Systemwide Evaluation of Bus Stops Underway in the Pittsburgh Region

The Port Authority of Allegheny County is evaluating how to make improvements at

1 minute read

July 24, 2019, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Port Authority of Allegheny County

Paul Sableman / Flickr

"[The Port Authority of Allegheny County] will make a major effort to improve and bring some uniformity to more than 7,000 bus stops over the next five to 10 years," reports Ed Blazina.

The Port Authority will face the significant challenge of not owning the land where most of the stops are located: "In suburban areas, municipalities own the land and control the location of bus stops, but the authority can design shelters and other amenities if the site can accommodate them. In Pittsburgh, the authority has even less say because the city has a contract with a private company to provide shelters."

The Port Authority has already taken the steps of releasing design guidelines for bus stops, recently posted online [pdf]. The subject of how to improve bus stops has been a popular focus of efforts to improve transit in an era of declining ridership. TransitCenter released a "From Sorry to Superb" report in 2018, for instance. 

David Huffaker, the agency’s chief development officer, is quoted in the article saying that the initial effort will focus on the quality of bus stops, not the spacing of stops, but eventually the Port Authority will also evaluate stop spacing in an effort to provide fast, efficient service.

Monday, July 22, 2019 in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9 - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

March 9 - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation