. Ever since Dan Onorato's begining of his first term he's been quite clear of changing transit as we know it in this area. Time interrupts me to delve into this subject any further at this time but future blogs will document how this has started from the first weeks of this administration in January of 2005 to the present.

Well it's the last day of knowing the Port Authority of Allegheny County as we know it. Tomorrow October 23, 2009 the board of "directed" casts their rubber stamp on the TDP connect 09. It's the first step to destroying the social safety net we have in public transit. It's being sold to us as a improvement, and the efficiency of our system will be greatly enhanced while only seperating a few hundred people from the social safety net of the county transit system. In the next few years we'll be hearing of private haulers of transit services entering Allegheny County http://www.veoliatransportation.com/index. Don't be fooled by the cost savings or the increase of services none of this will happen and it will all happen at the expense of the American taxpayer so that a few will become wealthy thanks to your taxes. Don't say you haven't been warned America we've documented this for over a year now, the privitization of goverment services.http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=376. Soon we'll be hearing of new pension issues over at the port authority and why that will have to be dissolved it's all part of the plan to destroy the greatest middle class in the history of man by destoying all the hard won gains of labor unions from the 1930's. The next three years on this issue will be interesting, but I wanted this blog out today on this subject as a record of the situation as it stands.

You're Lying!

Dear Mr. Bland,



Please start telling the citizens of Allegheny County the truth. Since you arrived here from the giant metropolitan area of Albany, NY you have done nothing but weaken the transit system in our region. You have insulted the intelligence of our good people. First by trying to ram service cuts down our throats, and when you couldn't achieve the goal you wanted, you went to school and found your "veil" in the form of Nelson/Nygaard. You brought them in to "assess" our transit system. Needless to say if anyone has the time or the or the will to do any investigating, they will find that in two years and 1.3 million dollars of the taxpayers money later, all that Nelson/Nygaard has done is disguise the (almost exact) doomsday service cuts of 2007. Rename every route to have the appearance that they changed the whole system. Last but not least this should outrage the citizens of Allegheny County, only one, yes one new route has been created in this region. Every other change has been either a service cut or a so-called consolidation that will absolutely leave people in certain areas stranded. Thank you Steve for your dedication to destruction. Now lets all sit back and see how long it takes for the private sector to step in and fill the gaps left in the county. The State Legislators, County Council, and the citizens of this County aren't even going to know what hit them when the Port Authority's Board of "Directed" approves this worthless Transit Development Plan. It's not too late. We'll stand up and FIGHT!


Cowboy Neal Cassady

son of the greatest generation

Well here we go again with another exciting episode of, Watch the Port Authority of Allegheny County mislead the public, starring Dan Onoratto, co-starring Steve Bland, and the special guest appearance of Nelson-Nygaard. When last we left off the storyline, the big issue was just how do we fund a transit system without a dedicated source of revenue. Alas the star of our show Danny Onoratto rode in his limo and called out to the state legislature. Please, please give us a dedicated source for transit, and I have a great idea to achieve this without pissing off anyone politically. After years of striving for a dedicated source of revenue the administration of Onoratto was rewarded with a 10% drink tax on alchoholic beverages in Allegheny County to fund his transit system. Well here we are caught up to the storyline, and once again the transit system of our metropolis is in flux. Am I missing something here? Wasn't it just recently that Steve and Dan were touting the historic savings in a newly negotiated transit contract with the evil bus drivers union? Wasn't it just recently that we right sized our transit system to adjust for the population decreases over the last quarter century? Now we get the all Knowing consulting firm from San Francisco at a small cost of 1.3 million to decrease service further. A long time ago my father told me if it smells like it, and looks like it, don't step in it. That's exactly the crap thats being fed to us, a transit overhaul that will improve service for most of us. Just who exactly are most of us anyway? Someone who lives in the inner city? and already has a transit ride every 30 seconds. The only thing I know that's a certainty in life is, if it's not there, it's not there. Let's get real MR. Onoratto, if your taking my bus ride from me and countless others it is in fact a ELIMINATION. It's not an improvement for me a tax paying citizen of this county who happened to buy his home near a transit stop. What's next Danny? no more electrical lines to my home? Maybe the water company feels i'm too far from the pumping station to serve me and they'll cut that service too. The one thing I know for sure in politics is that the candidate who raises the most money is always the one who's sold his soul to the highest bidder. Haven't you raised the most money so far of any Democrat in the Governor's race? Who is it Dan that's bought you off and stands to profit from the transit system cuts and surely other things we're not aware of ? Surely sometime in the future the ugly head of Pittsburgh transportation group ( http://www.veoliatransportation.com/index ) a subsidiary of Veolia transit will show its head as the driving force behind this so called transit devolopment plan. But those of us who live here from one generation to the next we'll still be here trying to fix the mess you've left behind as you travel down the road of political whore.