East End transit

Regarding "The Big Leap in Transit We Didn't Get -- But Could" (June 28 The Next Page): Incorporation of better intermodal planning into bus route planning also would help. The largest concentration of bicycle riders in the Pittsburgh area is along the Forbes corridor to the East End -- Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, Point Breeze and closely surrounding communities. That is why there are four bicycle shops in this area, more than any other part of the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County area.

From looking at the buses traveling around Pittsburgh, I have often seen buses go in and out of the East End with bikes on the front but have rarely seen bikes on the Chartiers City and Perrysville buses.

The East End has good bicycle trail connections to Downtown. From Downtown back to East End means going up some mean hills or after dark riding on roads that make commuting by bicycle difficult. The 61 series enables commuters to bike Downtown, then have bus service back up the Forbes corridor to the East End, where the most number of potential bicycle-bus commuters are located.

So why does the Port Authority guarantee "rack 'n roll" bus service to Perrysville and Chartiers City, where apparently few bicycle riders use the service, but not the Forbes corridor to the East End, where there is a large concentration of bicycle riders? The East End is where there are more potential people willing to ride Downtown and bus back up the hills, especially if it were well-promoted.

MARC YERGIN
Squirrel Hill