Fuzzy Fuel Marketing Math

I've been struggling with how to begin a post about fuel prices; it's kind of like writing about death and taxes. We all know that gasoline prices are high, and that a lot of it has to do with imported oil, production challenges, and speculation. I struggled with how to explore the issue from a more local perspective, where it makes sense to the consumer that has to deal with it every day.


When I lived in Colorado, I often passed by two competing convenience stores that were on opposite corners of the same busy intersection. While they sold the same brand name of gasoline, the price for regular would often differ as much as 12, and as high as 24, cents per gallon on any given day. No one would provide a straight answer as to why, and the local media bristled at the suggestion that they weren't doing enough to find out. 


Perhaps it's not really surprising that these price disparities exist at different stores, but what about a chain of outlets that are all owned by the same company?


In the photos below, I've documented prices at several different GetGo outlets - these are owned in part by Giant Eagle, whose parent is the Kroger Company in Cincinnati. They also own the King Soopers and City Market grocery chains in Colorado. On this particular day, a 10 cent price swing existed between the Moon, Leetsdale, and Ohio Township stores. 

University Boulevard, Moon Township - March 22, 6:47 PM

Ohio River Boulevard, Leetsdale - March 22, 7:13 PM

Ben Avon Heights Road, Ohio Township - March 23, 3:13 PM

I can also personally attest to a consistent, 4-to-6 cent price difference between the GetGo outlets in Wilkinsburg and Edgewood (Regent Square), and the store in Squirrel Hill, at Forward and Murray Avenues. These stores are all within 2 miles of each other - why should gas cost more on one side of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel than the other?


GetGo's website has links to convenient apps and pages for mobile devices, to show what the price of gas is for outlets that are close to your location, or where you live or work. This app will only show one store at a time, however - comparison requires a lot of back and forth. 


GetGo is a popular location for gas because of their Foodperks and Fuelperks promotions, which tie discounts on gas to grocery purchases, and vice versa. I've found, however, that I can often get better deals on groceries at other stores, and in the wake of the high cost of fuel I've been cognizant of better prices at other places, such as warehouse clubs, where the price difference exceeds the occasional Fuelperks discount. If you had a 10-cent Fuelperks discount on March 22, however, it would have gone a lot further in Ohio Township than it would have in Moon.


Of course, these practices and observations are dependent upon one's individual circumstances and preferences. For me, brand loyalty is often overrated.


Giant Eagle media relations staff did not return calls this week seeking comment about their gas pricing. A few weeks ago, I spoke with a representative of Roberts Communications, a PR firm under contract to Giant Eagle, who stated that the company would not discuss either their marketing practices or market areas for gasoline.

A sample screenshot from a 
gasbuddy.com mobile app - Credit: thedroidguy.com

As it seems to be happening in so many areas of our lives, the Internet is facilitating the ability of the consumer to make more informed choices. Fortunately, there appears to be an independent resource for this type of information in the form of Gasbuddy.com, which enables consumer members to report gas prices so that many can potentially benefit. 



This information is available for the Pittsburgh area at Pittsburghgasprices.com. Their mobile app will provide available price information for your geographic location. There are some drawbacks, though - no one is posting price information for the stations in Ambridge. Might just have to do that. 


A representative of the site was also willing to shed a little bit of light about the nature of gasoline pricing on a  more local basis. According to Gasbuddy's Gregg Laskoski, the following factors influence what we pay at the local pumps:


Taxes - There's a map online that shows the disparity between states. New York - whew. When driving cross country on I-70, I always know to fill up in Missouri. 


Sales Volume - Another factor, along with how much gasoline sales make up the actual profit a store makes from selling "convenience" items at "convenience" (read exorbitant) prices. 


Wholesaler - Gas stations buy their gas from a wholesale dealer - when the station takes delivery of a fresh load of gas, and how much they paid the wholesaler for it, will obviously affect the price. GetGo is owned in part by Guttmann Oil of Belle Vernon, Pa. - how does the use of a sole source wholesaler affect the price in different geographic areas? How should it?


Local Market Trends - Often as inscrutable as the wind, but sometimes predictable. In general, the closer you get to an airport, the higher the gas prices get. Is that in response to higher business costs, businessmen returning rental cars, or a perceived sense that those who need gas in this area can afford to pay more or will not care as much if they do? Then again, how does this explain that gas prices across the county line in Ambridge are comparable with airport-area stations, and nearly a dime more than just down the road in Leetsdale?


