What are your plans for the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh?

[happyslug]

I generally take the train into Pittsburgh Friday Night, but it stops at Greensburg on Friday the 25th, thus I am going to have to drive or stay in Johnstown for that Weekend (I am leaning to staying in Johnstown, even if the Protesters are peaceful and I hope they are, this meeting is going to tie up no only Pittsburgh but all of Allegheny County. For example, I have a sister who takes the T into town and then take a bus to her work in Robinson Township, its looks like she has to get a ride for PAT has no idea what to do for there is no place else for PAT to send its buses for people to take transfers from one bus to another. For people from out of town, PAT runs the bus service in Allegheny County.

Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) Plans (Or lack of plans):
http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/CustomerInfo/G20/tabid/500/Default.aspx

PAT Web Site:
http://www.portauthority.org/paac/default.aspx

As to any protests, The City of Pittsburgh has designated South Side Park for protesters. It has limited parking. Protesters will have access to the point on September 23 only:
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/g20/20474794/detail...

The Point has no place to park your car, plan either to walk or take the bus (and bus service will be restricted so plan to walk).

If you plan to go to Downtown during the G-20 meeting, I recommend you take a Kayak or Canoe (or maybe some other boat). You can tie it up on the South Side Park and camp there (That appears to be the designated area for protesters). Then take the boat, Kayak or Canoe to Point State Park. I recommend a Kayak or Canoe for the simple reason you can launch it without having access to a boat ramp (and fairly cheap so if it sunk or otherwise destroyed by the police no big lost). Now South Side Park has a boat ramp and places to park cars with trailers, but I expect it all to be shut down for the duration of the G-20 meeting, thus I go with Canoes and Kayaks.

In a boat you have several ways to enter downtown Pittsburgh. First most and easiest is Point State park (I expect the point to be heavy patrolled for this very reason). The other approaches are almost as easy to land, but then you are cut off by the various highways built on the river shores since the end of WWII. These all tend to be limited access and as such impossible to cross over except at designated underpasses or bridges, but if you are careful easy to bypass.

The oldest of these highways are the bypass on the Monongahela Rivers. Now these are now dominated by I-376 (Called locally the Parkway East) but when built had extensive parking so various passages exists. Best handed on a hit everywhere option to find out where the Police are weakest.

The Allegheny River is similar but have more landing spots. The City has a bypass that acts as a barrier but once over it (And the traffic, while heavy, is not as heavy as I-376 on the Monongahela River). You then have the use of the access to the Three "Twin Bridges" built by the county in the 1920s. Notice I use the term access, the bridges themselves I expect to be blocked off, but the access area to all three bridges is wider and once pass the bypass a the best way to get by only police blockade. Notice I suspect this is the weak link in shutting off Downtown Pittsburgh and why the protesters where put on the South Side NOT the North-side.

As I was saying the Three Twin Bridges are the weak point for even Point State Park, which as a much wider area for people to land by boat, can be contained by blocking the three underpasses under the Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne Bridges, and then again at Stanwix Street (The Widest street in that part of Downtown, it is the widest street for when Downtown Pittsburgh went through it "Renaissance" starting in the 1950s the old Wabash railroad terminal and tracks ran parallel to it. When that terminal and tracks were torn out it was easy to expand Stanwix Street to a proper four-lane road. If I was the city that would be my second line of Defense against protesters from Point State park (The primary line would be the three underpasses of Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne Bridges, with a "fall back" line at the edge of the Park, then the final line on Stanwix street).

The walkways along the Fort Duquesne and Fort Pitt Bridges are to narrow and easily blocked. Traffic is to heavy on both for protesters to take them over to use the car lanes. I would avoid them for those reasons (Through a small group should try just to keep the Police Busy on those bridges, i.e. to tie up the police so their are less police for use elsewhere). People could be dropped off from these routes, but the driver has to stay in the car and drive away (Traffic is heavy but slow enough for someone to stop and leave people out, if such people move quickly).

