by Treasa Lascola

Created on: September 25, 2009

On this eve of the big G-20 Summit, I would like to give advice on travel within the Port Authority Transit system for at least tomarrow, Friday, September 25, 2009. With the massive police presence. and yes they are in full riot gear, there will be many detours. Listen up, bus and rail detours are scheduled for tomorrow. Those who travel Port Authority, allow for extra travel time due to delays. Port Authority will provide service during the G-20 Summit using its regular weekday schedules, but transit will be re-routed in accordance with security perimeters. The T will reach the First Avenue Station and other downtown stations will be closed during this event.

Buses will reach Downtown Pittsburgh using limited access points and will loop through the Boulevard of the Allies corridor, where riders may transfer to other routes. You can find independent route descriptions for the bus and T service on Port Authority Transit's G-20 site at: www.portauthority.org/g-20. A stop guide detailing where riders can catch a bus Downtown Pittsburgh also is available on our website, as well as on buses and on schedule racks. Routes will continue to serve Port Authority Transit's Park and Ride lots during the summit. A map of locations will be available on-line.

ACCESS will also continue to operate but has encouraged riders who need to go to Downtown Pittsburgh to reschedule their appointments, if possible. Email sign-ups for route changes can be found on: www. portauthority.org/G-20. There are many closed buisnesses in Downtown Pittsburgh for the G-20 Summit, according to CBS news.

To be sure, it is important that I make mention of the many protests in Pittsburgh on this date, both scheduled and unscheduled. For example, today, (Thursday, September 24, 2009.), there were protests held in the Strip District, and Lawrenceville neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. These protests came complete with police and protesters from around the United States of America, not to mention full riot gear and tear gas thrown. And before the 6 o'clock news wrapped, a spokesman for the Pittsburgh Police said that a group of Anarchists were breaking the windows out of a bank. The protesters were calling the events in both Pittsburgh neighborhoods a police riot, and the bureaucrats kept rolling in with their 15 car many motorcycled motorcades.

I spoke to a source from the Pittsburgh Police personally, who would not tell me her name, but told me that she found the riot gear very sexy, and that she loved the sound of boots on asphalt, batons hitting shields, and couldn't help but admit that she was a badge bunny. So, please folks, keep in mind that there is a strong police presence as well as potentially volatile protesters downtown. Be careful out there.

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