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90-419: The Transit Expressway Revenue Line ( TERL ), commonly known as Skybus , was a proposed people mover rapid transit system developed by Westinghouse for the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1960s–1970s. In contrast to the traditional streetcars then in use, the technology used a dedicated elevated concrete track and rubber-tired driverless cars . A demonstrator was built and operated in

180-418: A whiskey excise tax. Farmers who had depended on whiskey income refused to pay and started the so-called Whiskey Rebellion after driving off tax collector John Neville . After a series of demonstrations by farmers, President George Washington sent troops to suppress the frontier rebellion. The area developed rapidly through the 1800s with industrialization. It became the nation's prime steel producer by

270-622: A $ 114 million plan for a more conventional steel-wheeled light rail system. The 28-mile (45 km) system would originate in the South Hills area as the present streetcar system did and extend through downtown to the East Liberty neighborhood. Driverless operation would be an option, and the system would be fully grade-separated. WABCO's proposal notwithstanding, PAT voted to adopt the Skybus plan on July 10, 1969. PAT's decision provoked

360-601: A 565 volt three-phase AC underrail system. During the 1960s the Port Authority formulated its so-called "Early Action Program", the purpose of which was to establish a more robust rapid transit system in Pittsburgh. The program called for an 11-mile (18 km) Skybus line and two "busways" ( bus rapid transit routes), plus rehabilitation of existing equipment. The Skybus route would originate South Hills Village and follow existing streetcar right-of-way through

450-550: A 9,340-foot (2,850 m) demonstration track at the Allegheny County Fairgrounds in South Park . The cars, which could operate separately or be coupled together, were powered by a pair of 60 horsepower (45 kW) motors and could travel at a maximum speed of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Each of the four cars was 30 feet 6 inches (9.30 m) long and could seat 28. Power was provided

540-483: A compromise proposal, costed at $ 300 million, which placed Skybus on hold and included six commuter rail lines (including the future PATrain ). A major issue remained the disposition of two sources of money: state and federal. U.S. Secretary of Transportation John Volpe had announced a $ 60 million grant in September 1971, and more money would be advanced as the Skybus project developed. Shapp, as governor, controlled

630-400: A continuous double track along the northern and eastern sides of the exhibition, with reversing loops at either end. The carriages ran on two parallel concrete beams and were guided by pulleys running on the inner side of these concrete beams, and were propelled by gripping a revolving screw thread running between the tracks in a pit; by adjusting the pitch of this thread at different points,

720-517: A county council with 15 members (13 elected by district, two elected county-wide), and an appointed county manager. The changes were intended to maintain a separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches while providing greater citizen control. The county has 130 self-governing municipalities, the most in the state. ( Luzerne is second with 76). The county has one Second Class City (Pittsburgh) and three Third Class Cities ( Clairton , Duquesne , and McKeesport ). A 2004 study found

810-497: A disbursement of $ 38 million in state money. Flaherty argued that the funds could be used for any transit project and were not tied to the Skybus project itself. The position of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) became crucial: Skybus could not be built without federal support. The Port Authority, city, and state could not agree on an appropriate plan which would serve both

900-600: A metro (e.g. Rennes , Lausanne , Brescia , etc.) are now doing so. On September 30, 2006, the Peachliner in Komaki , Aichi Prefecture , Japan, became that nation's first people mover to cease operations. Many large international airports around the world feature people mover systems to transport passengers between terminals or within a terminal itself. Some people mover systems at airports connect with other public transportation systems to allow passengers to travel into

990-506: A post in the area. They sent 41 Virginians to build Fort Prince George . The French learned of the plan and sent an army to capture the fort. They resumed building it and added increased defensive fortification, renaming it as Fort Duquesne . Given its strategic location at the Ohio, Fort Duquesne became an important focal point of the French and Indian War . The first British attempt to retake

