Telephone:
412-561-7876
Electronic
Mail: < gaw@planetarium.cc >
Internet
Site: < http://www.planetarium.cc >
2009
October 19
Directors
Board of Directors, Port Authority of
Heinz 57 Center/Gimbels Landmark Building
345
You may have noticed that not only did I miss all of the Port Authority
Board and Committee meetings last month, I also missed arguably one of the most
important public hearings in PAT’s history. This was regrettable but
unavoidable.
At an earlier PAT Board Committee meeting, I had convinced Steve Bland to
delay the public hearing from August to September, as many people are on
vacation in August. Ironically, the public hearing was then scheduled for
September 15.
That very evening, I was the guest speaker at the reopening of a historic
Carnegie Library in suburban
When I realized I would not return to
I was in
It was obvious to me that billions of dollars were spent on this rail
system, and they spared no expense to make it a first-class rapid rail system.
They spent the money to do it right!
I was in
On the same day, they formally adopted color-coding for their rail lines.
The colors remained the same as had been displayed on maps for years, except that
what had been the orange line on maps became the Yellow Line. Previously, they simply used cardinal points
to name their rail lines [e.g. North-South, East-West}.
PAT Directors 2009 October 19 Page 2 of 2
My extensive use of the transit system included extensive use of their
smart-card system, called the “Breeze” card. I found that their smart-card
worked well, provided people knew the
proper way to use it. Problems could occur if it was not “tapped” the proper
way.
Overall, it was a very informative trip, clearly illustrating how a
fast-growing city can design and implement, over the last 30 years, a
well-working rapid rail system.
Sincerely yours,
Glenn A. Walsh
gaw
Attachments: American Libraries Magazine
article: "Georgia
Town Returns to Its Carnegie Library Roots."
Official
Public Comment: TDP of Glenn A. Walsh
Copy: Steve Bland
Ken
Joseph
Jon
Wilson Smith
John
D. Weinhold
Jonathan
Robison