Residents rally to save the bus system

“I am mad. I am furious. I am mad as hell. I’m sick of this.”

Steven Donahue, from Save our… “I am mad. I am furious. I am mad as hell. I’m sick of this.”

Steven Donahue, from Save our Transit, greeted pedestrians on Forbes and Fifth avenues with this booming message yesterday afternoon, encouraging Pitt students to let their voices be heard.

“Every single year, we have to get ready to lose our service,” Donahue said. “[Legislature] has had four years to fix this, and they’ve done absolutely nothing. It’s snowballing out of control.”

He encouraged students to lend their support to Senate Bill 1162 and House Bill 2697, which would allot more than $60 million to public transit in Allegheny County alone. Those funds will pull Port Authority out of the approximately $35 million deficit it faces this fiscal year. For that reason, Port Authority recently announced a plan to alleviate the deficit by eliminating all weekend service and service after 9 p.m. on weekdays.

While the rally, held on the patio of the William Pitt Union, did not attract a large crowd, those attending showed concern for the future of public transit in Pittsburgh.

“Pittsburgh will never return to its former glory if we do not have a strong public transportation system to serve our citizens, visitors and businesses,” said David Ginns, transportation specialist for Transportation for Livable Communities.

Ginns, an advocate for public transit, reminded the audience that the state needs to give transportation programs a source of stable, reliable funding.

Carl Partanen, an Emeritus professor in the department of biological sciences, agreed with Ginns.

“The bottom line is, like you’ve heard before, dedicated funding,” he said. “Everything helps, though. We need more voices.”

And voices are what they are getting. Within the first half-hour of the rally, at least 10 students and visitors had filled out written testimonials to be submitted at the public hearings, scheduled for Nov. 4, according to Yacov Crawford. Crawford, one of the coordinators for the event, is the student empowerment coordinator for government relations and community for Student Government Board.

He added that public transit was not the only reason for the rally.

“We wanted to get students fired up about an issue because students don’t feel the need to vote,” he said. “This gives them a reason to say, ‘We care. Now you have to care.'”

While most of those attending the event will be directly affected by the potential cuts, some, such as Mike-Frank Epitropoulos, a visiting lecturer in the sociology department, were there simply because they supported the cause.

“I drove in here, and I drove out,” he said. “But don’t take mass transit for granted, whether you’re a rider, a commuter or a driver. If lost, it will be felt immediately and drastically.”

Keri Ritchey is one of the students who will be affected by the cuts. The sophomore has lived in Pittsburgh her whole life, and she holds out hope that something will be done.

“If enough of us get behind the issue, our voices will be heard,” she said. “It may not make a difference, but we still have to try.”

The rally offered students the ability to sign postcards that would be mailed to various legislators, expressing support for the bills. Students also recorded testimonies for the public hearings that will be held next month. Save Our Transit is also planning a trip to Harrisburg, Pa., Nov. 10, to speak with state legislators. More information on this rally can be obtained by calling (412) 361-3022.