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WHEREAS, The transit funding crisis that has struck not only Allegheny County, but the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will have a crippling effect on public transportation; and
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WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County serves more than 2.5 million residents daily; and
WHEREAS, The City of Pittsburgh, which houses the nation's sixth densest employment center and the Commonwealth's second- and third-largest economic centers, respectively, is heavily reliant on a robust public transportation system to achieve the economic stability and growth that has made our City and region a destination for new jobs and investments; and
WHEREAS, Half of all downtown Pittsburgh workers travel to their places of employment via public transportation and 30% of all workers on Oakland do the same, approximately 75,000 people in total; and
WHEREAS, Some estimates indicate that more than 15,000 residents of Allegheny County could be stranded daily from the service cuts that our Port Authority is being forced to make as a result of its $47 million budget shortfall; and
WHEREAS, Some estimates indicate that each stranded rider must pay as much as $8,100 annually to replace the services that the Port Authority currently provides, making life unaffordable for thousands; and
WHEREAS, The Pittsburgh region's roads, bridges, and parking facilities - facing their own funding crisis - cannot provide enough capacity to handle the increased number of vehicles on the road as a result of the transit cuts; and
WHEREAS, The combination of transit cuts and increased vehicles indicates that this $47 million budget shortfall could ultimately cost Allegheny County and City of Pittsburgh residents over $220 million in new transportation costs, an unacceptable burden; and
WHEREAS, Major regional employers may be forced to move jobs elsewhere, thereby reducing property values and vital revenue sources for the City of Pittsburgh and surrounding municipalities; and
WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County is contemplating yet another 20-25% cut in 2012, to be voted on in early 2011, as a result of the ongoing, unsolved, funding crisis;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that it is the will of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh to strongly urge the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and other bodies, to address this funding shortfall and take immediate action to ameliorate the undoubtedly negative economic consequences this funding gap has on the people of the City of Pittsburgh and the Commonwealth.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it is the will of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh to remind the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that solutions which so clearly protect the public welfare are in fact the duty of Commonwealth to carry out, and inaction on this important issue is not an acceptable option for the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.