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1080-440: A referendum to explore a merger with Pittsburgh. In 2021, a joint task force was formed to study the feasibility and impact of such a merger. The task force is expected to issue a report by June 2022. If both Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh councils approve the merger, it would then need approval from the state legislature and governor before taking effect. Another recent proposal is from Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED), which

1170-470: A right to know how the money's being spent." The Pittsburgh Press editorialized that PAT "pulled a monumental blunder the other night when it not only excluded the public from the meeting at which the WABCO proposal was made but actually tried to keep the details of the proposal from reaching the public." Among the most vehement critics of Skybus was then-City Councilman Peter F. Flaherty (a Democrat ), who

1260-442: A storm of controversy, both for the decision itself and the manner in which it was taken. Throughout the decision-making process PAT held numerous closed-door meetings and was less than forthcoming about how it chose Skybus over the WABCO proposal. Pro–Rail Republican County Commissioner William Hunt stated that "PAT officials should be aware ... that they are a public company using taxpayers' money and these taxpayers have

1350-415: A system known as Cabinentaxi during the 1970s. Cabinentaxi featured small cars with from four to eight seats that were called to pick up passengers on-demand and drove directly to their destination. The stations were "offline", allowing the cabs to stop by moving off the main lines while other cars continued to their destinations. The system was designed so the cars could be adapted to run on top or bottom of

1440-422: A track network with off-line stations, and supply near non-stop service to passengers. These taxi-like systems are more usually referred to as personal rapid transit (PRT). Larger systems, with vehicles with 20 to 40 passengers, are sometimes referred to as "group rapid transit" (GRT), although this term is not particularly common. Other complex APMs have similar characteristics to rapid transit systems, and there

1530-513: A working title for a new attraction, the PeopleMover . According to Imagineer Bob Gurr , "the name got stuck," and it was no longer a working title. Starting in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, people movers were the topic of intense development around the world. Worried about the growing congestion and pollution in downtown areas due to the spread of cars, many countries started studying mass transit systems that would lower capital costs to

1620-489: Is Pittsburgh Regional Transit . The Allegheny County Department of Public Works oversees infrastructure, maintenance, and engineering services in the county. The Three Rivers Heritage Trail provides uninterrupted bicycle and pedestrian connections along the three rivers in the city, and the Great Allegheny Passage trail runs from downtown Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. The Allegheny County Airport

1710-750: Is Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania's second most populous city. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonwealth, and is the center of the Pittsburgh media market . Allegheny was the first county in Pennsylvania to be given a Native American name. It was named after the Lenape word for the Allegheny River . The meaning of "Allegheny" is uncertain. It is usually said to mean "fine river". Some historians state that

1800-887: Is at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in Downtown Pittsburgh , and Allegheny Islands State Park is in the Allegheny River in Harmar Township and is undeveloped as of August 2010. Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 203 is also located in Allegheny County providing hunting and other activities. Allegheny Land Trust, a regional land conservation group headquartered in Sewickley , has purchased land in Allegheny County for use as public green spaces for scenic and recreational purposes. In 2012 it pursued land formerly owned by

1890-499: Is no clear cut distinction between a complex APM of this type and an automated mass transit system. Another term " light metro " is also applied to describe the system worldwide. One of the first automated systems for human transportation was the screw-driven 'Never-Stop-Railway', constructed for the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley , London in 1924. This railway consisted of 88 unmanned carriages, on

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1980-455: Is ranked in the top ten among US cities hosting headquarters of Fortune 500 corporations, including U.S. Steel Corporation, PNC Financial Services Group, PPG Industries , and H. J. Heinz Company . The county leads the state in number of defense contractors supplying the U.S. military. School districts include: These private schools provide special education for disabled students: Allegheny County's public transportation provider

2070-530: Is seeking to enter into an agreement with a consultant to carry out historic preservation compliance activities for projects funded by various federal programs. The consultant would help ACED develop a Programmatic Memorandum of Agreement (PMOA) with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and other stakeholders to streamline the review process for projects that may affect historic properties within