Applicable Law - Some states have laws that prevent retail outlets from selling items below cost to attract customers to buy other things from them - the so-called loss leader strategy. Pennsylvania is one such state - the Pa. Unfair Sales Act was pointed to by many retailers in response to the GetGo Fuelperks discounts, and warehouse clubs such as Sam's and Costco may be exempt because they restrict sales to their members only.


The Gasbuddy folks also keep a close watch on past trends and potential future developments that could affect gas prices across a region, or across the US and Canada. One such potential development is the threatened closure of a Philadelphia gasoline refinery that could negatively impact supplies, and therefore prices, across the northeast U.S., including the Pittsburgh region. 


It was reported today that there could be as many as 4 interested parties in purchasing this refinery, which could definitely help keep prices at their current unreasonable level, or keep their unreasonableness from multiplying more unreasonably than already anticipated.


Does it make sense to drive across the county for cheap gas? I don't think so. For my car,  a 10-cent per gallon savings is $1.50 - does that justify driving an extra 20 miles, or burning nearly a gallon of gas, to get that savings?


Most of us remain too involved in the day-to-day business of living to get too deep into the subtleties and complications that surround the oil business, or any other attempt to profit from the procurement and marketing of fossil fuels. All we can hope to do is make sure that we can find what we need at the most reasonable price we can, without going to unreasonable lengths. 


Perhaps it's not too much to ask of our "neighborhood" gas retailers to show some consistency in how they price their product, or at least be more up front and honest about what factors impact the prices they set. 


But before you set your sights on that clerk behind the counter, think twice - the answers, and those who can provide them, are somewhere else entirely.


Have a great month ahead.

Temporary Improvement - Permanent Inconvenience

The Allegheny Station of the new light rail North Shore Connector, with Rivers Casino in the background.
When the new rail line opens March 25, the Port Authority's 14 Ohio Valley bus line will end service here instead of continuing into Downtown.        (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

By now, most of us who live in the Ohio River Valley of Allegheny and Beaver Counties (and follow the news) are aware of the threatened end to Port Authority bus service to our area by September of this year. The long-time public transit provider, citing continued shortfalls in funding and a lack of commitment by the state to establish a sustainable funding plan for the future, announced their intent to eliminate the 14 Ohio Valley and 21 Coraopolis routes, along with many others.

This is just the start of what looks to be an interesting year for transportation in our area. "Interesting" as in the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times". As local media and government officials have already begun to touch upon this week, the effects of the imminent closure of the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge at the end of this week are likely to be compounded by repaving work on the very stretch of Route 65 that will see increased traffic loads as a result of the closure.

While recent local focus on Port Authority service has been on the threatened cessation of the 14 Ohio Valley route, a planned change of service to coincide with the opening of the new North Shore Connector stands to impact commuters in different ways - not all of them good.

As the Post-Gazette reported in January, when the new light rail line opens on March 25, the 14 Ohio Valley will end service at the line's Allegheny Station, near Heinz Field. Commuters will then have to transfer to the light rail to continue their commute into Downtown, or in my case, points east.

As I've written before, I don't always take public transit. But when I do, I have my route nicely planned. A one-block walk from home to catch the 14 Ohio Valley, which currently ends its route at the East Busway station near Grant and Liberty. From there, East Busway route P1 or P2 will whisk me to the Homewood station, and it's about a 2-block walk to the 9-1-1 center from there.

After March 25, I would have to transfer to the light rail at Allegheny Station, disembark at Wood Street or Steel Plaza, and then walk to the East Busway station or to the US Steel Tower to catch the P1 or P2 to Homewood.

Perhaps this "adjustment" is meant to soften the blow of the 14's apparent demise if the Corbett administration doesn't man up and decide to do something by September. However, other factors may be contributing to this lack of attractiveness. Consider the criticism leveled at the entire North Shore Connector project since its inception.

One recent new development has been the enlistment of financial support from several stakeholders on the North Shore - the Stadium Authority, Alco Parking Corporation, Rivers Casino, and the Steelers - to provide enough funding to make the entire new connector part of the existing free fare zone that allows riders to travel the subway under the Golden Triangle without cost.

