Staffski was going through PHCA’s Facebook inbox when she ran across this message from a group the PHCA recently joined, The Pittsburgh G20.  As many others in our region, PHCA and our neighbors here in Polish Hill anticipate the G20 Summit with both elation and apprehension. It was wonderful to see this message from Bill Flanagan, who says the “We shouldn’t worry, but we should prepare.” Mr. Flanagan is the executive vice president for corporate relations at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and publisher of the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership Web site. He also hosts Our Region’s Business on WPXI. His note included great information about traffic restrictions, perimeter control and clean-up efforts around the city. Following are some excerpts from his note —

We know for sure that a highly secure perimeter will exist around the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Thursday and Friday, with only delegates, journalists and essential staffers – all credentialed in advance by the White House – permitted to enter that building.
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For commuters who use public transit, the Port Authority has launched a summit-related Web page, where bus and T-riders can sign up for e-mail alerts or Twitter feeds as more details unfold. The agency says that it expects some Downtown bus stops and routes will fall within zones where vehicular traffic will be temporarily prohibited. So, people working in the Golden Triangle should be prepared to do some extra walking from remote bus stops or parking lots. Those with non-essential business Downtown should probably reschedule it for either the week before or after the summit.
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In many ways, the G-20 gathering is no different from knowing a winter storm is approaching. If you know there’ll be three inches of snow, you adopt one contingency plan. Three feet of snow calls for another. You don’t know a month in advance which it will be, but you have plans in mind. When the time comes, you put into place the plan that makes the most sense for your business.

Staffski urges you to take the time to read Mr. Flanagan’s note in its entirety.