"Our View" comments on State Street changes

In the Oct. 19, 2013 "Our View" feature of the Erie Times-News, EMTA was criticized for the way it handled the June move from State Street. They mentioned that that was being considered for downtown Pittsburgh, but..."Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said that riders will be invited to give their views. Riders' voices weren't heard before Erie bus routes were changed."
You know something? If anyone had asked me, I would have been one of the few passengers who would have said I liked the idea of the change. The problem I have is this: I've never been asked anything by the EMTA, and that makes me a very typical passenger.

Anyway, here is the whole item from the paper...

Buses change course:
We criticized the way the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority, at the urging of Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott, moved buses off State Street and onto Peach and French streets from 10th Street to Perry Square. The change, effective June 8, caught riders by surprise and raised concerns about accessibility for riders with handicaps. We still wonder how riders will fare when days get shorter and winter comes.
Now the Port Authority of Allegheny County has a plan to remove buses from the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, according to an Oct. 4 story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The process of changing bus routes began in 2010, the story said, and an advisory group of government and business leaders is working on the next phase. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said that riders will be invited to give their views. Riders' voices weren't heard before Erie bus routes were changed.