While that's pretty cool for the occasional weekend excursion or date night, what is the practical impact for the Sewickley area commuter? It seems to me as if the powers that be are making the use of public transit so difficult or impossible that they are hoping commuters just opt to drive into town and park on the North Shore, so that some of these forward-thinking enterprises can recoup some of their investment in the form of parking fees and other spending. That is, if you have a car, or can drive at all. 

An "improvement" such as this only serves to make things more cumbersome in the long run.

On average, using public transit would take me about three times longer than driving, with minimal cost savings at current gas prices since I don't have to pay to park. In my case, it seems as if Port Authority is deliberately trying to get me to rule out public transit as a viable option for commuting.

There are, however, other potential options available to commuters in this area. One is the bus service currently operated by the Beaver County Transit Authority. It's not as easy as it would seem at first blush, however.

According to Kristin Sheleheda, BCTA's Manager of Planning and Technology, the authority is making no plans to increase service in the wake of the impending Port Authority cutbacks. She also stressed that while BCTA makes stops in Allegheny County, all riders must board and/or depart from a location in Beaver County. For many Sewickley commuters, this would mean a "back track" to the Ambridge Park and Ride lot on 11th Street (jointly operated with Port Authority) to board BCTA Route 1 there.

Ms. Sheleheda also stated that current ridership on this route, as well as available parking spaces in Ambridge, doesn't make for a lot of space for additional commuters from Allegheny County. One must also consider the potential impact of the closure of the Port Authority Park and Ride in Moon Township, also slated to occur in September.

Another possibility is the involvement of the private sector in providing transportation. Ohio Township-based  Lenzner Coach Lines stepped in to provide bus service to and from the outer North Hills and Cranberry, after Port Authority service cuts last year. While it's unknown if demand, cost and/or market viability would permit Lenzner to establish a profitable route to replace the 14, Lisa Finigan, Lenzner's Charter Manager, told me that they are "watching".

Perhaps a better question would be how all of this translates into an improved system of moving people around the city and the region, and what this all means to our attractiveness as a destination for prospective employers as well as visitors. I think about this a lot whenever I travel through the North Hills, the North Boroughs, or my old neighborhood in Aliquippa. In my mind's eye I can still see where the streetcars used to run.

You can ask some of the same questions of PennDOT when looking at some of the remnants of the past that they still lean on heavily to support the transportation needs of the future. Consider that the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge, opened in 1927, carries about 12,000 cars a day, while the Sewickley Bridge, originally built in 1911 and replaced in 1981, carries around 19,000 cars.


It would seem that the Ambridge Bridge is due for replacement, or at least a plan to do it, but no one seems to be talking about that at all. Jim Struzzi of PennDOT District 11 told me that there are indeed no plans to replace the now 85-year-old span.

Considering that Ambridge is enjoying a revitalization of sorts through the reclamation and redevelopment of older industrial sites, and Aliquippa may be in the running to do the same, the importance of a reliable river crossing here seems hard to understate. 


It took years of politicking and economic uncertainty to replace the first Sewickley Bridge; what will it take to help assure that when Aliquippa and Ambridge are ready to grow in earnest, a strong and reliable bridge will be in place to facilitate it?

I haven't been back here long enough to understand all the nuances of transportation funding in Pennsylvania, but according to several sources one of the main reasons behind all of this trouble is the refusal of the federal government to allow the state to make I-80 a toll road. This was a key part of Act 44 of 2007, which also established a funding partnership between the Turnpike Commission and PennDOT.

The federal refusal to allow the tolling of I-80 is what appears to be pinching both PennDOT and the Port Authority now. This sounds to me like building the casino and buying all of the slot machines before the gambling law is passed. Why rely so keenly on something that doesn't exist yet, and is risky to boot?

This analogy probably has something to do with the fact that the bulk of this post is being written in Las Vegas. I don't gamble, however, and neither should those we as citizens entrust with being stewards of critical infrastructure and services.

Governor Corbett has recommendations in hand from a commission that he appointed, but seems content to not act upon them thus far. How do we as a society and a state plan on improving anything when that is the example being set by our leadership?

Have a good week ahead.


Postscript, 2/29/12 12:43 PM - Port Authority is holding a required public hearing on their proposed service changes today at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Testimony is expected to continue through 8:00 PM tonight. Check the P-G or Trib websites for more information. 
Also, Port Authority has an online public comment form available. It can be accessed by clicking here.

The Bus Is For All Of Us

Public transportation is on my mind. 

