Rally in Bethlehem on Thursday To Stop LANTA Cuts and Fund Mass Transit

Lehigh Valley Coalition for Appropriate Transportation (LVCAT) and Transit For All PA are hosting a rally on Thursday, 10:30 am, at Bethlehem's Payrow Plaza to seek more state funding for LANTA as well as other mass transit systems in the Lehigh Valley. They promise "remarks from local and regional elected officials, labor leaders, transit riders, and more." The persons I'd really like to hear from are the transit riders, many of whom are already suffering as some of these cuts have already started. While some routes probably attract too few riders to be viable, I know of several lines that always are quite busy. 

Unfortunately, this rally is scheduled during business hours, when many of you are working. But Transit For All Pa is urging you to contact your state legislators.

Chester County Business Leaders - Funding For Mass Transit a Statewide Issue

I've written twice now about proposed cuts to LANTA, including route eliminations and fare increases. NorCo Dem Exec candidate Tara Zrinski has complained about the proposed elimination of mass transit to the slate belt. And last week, Northampton County Council, which includes GOP Exec candidate Tom Giovanni, unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the state senate to include a $292 million increase statewide for mass transit. Though this increase has passed the Democratic state house, its fate is uncertain in the GOP state senate. This is so even though the House version includes $500 million for road and bridge projects, which has been a sticking point in the past. With a budget deadline of June 30 looming, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) is dubious. "Funding transit,” he said, “is something that we can live without in our caucus.”

Maybe he and his fellow Senators can. They get per diems and state cars funded by state taxpayers. Not all of us are so fortunate. 

Some say this is just a Philly problem. But as Laura Manion (President & CEO, Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry) and Mike Grigalonis (President & COO, Chester County Economic Development Council) observe, all of Pennsylvania has a stake in mass transit. Below is what they sent me. 

In the debate over how to fund Pennsylvania’s roads, bridges and transit systems, one counterproductive misconception persists: that mass transit, and specifically SEPTA, is a “Philadelphia problem.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

From Pike County to Erie County, Westmoreland County to Lehigh County, Pennsylvania’s businesses rely on a robust network of roads, bridges and transit systems to bring employees to work and attract customers. What every Pennsylvania county shares is public transportation that connects people and communities to work, school and essential services.

Here in Chester County, and the Greater Philadelphia region, our economic growth has been undergirded by this system, with SEPTA mass transit at its foundation.

SEPTA is an essential cog in the economic engine of Southeastern Pennsylvania — an engine that generates billions in economic output and tax revenue for the entire state. A weakened SEPTA means a weakened regional economy, and that ripples out to the rest of Pennsylvania in real dollars. The income, business, and sales taxes generated here help fund state programs and services that benefit all 67 counties. When our region suffers due to impaired transit, the state’s ability to reinvest equitably across Pennsylvania suffers too.

Counties across Pennsylvania also benefit directly from SEPTA’s operations every day — not just through travel, but through jobs, procurement, and commerce. Over the past five years, SEPTA has awarded over $1.14 billion in contracts to Pennsylvania-based companies in 39 counties, with an average annual investment of $228 million. That’s not just rail cars and bus routes in the southeast — that’s steel, rubber, electronics, parts, safety equipment, and professional services supporting jobs across the Commonwealth.

If SEPTA is forced to cut service or delay infrastructure upgrades due to unstable state funding, it’s not just riders in the southeast who are directly impacted. It’s those employers and the Pennsylvanians they employ who will also feel the impact. SEPTA is one of the largest transit systems in the country and one of Pennsylvania’s largest purchasers of goods and services — and when funding cannot fully support operations, that economic activity across the entire Commonwealth is also reduced.

This is proof of a fundamental truth: mass transit is regional infrastructure with statewide economic impact.

We fully support statewide transit funding to address SEPTA’s shortfall this year to avoid devastating cuts. But we also recognize the need for a long-term, sustainable solution that ensures our public transit systems — not just in Philadelphia, but across the state — are viable for the future. We are not suggesting a blank check or permanent patchwork. We are advocating for a smart, stable, and transparent approach that recognizes the shared value of a functioning, modern transit system.

