Would-be passengers weigh in on North Shore connector
Jeff Dooley doesn't want to become another face in the window.
Starting next Sunday when the North Shore Connector opens, the Port Authority will reroute inbound buses on the No. 14 Ohio Valley route to end at the new Allegheny Station near Heinz Field. Dooley and other riders will transfer for free onto T cars headed Downtown.
"I'd rather stay on the bus, but I guess they want people to see faces in the window when the (connector) service starts," said Dooley, 59, of Edgeworth.
"I think it's foolish, inconvenient and it will lead to delays," Dooley, a writer for a private foundation based Downtown, said of the change. "They need to seriously rethink the idea and keep riders flowing smoothly into town, as they have for decades."
Port Authority officials said rerouting the Nos. 14 Ohio Valley and 18 Manchester routes will eliminate more than 200 daily bus trips on congested Downtown streets and reduce fuel consumption and wear and tear on buses. However, it plans to eliminate the two bus routes in September as part of a proposal to erase a $64 million deficit.
On weekdays, T cars will arrive every four minutes during peak travel periods, every seven to eight minutes at midday, and every 10 to 15 minutes after 6:30 p.m., Port Authority said.
Some riders can't wait for the connector's arrival.
Anthony Catania's work providing financial analysis for the sewer industry often brings him Downtown. He recently started parking on the North Shore, where rates are cheaper, and walking to Gateway Center. He figures he'll hop on the connector, instead.
"This will be great on days when it's raining or super cold," said Catania, 28, of Greenfield.
Catania does wonder whether North Shore parking rates will rise if the connector attracts more people.
Alco Parking Corp. President Merrill Stabile said his company will lower all-day parking rates at the West General Robinson Street garage and most surrounding lots to $6 from $8 when the connector opens. All-day parking rates Downtown average $14, Stabile estimates.
"The savings will be substantial," said Stabile, who manages or owns much of the parking available on the North Shore.
Mary Kate Quinlan, 41, of Castle Shannon drives to her job on the North Side campus of Community College of Allegheny County. She said the connector might become "useful," though she noted: "It would actually take me longer to take the trolley, under normal driving conditions, and it also would cost me more because we have free parking at CCAC."
"But it will be nice to use the trolley to avoid traffic, especially when the Route 51/88 project starts," Quinlan said, referring to $15 million in planned bridge and safety improvements at the intersection. Crews will begin two years of work this fall.
Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie expects the number of people using the connector to grow gradually, as people become familiar with the service.
