Transit Talk: It’s too darn hot (for transit disinvestment)

I’ve had a couple ideas bouncing around in the interim since my last Transit Talk . One is just the simple fact that I love the new PRT bus stops with little benches sprouting from the pole. It’s a simple, ingenious design, one that encourages sitting or setting down your bag. I first noticed these biking through Highland Park along Negley Ave. Given the space constraints and slopes of our city, these are a great option in spaces where a full bus shelter is impractical or impossible to build. I’m not sure there’s much to add there besides this: put these at more stops, PRT! Another idea: why aren’t there more e-bike chargers in Pittsburgh or elsewhere? The use of e-bikes and micromobility solutions including electric scooters has risen sharply , but there isn’t much public or even private infrastructure for e-bikes outside of the ever-useful POGOH system. My initial thought was that solar-powered e-bike charging stations seem like a no-brainer at public bike racks with more spaces — turns out these already exist . Hell yeah. Get on it, Pittsburgh. But we have bigger fish to fry than added seating and e-bike charging. This week, temperatures will surge into the mid-90s. The county has issued a Code Red heat alert for local residents. The weather poses a real risk to vulnerable people, and, unfortunately, this really is the new normal. These events are increasing in frequency due to climate change, threatening humans and our infrastructure. Europe has been enduring an even worse heatwave recently, one that’s claimed 1,000 lives in France. While Pittsburgh is better equipped with air conditioning, many older homes still lack a way to bring down potentially dangerous temperatures that feel even worse when humidity is high. And our transit users are increasingly vulnerable. With or without tiny seats, people standing in full sun waiting 30 minutes for the 71A in 96˚F heat are, at minimum, going to be uncomfortable. Those