BikePgh asked each of the Mayoral candidates to discuss the status quo with respect to making Pittsburgh as bike friendly as possible, and asked them as well to what each of them would seek to do as Mayor to further cycling as a viable mode of transportation citywide.  The resultant questionnaire, which each candidate completed at some length, informs not only the cycling issues at hand, but also the candidates’ respective visions for Pittsburgh generally.  An excellent and illuminating read. 

And while you’re at it, why don’t you donate while you’re over there.  If I’m not mistaken, thanks to a generous benefactor, donations this summer will be matched one to one.  You’ll get to feel twice as good about supporting one of the most effective advocacy organizations in the city.

A new Facebook group was created today to support the hotness of trash cans.

Students For Reliable Trash Cans

Basic Info
Type: Common Interest – Politics
Description: This is a group for students who think that safe and reliable trash cans are necessary for a higher quality of life for Pittsburghers. Businesses need them, students need them, and residents need them. We support taking care of business.   We finally got ‘em, now let’s show ‘em some love! Which trash can do you prefer?

Contact Info
Office: A city trash can near you
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Here are some additional pictures that are posted on the Facebook group…

Two Thumbs Up

Clean water? Vote ‘yes’
Ballot question targets funding source

Sunday, October 26, 2008
BY TANYA DIEROLF

On Nov. 4, we will be deciding more than the next president. We in Pennsylvania can also cast a vote for clean water.

A ballot question will ask Pennsylvanians to approve a $400 million bond issue to fund the Water and Sewer Systems Assistance Act. Voting “yes” will cut the pollution in our local waterways and help rescue and restore our failing and aging infrastructure.

Our 86,000 miles of streams and rivers are more than just beautiful. We overwhelmingly rely on local waterways for drinking water, with four out of five Pennsylvanians getting their drinking water from surface waters. We rely on local waterways for economic and recreational opportunities, too. Six million Pennsylvanians enjoy the outdoors, and fishing alone is a $1 billion industry in the state.

Unfortunately, nearly 20 percent of our streams and rivers are polluted. The sources are many — added nutrients and sediment from sewage treatment plants, agriculture, industrial livestock operations, manufacturing and poorly planned development. A “yes” vote will help fight this pollution in our local waterways, including the Susquehanna River and its tributaries.

This is vital to fix our outdated sewage treatment facilities, where significant improvements are decades overdue. These overloaded systems dump untreated wastewater into rivers and streams during heavy rain.

As that nutrient-rich water travels downstream, algae thrive in our rivers. When the algae die and decompose, oxygen escapes from the water, creating “dead zones” downstream.

These dead zones choke out existing aquatic plants and animals.

The Susquehanna River provides 50 percent of the fresh water to the Chesapeake Bay, so it’s important that Pennsylvania clean up its share of the problem. Both Virginia and Maryland facilities are making necessary upgrades thanks to state funding, doing their part in cleaning up the bay. Yet here at home, pollution reduction and water quality improvements have yet to be made. A “yes” vote on the ballot measure will reestablish Pennsylvania’s commitment to clean water here and downstream.

But the problem is huge and the costs are astronomical. It could take as much as $4 billion to make all necessary maintenance and infrastructure improvements to our water and sewage facilities. And the longer upgrades are put off, the more expensive they become. Without a funding source for our municipal treatment plants, local families and businesses must carry the financial burden with escalating rates on their bills.

Pennsylvania’s cities and towns must stay affordable and attractive places to live and work. Passing the costs for failing infrastructure on to local communities could lead to an economic downturn, on top of the financial problems we are all already experiencing.

Without a reliable source of clean water and a means to treat waste, new growth and economic development will stall.

The ballot question calls for $400 million funded through the sale of state bonds to investors. Grants and low-interest loans would be available for new construction of and improvements to drinking water and wastewater facilities. This would significantly help our local communities make the necessary upgrades.

It is time for Pennsylvanians to voice their commitment to the rivers and streams where we swim, fish and paddle.

Let’s step up and say “yes” on Nov. 4 to bring our sewer and water systems into the 21st century. Say “yes” to keep pollutants out of our waterways. Say “yes” to healthy communities. Say “yes” to Pennsylvania staying an affordable and attractive place to live. Vote for clean water right here at home and farther downstream.

The legislation states, “Except as set forth under subsection (b), an individual may not engage in smoking in a public place. Nothing in this act shall preclude the owner of a public or private property from prohibiting smoking on the property.”

Exceptions to this rule are as follows:
1. Private residences and vehicles (unless used for child care services)
2. 25% of hotel/motel rooms
3. Tobacco shops*
4. Workplaces where tobacco-related products are manufactured
5. Designated spaces in long-term care, residential treatment and day treatment facilities
6. Private clubs (except when open to public)
7. Exhibition/conference space when used for a public event involving promoting/sampling tobacco products
8. Cigar bars*
9. Drinking establishments*^
10. 25% of the gaming floor at a licensed facility
11. Designated outdoor area at a sports or entertainment facility

*in order to be exempted, these establishments must submit a letter and supporting documentation for approval

^Drinking establishments are defined in the legislation under Section 2: Definitions. The definition includes the qualification “has total annual sales of food sold for on- premises consumption of less than or equal to 20% of the combined gross sales of the establishment,” that we have been hearing about.

You can give your opinion on the new ban in today’s online PG poll and by leaving a comment on this post.