With regard to this topic, I must temporarily digress back to Grand Junction, Colorado for a moment.

Residents and business owners around the location of the proposed Greyhound station and Grand Valley Transit transfer center in the 24 1/2 Road and Patterson Road area are correct in their assertions that the proposed location is not a good one. They're just right for all the wrong reasons.

Recent reporting in the Daily Sentinel seemed to indicate that the basis for most of the complaints is rooted in classism, NIMBY, and/or financial self-interest. Not mentioned is the questionable appropriateness of a regional ground transportation hub so far removed from the centers of commercial activity and education, as well as the seats of government and location of essential social services.

As a property owner in the Downtown area, I continue to be amazed at the lengths that some will go to attempt to artificially gentrify this area and the surrounding neighborhoods. When the homeless shelter was moved from Downtown to North Avenue, did the homeless leave Downtown with it? How many of us honestly believe that flinging the Greyhound out will do the same?

I'm driven to recall the very first GVT transfer point, when the service was first instituted nearly 12 years ago. The former parking lot at 12th and Orchard, owned by the former Mesa State College, seemed a logical choice, and appeared to function well until the College's expansion plans forced a relocation.

Now that Colorado Mesa University appears poised to expand its campus all the way to 7th Street, an opportunity presents itself to re-establish a connection between the University and the remainder of the Grand Valley through development of such a transportation hub in the heart of the North Avenue multi-use district that the City has worked so hard to plan for.

A combined Greyhound / GVT transportation center on the CMU campus would serve all manner of people coming to Grand Junction to work, access government services, and learn. These people would find access to these services and facilities to be much more efficient than trying to reach them from the west end of town, and CMU students would have easy access to buses across town or across the state. Win-Win.

City and County government leaders, who do not have the authority to prevent CMU from doing what it wants with their property, should nonetheless consider expending some political capital in trying to convince CMU administration of the potential benefits of such an establishment. Groups who represent potential stakeholders and beneficiaries of such an arrangement, i.e. CMU's Associated Student Government, should also be discussing this and getting involved.

Regardless of some inaccurate public perception about those who utilize public transportation, these types of facilities should be considered for the benefit of the entire community, irrespective of social or economic status. I feel bad for those who look at the area and its needs with such narrow vision.

Best wishes to those tasked with bringing improved local and regional public transportation to a reality.

Holiday Potpourri

I hope that everyone has had a blessed holiday season thus far.

It's been a somewhat hectic few weeks. Over the course of that time, I've been trying to catalog those stories, observations, and ideas that made for short stops on the bullet train of my attention span.

Like a simmering pot of subtle fragrances designed to provide a pleasant ambiance, these numerous topics of interest have presented themselves to me as a fragrance, an odor, an olfactory metaphor that stimulates the thought process in some way - either memory, contemplation, or an emotional response.

While not all connected to the holiday season (and not all subtle or pleasant), they are no less topical and appropriate to the time of year, as well as our immediate future:

Pine Boughs, Warm Shortbread, Melting Candle Wax

It's been many years since I celebrated Christmas in this area, but it was still good to see luminaria lining Thorn Street in Sewickley as well as adorning other locations. There is a certain comfort to tradition and ceremony, whether as part of a religious community or as someone who exercises their formidable kitchen skills for the benefit of family and stranger alike. Lots of homemade cookies are comforting to the psyche if not the waistline.

As I picked up the spent bags from outside of the house on Christmas morning, I was reminded of the last few years in Colorado, when the luminaria I placed in front of the houses on my block seemed to be a unique addition to the usual holiday decorations. I continue to cherish both the simplicity and profundity of the message that is symbolized by a bag, some sand, and a candle.

Brine and Benzene

A couple of significant developments in the continuing controversy over fracking:

• For the first time, the EPA identified fracking as the cause of groundwater contamination.
• Colorado passed and is set to implement new rules regarding disclosure of the contents of fracking fluid. The new rules are being touted as a model for the rest of the country - a model that Pennsylvania seems to have particular need of.

I normally try to resist making comparisons to Colorado and Pennsylvania, especially in terms of government and politics. However, chemicals and groundwater know not what state boundary they are flowing underneath, and contaminated water is just that, no matter where the humans that have to use it happen to reside.

Considering the revelation that the energy industry is employing public relations personnel with a background in military-style counterinsurgency tactics, it's more important than ever to get to the truth, and assure that the government charged with serving citizens understands that truth, and does their job accordingly.