2160-741: Is the original airport for Pittsburgh and houses a number of flight schools, charter flight operations, and medevac operations. It is owned and operated by The Allegheny County Airport Authority. Pittsburgh International Airport is the major passenger airport for the county with service to many destinations on several airlines. Like the Allegheny County Airport, it is also owned and operated by The Allegheny County Airport Authority. For information about major state roads, see list of State Routes in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Belt System . There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Allegheny County. Point State Park

2250-526: The Erie Railroad to the Hudson and Manhattan Tubes . This unit was 227 feet (69 m) long with a rise of 22 feet (6.7 m) on a 15 degree grade , and only cost $ 75,000. A Carveyor consisted of many small cubicles or cars carrying ten people riding on a flat conveyor belt from point A to point B. The belt rode on a series of motorized rollers. The purpose of the motorized rollers was to facilitate

2340-678: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , with 24,718 Lutherans in 77 congregations; the American Baptist Churches USA , with 17,148 Baptists in 42 congregations; the Assemblies of God , with 12,398 Pentecostals in 30 congregations; Reform Judaism , with 8,483 Jews in 6 congregations; the 7,780 Episcopal Church (United States) , with 7,780 Episcopalians in 19 congregations; and Hinduism in

2430-766: The Iroquois , such as the Seneca; the Lenape , who had been pushed from the East by European-American settlers; the Shawnee , who also had territory in Ohio; and the Mingo , a group made up of a variety of peoples from more eastern tribes. European fur traders such as Peter Chartier established trading posts in the region in the early eighteenth century. In 1749, Captain Pierre Joseph Céloron de Blainville claimed

2520-467: The Mt. Lebanon and Beechview neighborhoods before reaching Downtown Pittsburgh via the unused Wabash Tunnel . The entire project would cost $ 295 million; Skybus alone was $ 232 million. In July 1969 an alternative emerged to the Skybus plan. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO)—an unrelated company also founded by George Westinghouse , several years prior to Westinghouse Electric's founding—proposed

2610-479: The New York City Board of Transportation , had several meetings with a group of architects who were trying to revamp the whole New York City Subway system in the heart of town to connect Pennsylvania Station, Madison Square Garden , Times Square, Grand Central and several new office complexes together. Several of these architects were involved in other programs, and in later years many variations of

2700-516: The Ohio Valley and all of western Pennsylvania for King Louis XV of France . The captain traveled along the Ohio and Allegheny rivers. He installed lead plates in the ground to mark the land for France. Most of the towns during that era were developed along waterways , which were the primary transportation routes, as well as providing water for domestic uses. Through the eighteenth century, both

2790-538: The South Hills area but political opposition killed the deployment of a larger system. Westinghouse, a Pittsburgh firm, developed the technology during the early 1960s in cooperation with the Port Authority of Allegheny County , a public entity which by 1964 controlled most mass transit in the Pittsburgh area. With support from the state of Pennsylvania and the federal government, Westinghouse and PAT built

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2880-614: The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania quashed the injunction on both procedural and factual grounds, holding that the suit was not timely and that Westinghouse's role was not improper. Opposition to the Skybus project continued, with Flaherty and Hunt demanding that the proposal be submitted to a referendum in the 1973 election. The projected cost of the Early Action Program, including Skybus, had risen from $ 228 million to nearly $ 400 million. Governor Milton Shapp offered

2970-644: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 745 square miles (1,930 km ), of which 730 square miles (1,900 km ) is land and 14 square miles (36 km ) (1.9%) is water. Four major rivers traverse Allegheny County: the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River converge at Downtown Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River . The Youghiogheny River flows into the Monongahela River at McKeesport , 10 miles (16 km) to

3060-606: The 19th and early 20th centuries; prior to the Great Depression , Pittsburgh and Allegheny County had been majority Republican. Since the Great Depression on the state and national levels, the Democratic Party has been dominant in county-level politics. It is by far the most Democratic county in western Pennsylvania. For much of the time between the Great Depression and the turn of the millennium, it