On the Monongahela River you have three bridges you can use. Smithfield, Liberty and 10th street. Liberty is the most heavily used of these three bridges, its sidewalks are wider then the Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne bridges but still easily blocked. Traffic is to heavy to use the car lanes for a protest. Furthermore the Liberty bridges Downtown end is a mess, it spits into three sections, one to the right and Oakland (useless for downtown protesters). The Second is to the left and Boulevard of the Allies (There is a set of stairs at the intersection of the Boulevard of the Allies and the Liberty Bridge Ramps, that takes you to Second Avenue, it is an option if the other three avenues are blocked). The third is straight ahead into the intersection of first Forbes (And the Old County Jail) and then Fifth avenue. The road the Liberty ramp becomes as its crosses fifth Avenue is Sixth Avenue (Robert Morris Collage Downtown Campus is at that same intersection and its address is Fifth Avenue at Sixth Avenue, NOT Sixth Street, Sixth Avenue. Sixth Avenue is a parallel street to Fifth Avenue till both pass Grant Street and the County Courthouse, at that point Sixth Avenue turns 90 degree to the right and ends at Fifth Avenue and the Liberty Bridge Ramp. This is a product of the hills of Pittsburgh, mainly old Grant Hill which was removed around 1900 AND the construction of the Cross town Expressway, described below, during the 1960s).

If you make it to Fifth Avenue, you have several ways to move, you are past the easy to block areas and thus in an area where it will be hard for the Police to Block your movement. At Fifth you can turn left and enter downtown proper, turning left at Grant to go to the Convention Center. You can stay on Fifth to Smithfield and turn left on it and go to the Convention center via liberty, you can even continue on Sixth to Grant and turn left to the Convention Center. A lot of options, the problem is getting across the Liberty Bridge and its ramps NOT afterward and at those locations Liberty Bridge is easily blocked.

If the Liberty Bridge is blocked then you are stuck with the 10th Street and Smithfield Street Bridges. These two bridges have wide walkways, but low enough traffic for protesters to take over and walk across every car lane. Thus like the three Twin Bridges on the Allegheny Rivers the best Bridges to use to get into downtown Pittsburgh by foot. Unlike the Twin Bridges the 10th Street Bridge runs into a cliff side. You then have to force your way into and through the 10th street tunnel to get to Forbes Avenue or turn to the left and force yourself through the narrow passageway between the Cliff side up to Duquesne University and the Parkway east and Monongahela River.

Between the 10th Street Bridge and Tunnel is Second Avenue. I do NOT see you being able to force yourself through the Armstrong Tunnels (Through there is a walkway and if open I would strongly recommend it, for its takes you to Fifth Avenue and Forbes and an easy hope into Downtown).

As to Second Avenue itself, Second Avenue spits and ends where the Boulevard of the allies enters downtown Pittsburgh. The reason for this simple, it is a narrow passageway between the Monongahela River and the Cliff-side the Armstrong tunnels go through, the Boulevard of the Allies had to go someplace to enter downtown so the 1920s engineers had the Boulevard of the Allies and the Liberty Bridge enter Downtown Pittsburgh over the top of Second Avenue. At the same time Second goes along the River, while the Boulevard of the Allies goes ON top of the Cliff side to Oakland. These two roads "merge" only as both enter downtown and this the mess that it is. Second Avenue enters downtown around the Boulevard of the Allies, Second Avenue ending at Grant.

In addition to Second avenue in this narrow corridor you have the old B&O railroad line, now a bike way. It also ends at Grant (Where the old B&O railway station was). It is another way, but easy to block given it is only as wide as a single line railway.

As to the Boulevard of the Allies ramp over Second Avenue, it was built in the 1920 as an access road for both the Liberty Bridge and the East End of Pittsburgh. In effect it blocks all access via its design, which was for cars not pedestrians. Like the access from Point State Park possible to do but difficult. You have the Bridge, which can be blocked, the Tunnel, which can be blocked, and then the narrow area where the Boulevard of the Allies enters over Second Avenue. All easy to block.

Now Smithfield Street Bridge is the oldest Bridge in Downtown Pittsburgh and as such the easiest bridge to get to, cross and enter downtown Pittsburgh. As such it will be the heaviest patrolled for like the Twin Bridges once crossed people can expand outward into all of Downtown (I.e. continue on Smithfield, or turn left or right and take Grant or Wood Street to Liberty Avenue and the Convention Center).

