Editorial: Focus on transportation in mayoral election

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl officially announced his bid for re-election on Tuesday night. He will compete with City Councilman Bill Peduto and City Controller Michael Lamb for the Democratic nomination in the May 21 primary election. Ravenstahl has been the mayor of Pittsburgh since 2006, when he took office after the death of Mayor Bob O’Connor.

As another announced contender for the Democratic spot, Lamb is running on the platform of improving safety, improving the city’s basic operations and modernizing public schools. Peduto is running on the platform of balancing the budget, streamlining government services and solving problems with technology.

Ravenstahl has stated that, if elected, his goals are to focus on keeping taxes at current levels, invest in neighborhoods and reduce the city’s debt. He said that the city’s tax levels have not been raised in seven years, and he wishes to continue that trend.

Mayor Ravenstahl has been doing well in governing the city. He’s been at the helm of plans to redevelop several of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, and the city has been ranked as one of the most livable both in the nation and internationally. The city has active arts, music and sports scenes, as well as job opportunities that help entice students to stay after graduation.

Ravenstahl’s — and the other candidates’ — goals are admirable. However, we think that the next mayor should focus more on a specific chronic problem in Pittsburgh: underfunding of public transportation and infrastructure. Over the past several years, Pittsburgh has seen yearly cuts to bus routes that have left many communities under-served, and buses in the city are overcrowded. Many students can relate to the frustration of seeing several packed buses drive by, unable to pick up more passengers, while they try to catch a bus home.

Both the fares for public transportation and the costs to run buses are higher in Pittsburgh than in other cities. In 2010, the Allegheny Institute, a free-market think tank, said that Pittsburgh Port Authority’s average expense per trip was $4.44, compared to $2.92 in Baltimore. Because of a lack of funding, prices are higher for passengers. And at universities such as Duquesne and Point Park, free bus passes aren’t provided to students.

While many of Pittsburgh’s transportation problems start at the state level, we hope that the next mayor uses his platform as a public figure in Pittsburgh to draw attention to and help solve this issue. Doing so will hopefully make living in Pittsburgh easier and more affordable.