Chalkboard Dust and Musty Textbooks

Back in 2009, I wrote about some of my memories of Mount Gallitzin Academy in Baden, upon the announcement of its closure. Now the sounds of schoolchildren will again fill those tall, old hallways and classrooms, thanks to the recent state approval of the Baden Academy Charter School. It's noteworthy that the school's approval at the state level was unanimous on the part of the charter school appeal board, overturning a unanimous disapproval (twice) by the local school board, Ambridge Area.

I don't know what to think of the whole charter school concept, especially as it relates to the local experience. What I know is what I see - many school districts experiencing much more difficult times in terms of declining enrollment, dwindling tax bases and state subsidies, and constant if not rising infrastructure and personnel costs. Many see merit in the ability to establish a school and receive public money for it, and the government oversight appears to be fairly robust.

Still, some of the methods with which many local charter schools are getting their message out and their faces in the public eye - such as high-profile advertising and corporate-style sponsorship - seem disingenuous to me as both a parent and taxpayer.

Nonetheless, I wish the school and its students the best, along with the ongoing mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who will rent their building to the school. As an overview on the school's website states:

The former Mt. Gallitzin facility offers superb classrooms in a safe, serene setting. Decades of successful education attest to the practicality of the facility as a desirable learning environment.

Can't argue with that.

Stale, Moldy Bread in these SOPApillas

It's been heartening to see how much coverage the mainstream media have been giving to controversial legislation of late. One particularly odious bill is the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. This bill is part of a continuing effort to place restrictions on the flow of information in an effort to combat copyright infringement and the sale of counterfeit goods online.

Proponents of the bill are those whose profits and livelihoods are tied to entertainment product - the MPAA and RIAA, and the AFL-CIO among others. The bill's opponents include the bulk of the Internet community, including Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, and on and on.

The core premise of the bill is to create an Internet blacklist - to facilitate the wholesale censorship of information deemed to "infringe". The bill infringes, all right - not only upon individual liberty, but free enterprise as well. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has an excellent overview of the subject matter, as well as links to take action.

As it happens, Politico reports that corporate support for SOPA and it's Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA) appears to be eroding in the face of continued vocal opposition and at least one boycott of the largest domain name provider.

SOPA puts over-reaching "protection" of a lucrative industry ahead of the fundamental rights of citizens.

New Car Smell

The National Transportation Safety Board has gone on record advocating for a complete ban on cell phone use while driving.

From a personal standpoint, I believe that texting while driving is dangerous. I'm also uncomfortable with trying to manipulate a phone while behind the wheel. This includes trying to hold the phone up to my ear.

I have a Bluetooth headset, and my phone has voice dialing. I believe that I can safely engage in a conversation with both hands on the wheel and eyes facing forward. The vehicle manufacturers that have incorporated Bluetooth hands-free into the sound systems of their cars would appear to feel the same way.

A complete ban on cell phone use while driving seems to me to have the same kind of government over-reach that SOPA does. Enforcement of such a law would also be difficult in my mind, especially if expanded to the entire spectrum of distracted driving.

A CBS News consultant and former NTSB member took this one step further, implying that the current board "missed the boat" by ignoring additional technology advances, such as frontal collision avoidance systems, that could help to mitigate accidents regardless of any inattentive behavior on the part of the driver.

I Love the Smell of Asphalt in the Morning

Sometimes there's nothing that can be done to prevent or protect yourself from life's pitfalls, whether on the roadway or not. One faulty valve on a truck loaded with liquid asphalt can really ruin your day (and your car) if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now it seems that the Nov. 22 spill along 40 miles of the Turnpike has damaged so many vehicles (including a couple of luxury models totaled) that the insurers are throwing up their hands or attempting to deny coverage, for which they're being sued.The driver of the truck apparently decided to leave the area after the State Police told him to stay so his truck could be inspected - a big boo-boo on top of everything else.

This is another example of how tenuous the nature of travel is - how dependent it is upon due diligence, attentiveness, and an attitude that is rife with a lot of patience - especially around here. This was brought home to me on the way back from work this past Friday, when a flatbed semi loaded with drilling rig assemblies, followed by a large tanker truck full of something (fracking fluid?), passed me inbound on the Parkway East.

