ITDP Awards Bronze BRT Status to Pittsburgh, PA
itdp.org
ITDP CEO Walter Hook and US Country Director Annie Weinstock were in Pittsburgh on Wednesday to officially recognize Pittsburgh as a US best practice for bus rapid transit. ITDP named Pittsburgh’s Martin Luther King East Busway as one of only five systems in the United States that qualifies as gold, silver, or bronze with the The BRT Standard, a defining and scoring designation for bus rapid transit (BRT). In addition to the East busway, Pittsburgh’s West and South busways qualified as basic BRT.
“Pittsburgh has three of the seven true BRT corridors in the United States,” said Walter Hook. “Despite the increasing prevalence, prominence and success of BRT systems, many people remain unaware of the characteristics of the best BRT systems and their potential to provide levels of service typically associated with metro and subway systems. Pittsburgh is a great example of what can be accomplished with a proper BRT, and our hope is that more cities will adopt this cutting-edge form of mass transit.”
Port Authority’s East Busway spans nine miles from Downtown to Swissvale, serving about 25,000 riders daily. It offers service on 15 routes from nine stations. The original segment of the busway opened in February 1983 between downtown Pittsburgh and Edgewood. In 2003, it was extended an additional 2.3 miles into Swissvale. The routes along the busway operate a minimum of five days a week, with routes utilizing the busway as well, which allows a bypass of the heavily congested Parkway East, making for faster trip times.
“The recognition of the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway by ITDP is extremely rewarding,” said Allegheny County Executive Fitzgerald. “This busway serves a vibrant corridor that includes Shadyside, East Liberty and Wilkinsburg. It reflects that great success that BRT is and underscores the possibilities for BRT in other areas, including service to the Downtown-Uptown-
Oakland corridor. These efforts have been provide to support economic development activity, foster residential growth and bring about other community benefits.”
More than 40 organizations have called on the Port Authority to assess the potential benefits of bus rapid transit in that corridor, which links the state’s second- and third-largest job centers. In addition to the East Busway, busways in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Eugene, Ore., also received Bronze Standards. Only Cleveland’s Health Line received a Silver Standard. The local BRT Stakeholders Advisory Group is planning a visit in the next few month to visit Cleveland’s Health Line.
the pittsburgh of today & tomorrow... multimodal & connected
The Backyard Room
backyardroom.com.au
The beauty of the BYR it can be easily placed into any backyard. From the single fronted Carlton Terrace to the open gardens of Glen Iris. In most cases our garden rooms require no permit, designed and built in 6 weeks and installed on site in under 5 days. Our process is simple and effortless; delivering functional, compact spaces with minimal fuss.
Our focus is on creating useful garden studios that not only respond sensitively to the site and environment, but also to our client’s individual requirements. We believe each BYR should be as unique as the individual who owns it. Modern, eco-friendly Garden Studios are simply an additional room for your home.
We have created the BYR to cater for a variety of uses including Home Office, Studio, Retreat, Man Cave, Creative Studio, Exercise Room, Pool Pavilion, Guest Room, Unwind Space, Garden Room, Music Room, Kids Area or simply a great space to enjoy your garden from a different angle.
GREAT SUSTAINABLE DESIGN IS PRICELESS
Our mission at BYR is to design, construct and landscape sustainable garden studios that recognize innovation, passive solar principles, energy savings and the environment.
OUR “STAND OUT” ADVANTAGE
Backyard rooms are designed by Architectural Professionals and Built by Master Builders. Our outstanding designs, workmanship and use of sustainable quality materials all contributes to our unique difference and superior design and built advantage.
Backyard Room has a proven track record in delivering innovative, functional design and prefabricated building solutions. The BYR team has the skill set to provide a high quality, personal and professional experience in each stage of your design and building journey.
COMPACT, FUNCTIONAL SPACES BUILT TO LAST
The BYR is an architecturally designed and a cost effective solution for the garden office or studio. It enhances your life as much as your property without the hassle of renovating.
We design big rather than build big, making our designs feel more spacious than the actually are. Our garden rooms embody the space, form and detail of contemporary architecture, creating compact and functional spaces.
FUTURE PROOFING
Our garden rooms are designed and built for sustainable performance and longevity, for future generations to come. The adaptability of the BYR is so versatile an office studio, gym, guest house one day can be later used as an family member’s safe residence.
It’s a reassuring solution for families looking to house someone close in a safe and comfortable home, ensuring peace of mind. Not only would they be well looked after, but also living in a beautiful, comfy, and private environment. You are investing in the best accommodation available whilst providing the quality and luxury they deserve.
OFFICE GARDEN STUDIOS – FIND TRUE HAPPINESS AT WORK!
The Backyard Room has created the perfect way to keep your home life and work life separate. If you use your BYR as an office, then there is no commute to work, saving a considerable amount of energy, not to mention time, money and stress!
With the cost to rent ever increasing, it’s no surprise that small businesses find it not easy to operate without making a loss. BYR provides young entrepreneurs and businesses big or small to consider our solution of simply building a studio in your backyard to balance family and work life more easily; as well as avoiding additional costs such as letting overheads and commuting to and from work.
garden of prefab... what's in your back yard?
Army Steamrolls $7 Billion In Renewable Energy Projects, Sequester Or No Sequester
cleantechnica.com
The U.S. Army has just launched the first in a series of renewable energy contracts that will eventually total $7 billion by the end of this year, using power purchase agreements along with a standard procurement tool that is expected to crush any obstacles that are put in its path. That includes the notorious budget sequester as well as any objections from the anti-renewable energy crowd in Congress, which has already used the budget as an excuse to sink the Navy’s biofuel initiatives. So, let’s see what kind of firepower the Army has on its side.
The Army Renewable Energy Initiative
The Navy biofuel program really has attracted a lot of negativity from certain legislators over the past couple of years, but as far as renewable energy goes, the Navy has a fairly modest outlook compared to the Army’s Net Zero Vision.
Army Net Zero is just what it says – a net zero plan for energy, water and waste at Army facilities – but it goes far beyond that to embrace environmental stewardship and community health as essential elements of national defense.
That holistic perspective is reinforced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Take a look at the USACE Earth Day statement from a couple of years ago:
“For those of us who are part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), it’s one more day in our journey toward ensuring that our actions are sustainable and that we are the very best stewards we can be of this country, of this planet…We are the nation’s environmental engineer. No other federal agency is addressing environmental issues of the same scope and magnitude as we are…”
Keeping that in mind, in 2011 the Army established the Energy Initiatives Task Force to streamline the process for getting utility-scale renewable energy in the pipeline for construction on its bases, the idea being that hyper-local energy sourcing is more secure than relying on a far-flung grid. With a team of specialists on the job, individual base commanders don’t have to reinvent the wheel for each new project.
In support of the Task Force, last summer USACE issued a request for proposals for $7 billion in renewable energy projects that would be constructed by private companies under power purchase agreements, in which the Army (aka us taxpayers) pays no up-front costs. Under these agreements the renewable energy facility is built on Army property but is owned, operated and maintained by its developers, which sell the power it generates to the Army at an agreed-upon price.
bridge to somewhere... peace thru renewable energy
