SWISSVALE, Pa. — The Parkway East closure is changing more than just driving routes.
It’s also pushing more people to leave their cars behind and take public transit.
At the Swissvale Park and Ride on Monday, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said the lot reached full parking capacity as commuters looked for ways to avoid traffic tied to the closure.
“I just started taking the bus because of the fact of the shutdown,” said West Mifflin resident Takeisha Jones.
Jones said she’s now leaving home 30 minutes to an hour earlier than usual to make sure she gets to the park-and-ride location on time.
“Just to make sure that I can get to work and not have to worry and struggle with being late,” she said.
While drivers dealt with heavy traffic on alternate routes through communities like Wilkinsburg and Homestead, riders said buses were noticeably busier than normal.
“I had to sit my son on one chair and stand and wait,” one rider said. “We waited about 20 minutes for two seats to open so I could sit with him.”
The rider added, “We take this bus every day and there’s never that many people on it, and this parking lot is never this full.”
According to Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the Swissvale Park and Ride reached full capacity Monday, while the Hamnett Station lot in Wilkinsburg also came close to filling up.
A spokesperson said PRT did see an uptick in park-and-ride usage Monday and plan to continue to monitor traffic and usage throughout the closure.
One commuter told Channel 11 they even had to park farther away than usual because the lot filled up so quickly.
Despite the crowds, riders said taking the bus is still preferable to sitting in traffic in their personal vehicles.
“I’ve been getting up earlier to catch it and, like I said, even though the bus is packed, I’m still downtown within a half an hour,” Gail Cassidy said.
“It’s saving on money, and gas, time. I don’t have to sit in traffic,” said Jones.
None of the commuters Channel 11 spoke with reported major delays or problems using public transit Monday.
However, several recommended arriving at park-and-ride lots earlier than usual, as parking spaces are filling up quickly during the Parkway East closure.
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