3150-650: The Carveyor people movers were developed. In November 1954 the New York City Transit Authority issued an order to Goodyear and Stephens-Adamson to build a complete Carveyor system between Times Square and Grand Central. A brief summary and confirmation can be found in Time magazine on November 15, 1954. under the heading "Subway of the Future". The cost was to be under $ 4 million, but the order

3240-544: The County Council, which is composed of 15 members elected for four-year terms from 13 single-member districts and 2 At-Large representatives, currently occupied by Bethany Hallam and Sam DeMarco. The council functions as the primary legislative and policy-making body of the county. The current County Council President is Patrick Catena, a Democrat who represents District 4 and was elected by his fellow council members in 2018 and 2020. The judicial branch consists of

3330-620: The County Executive, who is elected for a four-year term and serves as the chief executive officer of the county; and the County Manager, who is appointed by the County Executive and oversees the daily operations of the county departments. The current County Executive is Sara Innamorato , a Democrat who took office in 2024. The current County Manager is William D. McKain, who was appointed by Fitzgerald in 2012 and reappointed in 2016 and 2020. The legislative branch consists of

3420-582: The Court of Common Pleas, which is the general trial court of the county; and the Magisterial District Courts, which are lower courts that handle minor criminal and civil cases. The judges of these courts are elected for ten-year terms. The current President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas is Kimberly Berkeley Clark, who was elected by her fellow judges in 2018 for a five-year term. Allegheny County has 130 self-governing municipalities,

3510-560: The Downtown People Mover Program. Four systems were developed, Rohr 's ROMAG , LTV 's AirTrans , Ford 's APT and Otis Elevator 's hovercraft design. A major presentation of the systems was organized as TRANSPO'72 at Dulles International Airport , where the various systems were presented to delegations from numerous cities in the US. Prototype systems and test tracks were built during the 1970s. One notable example

3600-574: The French and the British competed for control over the local rivers in this frontier territory of North America. Native American bands and tribes allied with the colonists to differing degrees, often based on their trading relationships. The British sent Major George Washington to expel the French from their posts, with no success. He also nearly drowned in the ice-filled Allegheny River while returning to camp. The English tried again in 1754 to establish

3690-541: The Industrial Products Division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. , if Goodyear had ever considered working on People Movers. He felt that with Goodyear's ability to move materials in large quantities on conveyor belts they should consider moving batches of people. Four years of engineering design, development and testing led to a joint patent being issued for three types of people movers, named Speedwalk, Speedramp, and Carveyor. Goodyear would sell

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3780-475: The US Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh is the second (after Laredo, Texas ) busiest inland port in the nation. US steel production declined late in the 20th century, and Allegheny County's economy began a shift to other industries. It is presently known for its hospitals, universities, and industrial centers. Despite the decline of heavy industry , Pittsburgh is home to a number of major companies and

3870-491: The United States , with 6,700 Hindus in four temples . Altogether, 60.6% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, Allegheny County had 794 religious organizations, the 11th most out of all US counties. As of the 2010 census , there were 1,223,348 people living in

3960-462: The United States. Driverless metros have become common in Europe and parts of Asia. The economics of automated trains tend to reduce the scale so tied to "mass" transit (the largest operating expense is the driver's salary, which is only affordable if very large numbers of passengers are paying fares), so that small-scale installations are feasible . Thus cities normally thought of as too small to build

4050-426: The age of 18 living with them, 46.10% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.10% were non-families. Some 32.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.96. The age distribution of the population shows 21.90% under

4140-426: The age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40. For every 100 females, there were 90.00 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.20 males. In the late 18th century, farming played a critical role in the growth of the area. There was a surplus of grain due to transportation difficulties in linking with

4230-501: The airport's city. [REDACTED] Media related to People movers at Wikimedia Commons Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Allegheny County ( / ˌ æ l ɪ ˈ ɡ eɪ n i / AL -ig- AY -nee ) is a county in Pennsylvania , United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county , after Philadelphia County . Its county seat and most populous city