Now is not the time to retreat. With major global events like America 250, the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, the PGA Championship and the NFL Draft all coming to Pennsylvania in the next year, our transit infrastructure must be ready to move tens of millions of visitors efficiently and safely. Without it, the region — and the state — will miss out on untold economic opportunity and global visibility.

Pennsylvania must now rise to meet this moment — and not just to “save” transit, but to invest in what it already delivers: regional economic impact, workforce access, and job creation.

This isn’t about urban vs. rural or east vs. west. It’s about building a statewide economy that moves — powered by a mass transit system that serves millions of Pennsylvanians in all 67 counties.

If you’re a business owner or policymaker outside of southeastern Pennsylvania, don’t think of SEPTA as someone else’s concern. Think of it as your next contract, your next job posting, your next opportunity. It’s time we fund transit operations across all of Pennsylvania like the statewide engine it is.

Brown Makes Good Call For LANTA Board

One of Northampton County Executive John Brown's first appointments was that of Richard McAteer to LANTA, the Lehigh Valley's mass transit provider. McAteer is the same guy who helped run Easton into the ground as Shadow Mayor under Phil Mitman. He has continued to exert influence under Mayor Sal Panto as the Chair of Easton's Redevelopment Authority. Glued at the hip to Jersey developer Mark Mulligan, he helped orchestrate a reduction in the property assessment of the Wolf Building, which Mulligan was buying from the County, and then voted by proxy for the reduction because he just happens to be a member of the Revenue Appeals Board.  Mulligan was also a board member at RenewLV, and took then Mayor John Brown by the hand to introduce him to Lehigh Valley Partnership types like J.B. Reilly. At the end of last year, he was sitting on nine different boards.  

McAteer is a part of the urban growth regime in which developers like Mark Mulligan or J.B. Reilly, and politicians like Sal Panto or Ed Pawlowski, scratch each others' backs.

The last place someone like McAteer belongs is on a board that tries to provide effective bus service for people unable to afford a car or who choose, as a matter of principle, not to drive.

I opposed this nomination, not on my blog, but in person. I figured I might as well make an ass out of myself there, too. and spoke against it at the February 19 Personnel Committee. I am very leery of people who manage to sit on several "nonprofit" boards and end up somehow enriching themselves, as we saw at the Steel Museum and, to a lesser extent, at Illick's Mill.

"It has to stop being a musical chair arrangement," I brayed. "I don't think you'll see Mr. McAteer hopping on a LANTA bus anytime soon. ... Here's an idea. Put somebody on who actually uses mass transit."

Brown defended the appointment and McAteer's "strategic outlook," whatever that means.

McAteer was confirmed unanimously the next night, which shows how influential I am.

But guess what? McAteer is ill, which is unfortunate for him and his family. I oppose his involvement in government, but do wish him a speedy recovery. He has apparently stepped down from LANTA to concentrate on his health. Brown has proposed replacing him with Kim Schaffer, a former County employee who actually did take the bus every day and is now Executive Director of Community Bike Works.

Brown has put someone on a mass transit board who actually uses it.

Maybe I should become a consultant.

Bus Trip From Pittsburgh to Chicago For Just $1, Thanks to the Internet

Publicly subsidized LANTA will soon raise bus fares in the Lehigh Valley to $2 for a one-way trip. At the same time, private carrier Megabus is offering rides from Pittsburgh to Chicago for as little as $1. Based on a similar system in Britain, these low fares are awarded to someone who plans ahead. CEO Dale Moser explains why fares are so low.

"I don't have a terminal, so I don't have bricks-and-mortar ... I don't have the staff that maintains it. Everything's back room -- it's all computer sales. I have nobody handling cash. I have nobody handling any kind of transactions at the bus. The bus driver is focused on taking care of the customers and driving safely."