Fresh Sausage

Thinking about this topic, I was reminded of the quote that is attributed to German chancellor Otto Von Bismark (1815-1898):

 "There are two things you don’t want to see being made—sausage and legislation."

That being said, it seems that there are similar goings-on in my former home and my current one that warrant some attention. Both have to do with the bumpy road of transition.

It seems that the City Council in Grand Junction, Colorado elected to force the resignation of City Manager Laurie Kadrich...just in time for Christmas. Ms. Kadrich, who held the post for five years, cited  “fundamental philosophical differences between me and City Council" as the reason for her departure.

Ms. Kadrich was a fine City Manager. She was the last one I had the pleasure of working for, and even after my departure from the City's employment she was accessible and straightforward, even in the face of disagreement.

Mayor Tom Kenyon was quoted in the Daily Sentinel story as stating, “The city manager has a lot of authority, but they have to remember they have seven bosses".

When some of those seven bosses change, the dynamics and priorities often change as well. This is something that is about to happen in Leetsdale. With not just the current Borough Manager, but the position itself, under threat of termination by the council members-elect, the future of the borough's day-to-day operational structure remains unclear, even if the stated intent of the incoming council members is not. 

The transition has already begun to impact those operations. Sewickley Patch reported that a sitting Council member questioned one incoming member's request for reimbursement from the borough for classes she and the other three newcomers are taking in preparation for their new duties.

These classes comprise the Newly Elected Officials Course, offered by the Local Government Academy, located on Pittsburgh's North Side. The academy has been in existence for over 25 years, and serves as a clearinghouse for training and information to help those elected and/or employed in the field of local government succeed on behalf of the citizens they serve.

It's a good idea that these incoming council members have this kind of baseline training. I personally don't have a problem with the new Council members requesting reimbursement from the borough - just so that request is accompanied by a copy of a certificate of completion. The course is scheduled to conclude on March 10.

Here's looking forward to that, and for more good tidings into the new year. Until then..

Abundant Anniversaries

Those who forget history may be doomed to repeat it, but how about those who wallow in history? Are they doomed to become trapped in it, like Bruce Springsteen's classmates in his song "Glory Days"?

Like so many other things, moderation is the message of the day. Keeping a firm eye and focus forward, while not forgetting how you got where you are, is to me a very healthy approach. Living up to those words can be something entirely different, however.

With this in mind, this past Sunday marked 5 years since I started this blog. A lot has changed in my life since that day, but it feels like surprisingly little has changed in the larger scheme of things. I'll elaborate a little further down the page.

In the meantime, here are some personally significant observances that might strike a chord with you as well. Or not. In no real particular order:

Sewickley Bridge

Yesterday marked the 100th Anniversary of the opening of the first Sewickley Bridge. Larissa Dudkiewicz of Sewickley Patch made me think about this when she posted a picture of one of the original bridge's finials on the Patch website. Curiosity and Wikipedia did the rest.

Having grown up in this area, and as the child of small businesspeople, I was aware but not fully cognizant as a teenager of the tumult surrounding the deterioration of the original bridge to the point where it was barely safe for any sort of traffic. The present span, along with the previous one, is a linchpin for the local economy, public safety, and transportation infrastructure.

This coming October 21 will mark 30 years of service for the current Sewickley Bridge. As is seemingly the case with so many issues related to transportation, some of the same issues that created the need for a new bridge in the 1970's are still with us today. These include present and future challenges related to the safe and efficient movement of traffic and its relationship to the vitality of the Quaker Valley area.

Some of these challenges include the impending closure of the nearby Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge, and the impact up and downstream; the ramping up of drilling activity, and the increased presence of rig equipment and water trucks on our roadways; and the need to improve traffic movement through traffic signal synchronization on the Sewickley side in response to both factors.

9/12/11

Last week Leslie and I marked 6 months of marriage with a simple dinner at what seems to be our favorite restaurant. We are continuing to put things together in the face of multiple challenges, deadlines, and the pressures of work, including a new job for me that I'll have more to say about later.

In the snapshot of today, things are going well. This includes the fact that since I got here in March, there's about 35 pounds less of me. Feels good. Gonna try to keep it up.

The Hits Just Keep On Comin'

Those who have read my blog regularly know of how things have gone with me. Judging from the traffic stats I get, there's not many in that group. Since I moved to Pittsburgh, the number of hits on this blog site is about half of what it was in Grand Junction. Still, there are some individual posts that continue to generate traffic from all over the place.