4320-471: The balance. The Commission's decision did nothing to end the controversy. Flaherty, now mayor, remained opposed and used his powers as mayor to frustrate the project. In 1971 he and the Port Authority came to blows over the Wabash Tunnel , which Skybus would use to reach the downtown area. The Pittsburgh City Council voted to convey land at the mouth of the tunnel to the Port Authority. Flaherty vetoed

4410-470: The carriages could be sped up, or slowed down to a walking pace at stations, to allow passengers to join and leave. The railway ran reliably for the two years of the exhibition, and was then dismantled. In late 1949, Mike Kendall, chief engineer and Chairman of the Board of Stephens-Adamson Manufacturing Company, an Illinois-based manufacturer of conveyor belts and systems , asked Al Neilson, an engineer in

4500-603: The city of Pittsburgh and surrounding Allegheny County. The Port Authority remained committed to Skybus, as did a majority of the County Commission. Mayor Flaherty continued to favor a mix of traditional heavy and light rail, as did Governor Shapp. Ultimately in 1976 a cross-jurisdiction task force recommended light rail instead of Skybus, and the UMTA support was withdrawn. Once the Allegheny County Fair

4590-577: The concept and Stephens-Adamson would manufacture and install the components. A Speedwalk consisted of a flat conveyor belt riding on a series of rollers, or a flat slippery surface, moving at 1.5 mph (2.4 km/h) (approximately half the speed of walking). The passengers would walk onto the belt and could stand or walk to the exit point. They were supported by a moving handrail . Customers were expected to include airport terminals , ballparks , train stations , etc. Today, several manufacturers produce similar units called moving walkways . A Speedramp

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4680-598: The country with Miami's Metromover . Westinghouse built the first 12 Adtranz C-100 buses used for the Metromover. Westinghouse would also participate in the development of similar driverless transit systems like the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in California, and automated people movers at several major U.S. airports, including Tampa, Orlando, and Dallas-Ft. Worth. People mover The term

4770-437: The county would be better served by consolidating the southeastern portion of the county (which includes many small communities with modest economies) into a large municipality ("Rivers City") with a combined population of approximately 250,000. Allegheny County has a Home Rule Charter form of government since 2000. The county has three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch consists of

4860-576: The county. ACED issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for this service in January 2022 and expects to select a consultant by March 2022. As of 4 March 2024, there were 902,957 registered voters in the county; a majority were Democrats. There were 508,935 registered Democrats , 257,857 registered Republicans , 97,708 registered as independents and 38,457 registered with other parties . Chart of voter registration The Republican Party had been historically dominant in county-level politics in

4950-441: The county. The population density was 1,676 people per square mile (647 people/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 82.87% White, 14.39% Black or African American, 2.94% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. About 1.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. At the 2000 census , there were 1,281,666 people, 537,150 households, and 332,495 families living in

5040-679: The county. The population density was 1,755 people per square mile (678 people/km ). There were 583,646 housing units at an average density of 799 per square mile (308/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 84.33% White, 12.41% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.69% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. About 0.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.0% were of German , 15.0% Italian , 12.7% Irish , 7.5% Polish and 5.1% English ancestry. 93.5% spoke English and 1.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 537,150 households, out of which 26.40% had children under

5130-838: The decision. The council voted to do so again, overriding Flaherty's veto. Flaherty then refused to sign the necessary papers. The matter reached the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania , which ruled against Flaherty in July 1972. PAT would spend a total of $ 9.2 million rebuilding the tunnel and then undoing the work after the system was canceled. In November 1971 the City Council had decided to table legislation funding Skybus. Construction stopped after Court of Common Pleas Judge Anne X. Alpern issued an injunction, ruling that PAT had failed to consider alternatives and that Westinghouse had "an illegal conflict of interest." In January 1973

