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WHEREAS, the Port Authority of Allegheny County, having projected a $64 million dollar budget deficit for 2012 operations, has announced its intention of a 35 percent cut to public transportation services including the termination of neighborhood bus routes and decreases in service hours; and,
WHEREAS, the proposed budget cuts include the lay-off of hundreds of employees who will face economic and family hardship as a result of a loss in wages and health benefits at a time when the national economy is still in a stage of recovery; and,
WHEREAS, accessible and reliable public transportation is critical to our local economy and to attracting new residents; and,
WHEREAS, public transportation has the environmental benefits of improving air quality, reducing pollution, and decreasing traffic congestion; and,
WHEREAS, thousands of Pittsburgh residents and citizens throughout a multi-county region each day rely on public transit to arrive at work places, attend cultural and sporting events, visit Pittsburgh's many institutions, attend classes, and much more; and,
WHEREAS, lower wage workers, seniors and citizens who have physical and developmental challenges frequently rely on public transportation as a means to getting around and require the accessibility provided by public transit, as tax-paying citizens; and,
WHEREAS, to combat the potential loss in transportation services, State Representatives Dan Frankel and Mike Sturla have introduced House Bill 2112 to transfer money from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to mass transit, which will effectively ensure funding for Pennsylvania's roads, bridges and mass transit systems; and,
WHEREAS, Governor Tom Corbett stands in the key executive position to secure funding for public mass transit, and likewise, to support comprehensive transportation initiatives.
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh stands in support of House Bill 2112 and calls for its t...
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