This blog also has a presence on Sewickley Patch. I've no idea how many hits my posts get on that site, but it seems like people are reading. I promised myself to write for me and not anyone else, and it seems that my life now is taking me a little bit away from writing. A new family will do that to you. I'm fine with it.

I looked over the past year or so of traffic stats, and found some subjects and images that get consistent hit traffic in response to search engine queries. This is probably the best way that I know to give a thumbnail picture of the first 5 years:

In October 2006, a young reporter for Grand Junction TV station KJCT had the local media atwitter with a "gotcha" piece about how people and school administrators would respond to an unattended backpack inside Grand Junction High School. Jonathan Vigliotti left GJ (voluntarily) not long afterward.

Five years later, Mr. Vigliotti has worked his way through Milwaukee and Miami, and now works for WNBC in New York, the number 1 media market in the country. A nice transition upward from working in market number 187 back then. I get almost daily hits from searches of his name. Nice to see that he's doing well.

In May of 2009, I compared the pattern of annexation by the City of Grand Junction to the way a spider spins a web when it's exposed to stimulants or depressants. The illustration I used for Spiders on Caffeine still gets lots of image hits.

Other things that get lots of hits are memory quilts, Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass, Johnstown Flood dam pictures, and the Uniden Home Patrol scanning radio.

It's been an interesting but satisfying 5 years. I'm hopeful for many more.

September 11

One other thing that I wrote five years ago was a reflection on the events of September 11, 2001. I thought about this a lot - one reason it took until the week after to get it down - and even after that I found that the way I feel now really doesn't really differ from the way I felt then:

Things aren't as different for some people as perhaps they should be, but for me the 9/11 experience has been a decidedly mixed bag. Professionally, many things that I have believed in and worked for most of my career in public safety have come much closer to large-scale acceptance. Things like unified Incident Command and interoperable communications are big deals, and they're happening now. This is a good thing.

The price we've had to pay as a society for the loss of personal freedom, increased suspicion, lack of trust in one's fellow man and the nagging effect of fearmongering, hype, and conspicuous consumerism on our collective national psyche has at times been difficult for me to stomach. One must have a finely tuned B.S. filter nowadays, firmly placed inside the protective cocoon of faith, humility, and dedication to one another, regardless of our ideological differences.

Leslie and I went to the memorial observance in Leetsdale, which despite the rain was fairly well attended. The time was also used to honor and remember those served in the emergency services locally who had passed away since 9/11/01.
There were lots of familiar names and faces on that list.

The quiet procession from the Leetsdale Borough Hall to the Memorial site was perhaps the most poignant display for me. Public safety personnel from all disciplines, walking together. A good thing, and something we can all remember as necessary whenever we think of the past, present, and future of our society.

We are all in this together.



Have a good week ahead.

Photo credit: Sewickley Valley Historical Society (1911 Bridge Poster)

The Character(s) of Camp Horne Road

For a week last month when Leslie and I were sharing one car, it became necessary for me to occasionally take the bus to work, or at least as close to work as it would take me. This required walking Camp Horne Road from the intersection with Route 65 to the intersection with Ben Avon Heights Road, a distance of about 2 1/4 miles. The walk was fine - I'm quite comfortable with the distance - and I observed some interesting things that made me think about the nature of our roadways and transportation systems.


Name Game


This photo always made me chuckle while driving past it, but I really didn't get a second thought from me until I stood in front of it. Why would the road be named one thing by local jurisdictions, and another by the County?

Fortunately, Allegheny County's Public Works Department appears to be an accessible and professionally operated agency. One call there got me my answer. Deputy Director Bernie Rossman told me that when roads are initially given an official name or designation, the county courts get involved, and once the court assigns a name, it's largely cut in stone. He mentioned at least one other road in the South Hills where the local and county names differ substantially.

Apparently, Horne Camp Road is the name the court approved as the official road name many moons ago. Despite the change by local jurisdictions, the county designation remains, perhaps as nothing more than an anachronistic reminder of the nature of government's many layers here.


Pedestrian Friendly...Well, not really.

My walks were conducted at two very disparate times in terms of the traffic flow the road experiences; early Sunday afternoon and late Friday afternoon, during the evening rush. The differences in traffic were obvious, as was the demeanor of the drivers. The berm of the road also fluctuates in width, narrowing almost down to nothing as the westbound lane curves around a hillside just before reaching the Willow restaurant, which sits on the former site of a little neighborhood bar called the Bantam.