Now when I described how to stop a protest from the South-side, I pointed out it is the same way to block any protest from Second Avenue/Boulevard of the Allies/the B&O bike trail. Thus the only other three ways to get into downtown Pittsburgh is the Fifth-Forbes route, The Center Avenue Route from the Hill District and the Penn Avenue route from the Strip District.

Now these "land routes" (and even second avenue as explained above) are all cut off by the extension of the Liberty Bridge Access roads built in the 1960s as the cross town expressway and then again in the 1990s with the completion of the East Street Expressway (Sometimes called the Parkway North). The Strip District is further cut off by the old Main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (Not Norfolk and Western). When the Pennsylvanian Railroad (PRR) rebuilt its mainline around 1910, the PRR built its route taller to minimize conflicts with road traffic, including Downtown Pittsburgh. Together, the Access to the "Veteran's Bridge" to the East Street Expressway and the Railroad bridge chokes all access from the strip district (And this is NOT helped by the fact the Strip district is between the Allegheny River, then three streets, then the Main line of the Railroad and then a Cliff side separating the strip District from the Hill District of Pittsburgh. Like Second Avenue, easy to block at various points (and I suspect the Police to draw a line before the Veteran Bridge, use the Veteran Bridge as a "Fall Back Line" and then a final line at the Railroad Bridge).

Now the Forbes-Fifth route is separated from Center Avenue and the Hill District by a Ridge line, but a ridge line that is easy to cross and has cross street connecting Fifth and Forbes with Center Avenue Starting in Oakland and continuing to downtown Pittsburgh. This is unlike the ridge-line between the Strip District and the Hill District and the ridge-line between Second Avenue and the Forbes-Fifth. Those ridge-lines are true ridges, to hard for any large group to climb up.

As to the remaining land routes, Fifth-Forbes and Center Avenue (Hill District) both, while interconnected, are easy to block. The biggest impediment is the Cross town Expressway, which cuts off Downtown from the Civic Arena (I am a traditionalist, I can NOT bring myself to call it the “Mellon Arena”) and the Hill District. The Civic Area has a huge parking lot around it (It was built at the same time as the Civic Arena in the 1960s, the claim was for parking, but the blacks in the Hill District believe, and I agree with them, that it was to cut them off from downtown). The “Lower Hill” as it was called before the Building of the Civic Arena is now one huge parking lot with a handful of businesses on its ends (Mostly on the side of the Fifth-Forbes route). It is the area where the police fear problems will arise but given that it is nothing but parking lots today good for a series of blocking points, ending with a final blocking point along the cross town Expressway. This is more a result of the 1967 riots in the Hill District, i.e. isolate the blacks from being able to get to downtown to protest then anything else.

Thus this leaves Fifth-Forbes route. This is the traditional route between Downtown Pittsburgh and the Oakland section of town. It is how General Forbes entered the area when he took Fort Duquesne in 1758 (Later on his lieutenant General reset the road along liberty avenue and the strip district, the Hill District was always a local access road not a main route into Pittsburgh except from Oakland and the East End). It is NOT subject to flooding along the rivers and avoids the cliff sides tied in with both rivers. It is flatter then Center Avenue and the Hill District and thus the preferred route between Oakland and Downtown. Being old has narrow roads (Both Forbes and Fifth are one way roads today, Forbes from Downtown to Oakland, Firth Oakland to Town). The Oakland sections of both roads are wider but as you near downtown both narrows. While accessible to the Hill District, my sister told me about going to Collage on the Bus via Fifth and Forbes during the 1967 riots. National Guard Troops isolated Forbes and Fifth from the Hill District via those cross streets so it has been done in the past. While not as isolatable as Second Avenue or the Strip District, can be isolated at various choke points between Oakland and downtown Pittsburgh. The final line would be at the Cross-town expressway. The old county jail separated Fifth and Forbes at that point along with other tall buildings. Choke point after choke point and the cross streets only go to the Civic Arena area and its choke points.

I bring this up for it is easy to shut off Downtown Pittsburgh from the rest of the City. If you want to protest the best way in is by boat, via the Allegheny River or the Monongahela River up stream from the Fort Duquesne and Fort Pitt Bridges. If you can not do that then go to the Civic Arena area and try to force your way via the bridges over the cross town expressway.