5220-422: The eastern portion of the state. As a result, the farmers distilled the grain into whiskey , which significantly helped the farmers financially. The area quickly became a key manufacturing area in the young nation. Coupled with deposits of iron and coal, and the easy access to waterways for barge traffic, the city quickly became one of the most important steel producing areas in the world. Based on 2007 data from

5310-592: The end of the American Revolutionary War, in 1780 Pennsylvania and Virginia agreed to extend the Mason–Dixon line westward. This region was assigned to Pennsylvania. From 1781 until 1788, much of what Virginia had claimed as part of Yohogania County was administered as a part of the newly created Washington County, Pennsylvania . Allegheny County was officially created on September 24, 1788, from parts of Washington and Westmoreland counties. It

5400-403: The flag ship; City of Parkersburg , Charles Brown , Alice Brown , Exporter , Sam Brown , Boaz , Raymond Horner , Swan , Sunshine , I. C. Woodward , Cruiser , Volunteer , A. R. Budd , J. C. Risher , Clyde , Rival , Voyager , Jim Brown , Rover , Charlie Clarke , Robt. J. Jenkins , Slipper , Bertha , Midland Sam Barnum , Cadet , Twilight , and Troubadour . According to

5490-492: The fort, the Braddock Expedition , failed miserably. In 1758 British forces under General John Forbes recaptured the fort; he had it destroyed to prevent any use by the French. The British built a new, larger fort on the site, including a moat, and named it Fort Pitt . The historic site has been preserved as Pittsburgh's Point State Park . Under their colonial charters, both Pennsylvania and Virginia claimed

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5580-468: The gradual acceleration and deceleration speeds on the conveyor belt and overcome the tendency of all belts to stretch at start up and during shutdown. At point "A" passengers would enter a Speedwalk running parallel to the belts and cars of the Carveyor. The cars would be moving at the same speed as the Speedwalk; the passengers would enter the cars and be seated, while the motorized rollers would increase

5670-448: The hearings to express their views. Flaherty accused the PAT board of directors of having an "emotional commitment ... to the Skybus plan" and of collusion with business-industrial interests in the Pittsburgh area who favored the plan. Tabor split the difference, presenting a plan which included WABCO and a 16-mile (26 km) Skybus loop east of downtown. A continuing source of contention

5760-518: The highest vote percentage for a Democrat since Michael Dukakis in 1988 and the most votes for a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. In the 21st century, populist turns to the GOP from nearly all of Appalachia in general and western Pennsylvania in particular have left the county as one of the few in the region that still supports the Democrats at a high level. Source In 2010 statistics,

5850-677: The immaturity of the technology and other factors, led the Port Authority to abandon the project and pursue alternatives. By the start of the 1980s most politicians had lost interest in the concept and the project was repeatedly de-funded in the early 1980s. Only two APMs were developed as a part of the People Mover Program in the U.S., the Metromover in Miami , and the Detroit People Mover . The Jacksonville Skyway

5940-638: The largest religious group in Allegheny County was the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh , with 460,672 Catholics worshipping at 179 parishes; followed by the United Methodist Church , with 44,204 Methodists in 100 congregations; the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America , with 42,838 Presbyterians in 145 congregations; non-denominational Protestants, with 33,103 adherents in 85 congregations;

6030-615: The late 19th century and Pittsburgh was nicknamed "Steel Capital of the World". In 1913, the county's 125th anniversary was celebrated with a week-long series of events. The final day, September 27, was marked by a steamboat parade of 30 paddle wheelers . They traveled from Monongahela Wharf down the Ohio to the Davis Island Dam . The boats in line were the Steel City (formerly the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati packet Virginia ),

6120-517: The most in the state. These include one city (Pittsburgh), 96 boroughs, 30 townships, and two home rule municipalities (Bethel Park and McCandless). Each municipality has its own elected officials, such as mayor, council, commissioners, supervisors, etc., and its own local services, such as police, fire, public works, etc. Some municipalities also have their own municipal authorities that provide services such as water, sewer, transit, etc. There have been several proposals to consolidate or merge some of