I also found two full, unopened sports drink bottles, quart size, at different places along the roadway. I wondered why someone would toss these out of their cars, unless they were tossing them at somebody.


Seeking Shelter If Needed

Camp Horne still has a tenuously rural feel to it, even if it has become increasingly impacted by the development surrounding it. Should one get caught in the rain while walking (which I was concerned about on at least one occasion), there are ample places to stay dry along the route, along with some businesses and other locations that have been there quite a while.

Sunny Jim's, Custard's First Stand, and Mark's Tavern are all located in the small commercial area on the Emsworth side, all in proximity to the Carmel Office Suites, which occupies what was once the main building of the Otto Suburban Dairy.

Avonworth Community Park is centrally located on the route, and is very pretty with Lowries Run running right through it. If I had the time or need to stop and enjoy some scenery and quiet, this would have surely been the place.


Commercial Center

As I approached the commercial development near the I-279 interchange, I passed Animal Friends, and noted with more detail the nature of what had to be done to build that impressive facility, including the nicely designed bridge over Lowries Run. Other impressive buildings in the area is the complex that includes the Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center.

As I started up Ben Avon Heights Road, I noted that the roadway into the Home Depot / Giant Eagle complex (built on the site of the former Camp Horne Drive-In) had little or no room for pedestrian access - curbing, about one foot of grass, and the large retaining wall on both sides. Fortunately, another direct route existed up a small ridge that led to the northeast corner of Home Depot's parking lot.

Walking this route was pleasant and uplifting, even if a little danger creeped in from the spectre of line-crossers in areas where there is little margin for error, or someone ready to chuck a full bottle of Gatorade at an unsuspecting suburban hiker. The most revelatory thoughts that came to mind occurred during my rush hour trek, and had little to do with the sights around me.


Where Have You Gone, Port Authority?

I knew from reading in numerous media outlets and blog posts that the Port Authority was going to be cutting services in the wake of a loss of state funding. In returning to the area, and having experienced numerous public transit systems in other cities, after my most recent experience I have to wonder out loud what is wrong with this organization.

If you're not a regular rider with a weekly or monthly pass, it's $3.25 each way across two zones between Emsworth and Leetsdale. My round trip commute is just under 20 miles, or about one gallon of gas. That makes driving my own car to work less expensive, since I don't have to pay for parking on either end.

I noticed Bus Stop signs in the area of Avonworth Park that indicated that at one point at least one bus route traversed Camp Horne to go somewhere. I did see at least 6 Port Authority buses traveling eastbound along my walking route - all with ROSS GARAGE as their destination. These were buses going out of service after the evening rush.

I wondered out loud why a loop-type route couldn't be established that would take passengers between Route 65 and the Camp Horne Interchange area. This could connect with the existing Park-N-Ride at the Perrysville interchange and serve as an express into town, and would perhaps generate some revenue while all those buses are using Camp Horne to get back to the Ross Garage.

I tried asking the Port Authority about this, through their Public Information department, which apparently didn't have the time to return my calls.

I did dig a little deeper on the Port Authority's somewhat informative website, and found that the routes that previously served this area, the 17B and 18B, weren't utilized enough (in a consultant's opinion) along the Camp Horne corridor to justify their continued existence in this area. Both routes seemed to anchor themselves in a routing pattern that included the North Boroughs, which led me to thinking along the lines of other routing options that would traverse major traffic corridors laterally, instead of always using Downtown as a focal point.

As was expected, I'm not alone in thinking about these things. In the Sunday Post-Gazette two weeks ago, long-time transit critic Bob Firth presented another in a series of annual articles detailing his take on the issues that make the Port Authority seemingly unable to provide the level of service required of a technology-savvy, growth-hungry urban center like Pittsburgh.

Seems that Mr. Firth hates what he calls "squiggly-line transit", and has presented several excellent examples of more efficient transit systems that use circulator routes in population centers to feed faster express routes on the major traffic arteries. His arguments are persuasive - hopefully they'll find a friendly ear amongst those that care about the viability of this region for all of its citizens.

In the meantime, as the summer continues to come in I might find it interesting to take some other walks in familiar places, if only to see what I've been missing. I know it will be worth the effort.

Have a great week ahead.