My point is Downtown Pittsburgh is easy to cut off from the rest of Pittsburgh do to it being at the Junction of two large rivers AND extensive efforts to build a barrier between Downtown and the Hill District after the 1967 riots. The best way to get into downtown is via the Rivers themselves, for that is where most of the traffic came from when Pittsburgh was settled. The "bypasses" build starting in the 1930s have cut off much of downtown from its rivers but the these are still long stretches of river front people can canoe to. If I was to try to protest the G-20 meeting that is how I would go. The land and bridge routes are to easy to cut off (and can be cut off in depth and given the River hill cliff-sides, bypassing one set of blocking points may have no affect on any other blocking points). On the other hand once in town, it is fairly open (It is an area of high rise buildings but you can bypass most blocking points using other streets or ally ways). The problem is getting downtown NOT what you will face once downtown.

Alternatives: How about a huge posting sign along the Monongahela escapement known as Mt Washington? This is opposite downtown Pittsburgh, easy to get to (by foot) and if you have a large group of people to carry and quickly attach parts of a sign together you could unroll it down the Cliff-side.

[happyslug]

1. More on PAT options, none of which are great.

As to MY thoughts what PAT should do is simple, PAT has three bad choices (Yes, I dislike ALL three choices but it is the best I could come up with). First, Set up a new loop for ALL buses to use, so that people can exit one bus and then catch any other their need to complete their trip. The best new loop would be Center Avenue to Sixth Avenue, then to Grant then to Fifth around the Steel Plaza stop for the T. All routes avoid downtown except for these roads. Have special buses from the T to the rest of Downtown Pittsburgh. Centre Avenue and Fifth can handle all the buses from the East End. Either come down Center and make the loop or cross over to Center (for example from Fifth going into Pittsburgh). The Buses from the Bus way would have to go from Liberty Avenue to Grant to the T and then back. The Airport area can take the Carnegie Bus-way to the West End Circle and then go via 51 to South Hills Junction (and hook up with the T) or continue on Carson to the Tenth Street Bridge and use it and the Armstrong Tunnel to get Fifth and then to the Steel Plaza and the above loop. The Routes from down the Ohio River could do the same (Cross the West End ridge then Carson to the Liberty Bridge or 51 to the T). The biggest problem would be the North Side and North Hills. Not a good way to get to the T. Have to travel across one of the Three Twin Bridges (Or go out of their way to the West End Bridge and then to South Hills Junction) and then go through downtown to the Steel Plaza. If the North Side Connector had been finished, it would have been a good place to stop all North Side and North Hills buses at, then free transfers to downtown, but it is NOT finished.

The problems with this choice is first, it is hard for South Side Buses to connect to the T. The only way to to stop them at the T just before their cross the Smithfield Bridge and then transfer to the T to get to the area where the rest of the buses are looping (Except for those discharging passengers at South Hills Junction). At the present time there is a fare for travel between Downtown the the T at the Fright house shops, that would have to become free (as would any transfer at South Hills Junction). For a three day event it will be hard for people to adjust to transferring at South Hills Junction instead of downtown.

Second Choice would be the Civic Arena, Easy access to the East End and South Hills, but no direct connection with the T or the Martin Luther King Bus-way. Bus-way traffic would have to swing onto Grant then up Centre to the Civic Arena and would have to pick up people who took the T to Steel Plaza. Again, bad connection with the North Side and North Hills route. The T as the transfer point makes more sense, but it is in town and in this mess you want to stay out of town if possible. Thus the Civic Arena is a better choice from that point of view, but worse once you understand that the first and second volume of passengers in the PAT system is the Bus-way and then the T (Both at just over 10% of all PAT riders). Now the Civic Arena is a better Choice from the point of the South Side, South Side buses could take the 10th Street Bridge then the Armstrong Tunnel then cross streets to Centre and make the loop around the Civic Arena. What they lose in connecting to the T, is gained by direct connection with the East End routes.

Third choice would be a combination. East End Traffic at the Civic Arena, South Hills and Airport at the T (i.e. all buses to South Hills Junction and then free transfers to the T). North Side route either go to the West End Bridge and then South Hills Junction OR cross the 9th Street Bridge and then through downtown to the Civic Arena (And on the way pick up and drop off passengers for the T and the South hills and Airport area buses).