Yeah, and they're probably fueled by peat moss stolen from the Irish. (My thanks to Jason Slipp at LVBO for telling me about Megabus.)

Pay No Attention to Lehigh Valley Earthquakes - It's Just Fat Man on a Bike

Just two years ago, I rode my bike to the courthouse nearly every day. Contrary to what you may think, most drivers were nice. They'd laugh when they saw me. I loved it. It helped me stay fit. One less car.

Then it happened. One morning, I woke up with terrible pain in my shoulder blade. My cycling and running days were at an end. I couldn't even turn my head. I'm an old fart. One more car.

That was seventy pounds ago. Yesterday, I started again. I rode my bike to work. I'll only be able to do this twice a week until I get in better shape. I walked hills. People still laugh. But other cyclists don't. They're in their own little zen world, listening to their breathing or the noise of a car coming behind them. It felt good to be out. One less car.

I have a heavy duty bike with racks, fenders, headlights, reflectors and Kevlar tires. I call it my BUV. Don't need to gas it up. The only fuel I need is water. One less car.

At the courthouse, where parking is at a premium and people drive for a half hour to fight over a spot, I parked right by the rotunda and chained my bike to a railing. No bike racks. A wind-sensitive fountain at our $45 million judicial palace, but no one thought of a bike rack. I washed off in the men's room, even though it offends prudish council members like asbestos lawyer Lamont McClure. He wants me barred from changing in a frickin' men's room. It might violate his Code of Civility. I can only sit on the crapper. Hey, hairballs have rights, too! That's OK. In a few weeks, when I'm fit enough to drive every day, I'll strap a Lamont McClure sign on my back, and give every driver I see the finger. One less Lamont McClure.

After work, I took an empty LANTA bus part of the way home. Thanks to visionary people like Steve Schmitt and his Coalition for Alternative Transportation, our buses come equipped with bike racks. I rode the last few miles. I was a real sore ass, but there was one less car.

I'm baaaaack. Lance Armstrong, look out! I may never race at the Velodrome, but I'll be one less car.

The Lehigh Valley Has a Mass Transit Crisis

Yesterday, in Easton's City Council Chambers, LANTA conducted the first of three public hearings before it raises fares and cuts our bus service. It's simply amazing. Just a few weeks ago, at least 170 of the Lehigh Valley's movers and shakers nibbled on brie and sipped chardonnay as the Brookings' Robert Puentes talked about rail. He made clear that no form of transportation, including buses, should be ignored.

Our local Congressman, Charlie Dent, is a co-founder of the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, and actually wants to convert Route 78 into a hydrogen highway. Even the prez wants us to reduce gasoline consumption, and is proposing, for the first time in twenty years, that we improve mileage standards for our cars, SUVs and trucks.

In addition to this increasing interest in alternative transportation, LANTA's bus ridership is up 60% since '97. Alternative transportation is finally in, bippy.

And this is where the land of midnight payraises enters this story. Incredibly, the state legislature has no solution for a transportation funding crisis. LANTA may have to raise fares and cut service while Harrisburg drones on about property tax reform for another year.

Public hearings on LANTA's proposal will be held again today at Noon at the Lehigh County Government Center in Allentown, and tomorrow at Noon in Bethlehem's City Hall. If you can't attend a noon meeting like most of us, you can let LANTA know how you feel on its website.

Steve Schmitt, the local director of our coalition for alternative transportation, claims he can't write. But he summed things up nicely in an email being circulated everywhere. "This is a crisis. If our region can find the money to rebuild a $12 million dollar bridge on Route 33 that falls into a sinkhole; if we can find the tens of millions of dollars it is going to take to redo the surface of Route 78 that needs unusual repair right now, if we can find $1.5 million to run a constant emergency service on Route 22 for people that run out of gas, if we can find the $750,000 to replace the lights on cemetery curve, then we can find the $1.6 million to prevent a deficit at LANTA."

And how about a bike rack at the judges' $46 (and climbing) million Taj Mahal in Easton!