BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Oh. Wow. Signed up. Very exciting.

I'm confused, it requires you to fill out a Company field... is it limited to organizations or can individuals attend?

i assume individuals can attend

Diana Nelson Jones has a nice piece on the upcoming event.

Our very own Patrick Roberts, @PRob, will be a panelist at the free event. Be certain to RSVP, though.

Regrettably, I will be unable to attend after all. Have fun.

Bump

So excited!

Anybody have any idea what bike rack availability is like at this Hazlett?

it better be good! I'm excited to see how many people are going to come out on bikes. It's extra fun to see bikes all gathered together lounging about.

Bill, we loaned enough event racks to the New Hazlett to park about 50 bikes or so.

bumping this for Fungicyclist.

I really enjoyed Gil's presentation. I like that he was fast paced and just crammed a ton of information and visuals into it, so he really did at least touch on all the major issues and arguments.

As a panelist, I would have liked to have more time to speak about what we are doing locally. The car/bike/transit situation is not static, the way that it seems many people in the community perceive it to be. There are lots of things going on and momentum builds slowly. Sometimes I feel like it takes an awful lot to impress this group here, but change is coming about in lots of little ways and it's not all big stuff like unveiling miles of bike lanes.

I'm also encouraged because, while there isn't a lot of political will to do major bike projects here, there are more and more different parties coming to the table to collaborate. It's not just BikePgh out there on their own, which is fantastic. It's just a matter of time to reach that tipping point.

Positive enough for you, Fungi?

No need to be positive on my account; I found a half dozen protractors last night. I'm plenty pleased.

I wish I'd thought of the protractor project. It has many searching by bike for an angle on what they are up to.

I was surprised to enjoy Mr. Penalosa's talk. It ended too soon. Attendance and interest was impressive. Thank you for your participation and for welcoming Mr. Penalosa. Further discussion would have been appreciated.

I think the "tipping point" may be closer then anyone thinks.

Could you expand and expound on the way "...change is coming about in lots of little ways...", please?

Thanks Darija. The only caveat to this is, there are some big bike projects about to happen. First step was creating the political will to get to this point. That took 9 years. Now there are things like the "Green Blvd" project from the edge of Downtown to Highland Park that will start being planned for any month, then there's MOVEPGH which has Alta Planning & Design leading the way for a brand new bike/ped plan for the city that will have big projects attached to it, then there's the Downtown to Oakland transportation re-envisioning feasibility study that we're at the table for and will include both BRT and safe bike facilities.

There's plenty of bumps and frustrations along the way. More than anyone on here would care to hear about. Not to mention the details of which would bore the pants off anyone but the most wonkish bike infrastructure geek.

Change never happens fast enough, but we are trying our best to make sure it happens as fast as we can possibly make it happen without getting us kicked off of steering committees and out of meetings where the proverbial sausage is made.

I also really enjoyed the presentation, however, thanks to the internet, I was already versed in nearly everything he presented. Agreed, good to see many BikePgh! people, spiritually refreshing. However, I always have a however, there is little productivity in preaching to the choir. Since this was presented by CityLive, hopefully there were also many people there who may not previously have been familiar with his work.

IMO, this was a presentation that needed (needs) to be done for everyone from the Mayor, city council, all the way to PennDot District 11 management. Great to get him here in front of a friendly crowd, now the friendly crowd needs to demand that the powers that be need to sit down and listen. Maybe if Mr. P has an attractive Latino woman doing American Sign Language we could even get Ravenstahl to keep his eyes open. (Wrong on many levels, yea, yea, I know)

I would definitely have liked to hear more from the panel to tie Mr. P's talk to local projects. That was disappointing. Especially since CityLive published it specifically as having a panel discussion.

Exactly, Scott. There are lots of big projects just over the horizon, but lots of little steps go into them. I also was referring to smaller projects that we've done like getting 12 bikes for an after-school program in McKeesport or getting suburban kids to walk to school once a month (yes, month, change is HARD). Just because we haven't gotten every kid in the school district riding a bike or walking to school yet doesn't mean that there aren't some real changes occuring.

@edmonds- PennDOT 11 heard the presentation the next morning. There are some there that are supportive and some that will never be and will have to retire out.

Whoa, surprising, and great. Thanks!

looking at it, I may not have worded that clearly- Penolosa wasn't at PennDOT, but there were a couple reps at the morning presentaton. Management included.

I was also at another workshop this week about Complete Streets with several PennDOT folks present.

It's really cool when public health and transportation planning start meeting on a regular basis. It's giving me the warm fuzzies.

@Scott and Tabby: That is great news! Is there anything that one can do to help the momentum building in the city? Besides the obvious 'keep-on-riding' and stuff?

@edmonds- regarding your comment on Mr P having an assistant: If anyone could take offense at that is me, but I don't take offense. And actually.... I agree with you! haha!

@Scott: regarding yor comment on the Downtown to Oakland transportation re-envisioning feasibility study... any chance of sharing or opening it for comments? As a coincidence, I've actually been biking to Friendship from Downtown via Oakland -through Uptown via Forbes and Fifth avenue, trying to envision a cyclovia of-sorts that way ((and I think it would be AWESOME --such a great area with plenty of potential)). So, if any of my recent experience would be helpful -let me know!

