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Motion expressing the Sense of Council of Allegheny County urging the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to open traffic lanes currently designated for high occupancy vehicles to all vehicle traffic during rush hour, as a result of anticipated increased traffic volume in the wake of the Allegheny County Port Authority's service reductions.
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WHEREAS, the Port Authority of Allegheny County has announced plans to cut public transportation service hours by twenty to twenty five percent in June of 2007; and
WHEREAS, as currently formulated, the plan for cutting Port Authority service will significantly reduce public transportation service to the Northern Tier of Allegheny County; and
WHEREAS, it is anticipated that this reduction in service will result in greater automotive traffic on the County's existing roads and highways; and
WHEREAS, Interstate 279 currently has extra lanes designated for the use of high occupancy vehicles, and which are intermittently opened to traffic inbound to or outbound from the City of Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, these extra lanes are lightly traveled, and could significantly alleviate highway congestion if they were opened to all traffic, without occupancy restrictions, in the appropriate directions during rush hour and other high-traffic periods;
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS MOVED, AND IT IS THE SENSE OF THE COUNCIL OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation should give all due consideration to opening traffic lanes currently designated for high occupancy vehicles to all vehicle traffic during rush hour and other high traffic periods, as a result of anticipated increased traffic volume in the wake of the Allegheny County Port Authority's service reductions.