Yes, if the North Side Connector was finished that would be the preferred choice, but it is NOT, and even if it was you still has no solution to how to get Martin Luther King Bus-way riders to the T (Through the old proposal to convert the Bus-way to a LRV system and then connect them via the existing rail connection would then make even more sense then it did when proposed 4-5 years ago).

Something has to be done, but it looks like no decision will be made till the Friday before the G20 meeting and by then it will be to late.

If I was being asked my recommendation would be to use the T Extensively by getting as many buses as possible to discharge and transfer passengers at South Hills Junction. This includes the buses on the South Hills Bus-way but also the Mt Washington, Arlington and Brownsville Road Buses. The South Side Buses would only go to the Fright house shops and then transfer all passenger to the T. I would recommend that Fifth and Forbes routes use the Birmingham Bridge to Carson Street and do the same as the South Side Buses. The T from the Bus-way to Steel Plaza would be re-opened and people told to use it and circle the buses at the end of the Martin Luther King Bus-way (i.e. NO downtown Trips). Ohio River Boulevard Buses AND any airport and west end buses would go via West End Bridge and/or PA 51 to South Hills Junction. North Side and North Hills Buses would be given a priority across the one of the Twin bridges, including the exclusive right of ways to the Steel Plaza. All of this is to minimize the number of buses downtown WHILE maintaining something like a normal volume of traffic. All Hill District Buses would use Center to Grant and then Fifth and then back to Centre to loop around the T. This way people can transfer to any other bus their need. Not all downtown, as is the situation today, but either at Steel Plaza, Fright house shops or South Hills Junction.

Second, I would see if there is anyway the North Side Connector can be used (Notice I am using the term "Use" not "Finished"), if it can then use it as the end point for all North Side and North Hills Buses (Giving us FOUR transfer points, South Hills Junction, Fright House Shops, Steel Plaza and the North Side Connector first stop).

I would also contact the Pittsburgh Trolley Museum and see how many of their cars we can borrow for 3-5 days. You will need every streetcar you can buy or steal (provided their work) to make anything work during the upcoming debacle.

Side note: Maybe the G20 will become an annual event in Pittsburgh, if that is the case maybe Pittsburgh will get the money to finish the North Side Connector And convert the Martin Luther King Bus-way to an LRV system. Once done the T can become the backbone of any mass transit system and minimize a debacle like the one this is looking more and more to become. Furthermore if this was done, Amtrak could stop its Train in East Liberty instead of Greensburg and I could use PAT for the rest of my trip).

[dropkickpa]

2. Avoid downtown like the plague and take Dropkid to the zoo

Seriously, I have more than enough stress in my life. I live a 10 minute walk from the zoo, so we're going there since I have to take off work those days anyway (thanks Pgh public schools :eyes: ).

[happyslug]

3. Took my 83 year old Mother to the Zoo two weeks ago

My sister ordered an electric scooter for her to use (You can order it on line) for my mother has hip problems that prevents her from walking to much (She can walk a little bit but NOT the length of the Zoo).

Pittsburgh Zoo:
http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/

Scooter Web Cite from the Zoo:
http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/PlanYourVisit/ServicesandAmenities/ScooterRentals

Pittsburgh Wheelchair exchange, the organization that runs the above Scooter program for the Zoo:
http://www.pittsburghwheelchairexchange.com/

[dropkickpa]

4. Maybe I'll convince my mom to come

She likes the zoo, but the hills do a number on her knees and walking in general is getting difficult for her anymore. If I can convince her to ride a scooter (which will be a HUGE undertaking, she refuses to admit she may need assistance now and then) I'm sure she'd love it. What was the cost like?

[happyslug]

5. According to the web site $40 for the day

Now, my sister ordered the Scooter and in my opinion was worth the $40 the web site stated. My mother also refused to use a scooter, till her hip became so bad she could no longer walk far. Then we told her we needed the scooter so she can haul all the goodies for her Grand kids. That was enough of a cover story to get her to use it (She wanted to go, but her hip was causing her to much problem).
We walked from the Parking lot to the Zoo entrance and once inside that is where the Scooters were. They will take it out to your car if you asked, and left us take it to our car when we left the Zoo (We rode it back to them).