16 Brighton and 51 Carrick are the first two bus routes where stops will be removed

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DAVID: HOW OFTEN DO YOU TAKE THIS ROUTE? STEPHEN: EVERYDAY. DAVID: STEPHEN RAY LIVES RIGHT OFF THE BRIGHTON LINE, ROUTE 16. STEPHEN: THIS IS MY PRIMARY STOP, TAKES ME RIGHT DOWNTOWN. DAVID: LIKE MANY, HE’S RELIANT ON THE PORT AUTHORITY BUSES, WHOSE RELIABILITY IS SOMETIMES QUESTIONABLE. ACCORDING TO THE PORT AUTHORITY, SOME ROUTES ARE LATE A THIRD OF THE TIME. ADAM: OUR ON-TIME PERFORMANCE IS ESSENTIALLY THE RELIABILITY OF OUR SYSTEM. DAVID: ADAM BRANDOLPH WITH THE PORT AUTHORITY SAYS THEY’RE TRYING TO SPEED THINGS UP. SOME THINGS RIDERS WON’T NOTICE, HE SAYS, BUT OTHERS THEY WILL, LIKE CUTTING THE NUMBER OF STOPS. RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE 7000 STOPS SYSTEM WIDE. THE PLAN IS TO CUT 39 STOPS ON THE CARRICK LINE AND 33 TO THE BRIGHTON LINE. ADAM: BOTH HAVE RELATIVELY POOR ON-TIME PERFORMANCE, AND BOTH HAVE STOPS THAT ARE VERY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER. DAVID: WE’RE HERE ON THE BRIGHTON LINE ON THE NORTH SIDE. ON THIS ROUTE, THERE IS AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 600 FEET OF BETWEEN STOPS. THE STOP I AM STANDING AT RIGHT NOW IS SET TO STAY. BUT UNDER THE PROPOSED REDUCTION, THIS STOP NEARBY IS SET TO GO. OVERALL, STEPHEN RAY IS FOR SPEEDING THINGS UP, BUT AS FOR ALTERING HIS NORMAL COMMUTE. STEPHEN: IT’S GOING TO BE AN INCONVENIENCE. ADAM: THERE CERTAINLY IS A BALANCE BETWEEN SPEED AND EFFICIENCY AND ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY AN PICKING FOLKS UP, DAVID: THIS PORT AUTHORITY PLAN IS NOT SET IN STONE. IF YOUR STOP IS SET TO GO, YOU CAN ADVOCATE TO KEEP I WHATEVER IS DECIDED, THE NEW CHANGES WILL TAKE EFFECT NOVEMBER 17, WITH A NEW ROUND OF STOP REDUCTIONS TO BE ANNOUNCED IN D

Advertisement Port Authority to eliminate many bus stops throughout Pittsburgh and Allegheny County 16 Brighton and 51 Carrick are the first two bus routes where stops will be removed Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Do you think some buses stop too often? The Port Authority agrees with you.The transit agency says it will get rid of some of its 7,000-plus bus stops this fall, aiming to improve service and help buses run on time more reliably.Bus stops throughout Allegheny County that are "unpopular and redundant" will be removed, starting with the 16 Brighton and 51 Carrick routes, officials said Tuesday.Several stops for the 16 bus along Brighton Road are targeted for elimination. Some stops on North, Lincoln and California avenues will also be removed.For the 51, many stops along East Carson Street and Brownsville Road are on the list. The bus will also make fewer stops on South 18th Street and Route 51."In most cases, there's a stop just a short distance away" from a stop that will be removed, the Port Authority said.See a full list of stops that are being eliminated:16 Brighton51 CarrickNotices will be posted at bus stops to let riders know those stops will be going away, but the Port Authority said final decisions won't be made until the end of October so it can hear public input on the plan first.The Port Authority said its latest annual service report found on-time performance at about 67 percent, lagging behind public transit in other comparable cities at about 67 percent."I came to Pittsburgh with a mission to improve our customers' experience, and a large part of that is to making sure our customers can reliably get where they want to go within a reasonable amount of time," Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman said in a written statement. "When buses are late, our operators become stressed and our riders become frustrated or worse -- late to wherever they're going."