6210-441: The municipalities in Allegheny County, either with each other or with the City of Pittsburgh, to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enhance regional cooperation. However, none of these proposals have been implemented so far. One of the most recent proposals is from Wilkinsburg , a borough that borders Pittsburgh and faces financial challenges due to declining population and tax base. In 2020, Wilkinsburg residents voted to approve

6300-409: The name may come from a Lenape account of an ancient mythical tribe called "Allegewi" , who lived along the river before being taken over by the Lenape. Prior to European contact, this area was settled for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples. During the colonial era , historic native groups known by the colonists to settle in the area included members of western nations of

6390-572: The point where any city could afford to deploy them. Most of these systems used elevated guideways, which were much less expensive to deploy than tunnels. However, elevating the track causes problems with noise, so traditional steel-wheel-on-rail solutions were rare as they squealed when rounding bends in the rails. Rubber tired solutions were common, but some systems used hovercraft techniques or various magnetic levitation systems. Two major government funded APM projects are notable. In Germany, Mannesmann Demag and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm developed

6480-531: The region that is now Allegheny County. Pennsylvania administered most of the region as part of its Westmoreland County . Virginia considered everything south of the Ohio River and east of the Allegheny River to be part of its Yohogania County , and governed it from Fort Dunmore . In addition, parts of the county were located in the proposed British colony of Vandalia and the proposed U.S. state of Westsylvania . The overlapping boundaries, multiple governments, and confused deed claims soon proved unworkable. Near

6570-575: The southeast. There are several islands in these courses. The rivers drain via the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico . Although the county's industrial growth resulted in clearcutting of the area's forests, a significant amount of woodland has regrown. Allegheny has a humid continental climate which is hot-summer, ( Dfa ) except in higher elevations, where it is warm-summer ( Dfb ). Until January 1, 2000, Allegheny County's government

6660-432: The speed of the cars up to the traveling speed (which would be preset depending on the distance to be covered). At point B Passengers could disembark and by means of a series of flat slower belts (Speedwalks) go to other Carveyors to other destinations or out to the street. The cars at point B would continue on rollers around a semicircle and then reverse the process carrying passengers back to point A. The initial installation

6750-436: The term "people mover" is generic, and may use technologies such as monorail , rail tracks or maglev . Propulsion may involve conventional on-board electric motors, linear motors or cable traction . Generally speaking, larger APMs are referred to by other names. The most generic is "automated guideway transit", which encompasses any automated system regardless of size. Some complex APMs deploy fleets of small vehicles over

6840-428: The track (but not easily converted from one to the other), allowing dual-track movements from a single elevated guideway only slightly wider than the cars. A test track was completed in 1975 and ran until development was completed in 1979, but no deployments followed and the companies abandoned the system shortly thereafter. In the U.S., a 1966 federal bill provided funding that led to the development of APM systems under

6930-409: The vote, Republican John McCain received 41%, and each of the three state row office winners ( Rob McCord for Treasurer, Jack Wagner for Auditor General, and Tom Corbett for Attorney General) also carried Allegheny. In 2016, despite Donald Trump being the first Republican to carry Pennsylvania since 1988, Hillary Clinton did slightly better than Barack Obama's 2012 vote total while Donald Trump

7020-485: Was Pittsburgh 's Skybus, which was proposed by the Port Authority of Allegheny County to replace its streetcar system, which, having large stretches of private right of way, was not suited for bus conversion. A short demonstration line was set up in South Park and large tracts of land were secured for its facilities. However, opposition arose to the notion that it would replace the streetcar system. This, combined with

7110-404: Was WABCO's cost estimate, which PAT's consulting engineer said was at least $ 100 million too low. The viability of the unproven Skybus technology, in particular the switching system , remained a concern. In September the County Commission voted 2–1 to adopt the plan. The Commission stated that of the $ 228 million only $ 20–30 million would be paid by the county, with federal and state funds making up

