Downtown Port Authority rally draws crowd

About 100 bus riders and activists rallied Downtown this morning as transit advocates promised to fight the Port Authority of Allegheny County's impending cuts."Public transit is not an economic issue. It's not a political issue. It's a moral issue," Khari Mosley, of the League of Young Voters, told a crowd of riders at Mellon Square. "We need a solution that protects our entire community."The advocacy group Save Our Transit then led a march to the Hilton Pittsburgh, where the first of eight public hearings would be held about the authority's proposal to slash routes and jobs. All of the three minute speaking spots at the 10 a.m. meeting were filled in advance.Officials announced earlier this month they will cut 25 percent of the routes, eliminate 400 jobs and raise fares up to $2.50 to plug an $80 million hole in the authority's budget. The changes are slated to take effect in June. The authority anticipates losing more than 20,000 of its 240,000 daily riders.Rally organizer Amanda Zeiders said she believes officials are serious about their intention to cut service."But if riders come together and stick together, we can change that," Zeiders said.Riders like Kenneth Miller, who carried a sign at the rally that stated "Healthy Transit = Healthy Economy," said they're mad."I'm angry that there's money for a new arena and to build that (subway tunnel) under the river, but not for transit," said Miller, 31, of Point Breeze. "That shows how misguided the elected officials are."City officials said last week the cuts will hit nearly a dozen local neighborhoods hard, leaving communities like Troy Hill and Swisshelm Park with no public transit service at all."The elected officials are making sure the Pittsburgh Penguins stay in the city," said DeShauna Ponton, of the advocacy group Just Harvest. "I can't afford to go to a Penguins game. I'd rather they worry about whether people can go to work."About half of the Downtown work force relies on Port Authority to get to work. The cuts also will impact all or parts of Brookline, Carrick, Crafton Heights, Fairywood, St. Clair Village, Sheraden, South Oakland, Spring Garden and Westwood."I see this as a big disaster," said City Councilwoman Tonya Payne. "Ultimately, this would be a loss to the city of Pittsburgh. If people can't get to work, why would they want to be here?"Jenny Weinstein, 28, a graduate student from Seattle who lives in Bloomfield, agreed that transit cuts will deter people from moving to the area."People, especially students, won't want to come here if there isn't good public transportation."With 1.2 million people, Allegheny County is the 28th largest county in the nation, but has the 15th largest transit system, county Chief Executive Dan Onorato said. The cuts will help rightsize the system, he said.Opinions voiced in the public hearings will be used to tweak the plan and decide on a fare increase.The hearings continue this afternoon at the University of Pittsburgh Alumni Hall in Oakland and through the next 2-1/2 weeks.