@bikey- It's currently called something like the "Oakland to Downtown Bus Rapid Transit Study" but I'm renaming it...well not officially, but anytime I talk about it I'm going to include all modes, not just BRT. I'm not sure when it will officially get underway, but rest assured, we're at the table. Here is my letter of support to the Port Authority:

May 16, 2011

Port Authority of Allegheny County

John A. Brooks, Chairman

345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

Dear Mr. Brooks:

Bike Pittsburgh is very interested in improving the safety of the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh, Uptown,

and Oakland. In large part, making our streets safer means creating vibrant, walkable, bikable neighborhoods that coax people out of their cars in favor of other modes of transportation. Just like with

biking and walking, we understand that when public transit is implemented appropriately, it does more than

help attract more riders — it helps create a sense of place that attracts people in which to live, work and invest. If transportation is thought of in a multimodal sense, it can make the streets “complete” and therefore safer, more attractive and more convenient for all people regardless of age, ability, or preferred choice of transportation mode.

In many other cities, Bus Rapid Transit, along with walking and biking improvements, has proven to be an exciting yet pragmatic transportation option. We encourage the Port Authority of Allegheny County to

commit the resources to re-envision the Downtown to Oakland transportation corridor to include all modes of transportation — biking, walking, and motor vehicles — alongside Bus Rapid Transit. Ideally this

detailed understanding would include potential costs and timeline for implementation, so the entire

community can make an informed decision on BRT. The Pittsburgh bicycling community is especially large, active, and well-informed and will be interested in learning all it can about how such a transportation

transformation will make our lives better and safer. Bike Pittsburgh will gladly assist by providing whatever data and input is necessary to make the process as complete, and integrated with walking and

bicycling as possible.

Sincerely,

Scott Bricker

Executive Director

@Scott; Right on!

Transportation transformation! woot!

Here are solutions to improving downtown to oakland bikeability in order of increasing difficulty or expense (ignoring political difficulty for the purpose of argument). The hurdle is the stretch from Brady St to Craft Ave.

1. permit bicycles in the fifth avenue bus lane. Costs almost nothing, only needs a pen.

2. Groove rumble strips into the offramps to Forbes from the Blvd of the Allies and 376. Costs some money and manpower but it's (mostly) a one-time expense.

3. Start strictly enforcing the speed limits at those locations cited in #2.

PS. Scott likes to say First step was creating the political will to get to this point. That took 9 years. But it took a lot longer than 9 years. There have been many, many people working on improving cycling in the region since the 1970's, in one way or another (not necessarily all in the ways I would have most preferred, but that's life). All those efforts have contributed to the efforts of those that have followed.

Gil's talk was awesome. I saw cameras. Is a video of it posted anywhere? I keep telling friends they should watch it.

Re: getting elected officials to hear that presentation, Patrick Dowd was sitting next to me for most of the event.

Audrey Glickman from Darlene Harris's office was there. She understands; both do.

How feasible is an extremely temporary implementation of "protected bike lanes", say, in Bloomfield on Liberty for five blocks or so? Is this being considered? Perhaps for one weekend?

There are many ways to "create" political will. Palpable example in the form of an ad hoc pilot project can generate quite a "buzz"?

Yes, I think we'll see some kind of demo project soon(ish). Doing a pilot project or special event to create "buzz" is exactly the desired outcome. Specifics on where and when would be speculation, but there is interest.

There will be protected bike lanes added to Waterfront drive connecting to the new Steel Valley section of the GAP. Anyone know when this will be installed?

Thanks, Tabby, I kind of figured a pilot project might be in the works, but try to avoid the pothole of assuming anything. You know, "assuming makes and out of me and "uming""?

Besides, discussing a small scale implementation may pave the way for it, and could help make it so?

I carry little cars (and a tiny SUV) with me, (working on a tiny brace of bikes), and show anyone who'll listen and many who would rather not, how simple it would be to park cars four feet from the curb and both protect cyclists and calm motorized vehicle operators. Shouldn't be too hard given how far cars park from the curb already, eh?

I also have a small tract of land... ("Love and Death" allusion, intended for humourous effect.)

Grassroots is where real "political will" grows.

Rich Fitzgerald was also in the audience for at least half of the presentation.

Rich Fitzgerald was also in the audience for at least half of the presentation.

I should hope so! He of the ciclovia reference in his candidate questionnaire.

That Ciclovia event is on the city public access channel!

http://www.pctv21.org/

Like, do they have an archived video form?

Wow, how about a whole-country ciclovia for a day? Bolivia is doing it!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14783305

[excerpt below]

Bolivia bans cars for 'Day of the Pedestrian'

Bolivia's President Evo Morales, centre, jogs during the "Pedestrian Day" in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, 4 September 2011. Bolivian President Evo Morales (second left) was up early for a jog

Cars and buses were taken off the streets of Bolivia as the country held its first "National Day of the Pedestrian".

All motorised vehicles, including public transport, were banned in cities across the country on Sunday.

Bolivia's government says it wants to raise awareness about the environment.

It comes at a time when President Evo Morales' government is facing criticism over plans to build a highway through the Amazon rainforest.

The recent protests against the highway have been an embarrassment for Mr Morales, who is a prominent advocate of indigenous rights and the protection of "Mother Earth".

Two million cars

Two million cars were taken off the streets on Sunday in nine cities, according to officials cited by Reuters news agency.

^^ That is awesome!!!!! Go Bolivia!!!!!

Gotta say that something like that would probably NEVER fly herein the States; at either a national, state, or probably even city-level