7200-555: Was a candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh . Flaherty accused PAT of prejudging in favor of Skybus and rushing the decision to secure federal funding for the project. Flaherty urged additional, open, hearings to better evaluate the merits of the Skybus and WABCO proposals. In response, the Allegheny County Commission agreed to hold a series of public hearings into the competing plans. Both Flaherty and John K. Tabor , his Republican opponent for mayor, appeared at

7290-629: Was built in the late 1980s. Although many systems were generally considered failures, several APM systems developed by other groups have been much more successful. Lighter systems with shorter tracks are widely deployed at airports; the world's first airport people movers, the Tampa International Airport People Movers , were installed in 1971 at Tampa International Airport in the United States . APMs have now become common at large airports and hospitals in

7380-587: Was defined under Pennsylvania's Second Class County Code. The county government was charged with all local activities, including elections, prisons, airports, public health, and city planning. All public offices were headed by elected citizens. There were three elected county commissioners. On January 1, 2000, the Home-Rule Charter went into effect. It replaced the three elected commissioners with an elected chief officer (the County Executive),

7470-492: Was done away with in the early 1970s, rides on the Skybus track ceased. In the Spring and Summer of 1980 the county had the track, cars and computer dismantled and bartered for scrap, with the computer building becoming a park police office. The Skybus tests proved that rubber tire driverless transit could function. Westinghouse Electric would later have a role in the development of the first major fully automated transit system in

7560-401: Was formed to respond to pressure from the increase in settlers living in the area around Pittsburgh; this was designated as the county seat in 1791. The county originally extended north to the shores of Lake Erie ; it was reduced to its current borders by 1800. As population increased in the territory, other counties were organized. In the 1790s, the United States federal government imposed

7650-510: Was never fulfilled due to political difficulties. Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania , Disneyland in California, and Walt Disney World in Florida are among many locations that have used variations of the Carveyor concept. The term 'people mover' was used by Walt Disney , when he and his Imagineers were working on the new 1967 Tomorrowland at Disneyland . The name was used as

7740-719: Was originally applied to three different systems, developed roughly at the same time. One was Skybus , an automated mass transit system prototyped by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation beginning in 1964. The second, alternately called the People Mover and Minirail , opened in Montreal at Expo 67. Finally the last, called PeopleMover or WEDway PeopleMover, was an attraction that was originally presented by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and that opened at Disneyland in 1967. Now, however,

7830-448: Was the second-strongest Democratic bastion in Pennsylvania, behind only Philadelphia. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 56% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 41%. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 57% of the vote and Republican Bush received 41%. In 2006, Democrats Governor Ed Rendell and Senator Bob Casey Jr. won 59% and 65% of the vote in Allegheny County, respectively. In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama received 57% of

7920-419: Was the worst performing Republican in 20 years. In the 2018 Midterms , Democrats received an even higher percentage of the vote with Tom Wolf and Casey receiving approximately two thirds of the county's vote. This is an improvement over the approximately 55% each person received in the county in their last election in 2014 and 2012 respectively. In 2020, Joe Biden improved upon Clinton's performance, receiving

8010-644: Was to be the 42nd Street Shuttle in New York City between Times Square and Grand Central station. The first mention of the Carveyor in a hardback book was in There's Adventure in Civil Engineering by Neil P. Ruzic (1958), one of a series of books published by Popular Mechanics in the 1950s in their "Career" series. In the book the Carveyor was already installed and operational in downtown Los Angeles. Colonel Sydney H. Bingham, Chairman of

8100-594: Was very similar to a Speedwalk but it was used to change elevations; up or down a floor level. This could have been accomplished by an escalator, but the Speedramp would allow wheeled luggage, small handcarts etc. to ride the belt at an operating cost predicted to be much lower than escalators or elevators . The first successful installation of a Speedramp was in the spring of 1954 at the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Station in Jersey City, New Jersey , to connect

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