BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

We have bike counts for peak hour use of that trail. Might help. Can reach me using this user name at spcregion dot org.

I know a lot of folks in Aspinwall/ O'Hara Twp. areas who commute by bike and would LOVE to use that trail... except it's practically inaccessible (for easy commuting that is) from Freeport Road. A lot of these folks would love to be able to just get to Millvale from here, but the rail right of way between Sharpsburg and Millvale is difficult to traverse at best, and monitored by railroad security otherwise. Get a trail through there, and the "Millvale Trail" would be a lot busier.

ALMKLM, that's most of the limitation of this trail for commuting purposes -- it doesn't readily connect to much that isn't already bicycle accessible.

The rail right of way extending north to Aspinwall is not currently (legally) open to cyclists. The community of Millvale has easy access, but Friday and other connections to Shaler are precarious at best. Babcock is good as far as McKnight, and maybe beyond, but nothing connecting to Babcock from the north, west or east is all that bicycle friendly.

The access to Millvale that is reasonably good is from the City via the trail, or via 40th or 31st Street Bridges, one of which is only good in relative terms. And, from the City side of those bridges, cyclists havd good commuting options.

Millvale is a GREAT trail terminus, in its current configuration. It's a less than great trailhead connection to points north, northeast and northwest at present.

But, not is all lost. It could serve as a park and pedal location, using the Millvale Riverfront Park or the (now former) Millvale Park and Ride lot for drivers to shift to bicycles for the last 3 miles (20 minutes) into town.

Yesterday I commuted from McCandless into Downtown via Perry Hwy and Perrysville Avenue. Going home, I used the river trail to Millvale and rode up Babcock. My alternative was to climb Federal and/or Perrysville. If you are not familiar with these, I suggest you go have a look. One is built for railroad trains and trolleys. The other is built for mountain goats. If you were on a bicycle, which would you prefer to climb?

(Sorry for sounding snarky. I can provide much more printable quotes. But I am your target audience, someone who regularly rides from well north of town, and often through Millvale.)

If I still lived in Millvale and worked in the city I would still go down Butler Street and Smallman unless it were rush hour going outbound. That's coming from someone who thinks Whitehall is the sticks and can't wait to move to Wilkinsburg next month.

My old commute was from Millvale to McIntyre Square for a retail job then back to Millvale and then to the city for school and back to Millvale at 10pm. I took the riverfront trail 10 times at the most before it was recently paved and my reasoning wasn't just because of the unpredictably muddy path. I rather enjoyed stopping at new stores, coffee shops and discovering things in the strip/Lawrencville. My ride back through the strip at 10pm was an amazing experience, stupid fast and I often stopped on the 40th st bridge (sidewalk), chilled and ate some left overs from Stan's Market or RBN. I wouldn't have discovered half of the things that I now more than love about Pittsburgh if it weren't for having an excuse to easily stop places while on my bike.

I have been commuting daily to gateway center via riverfront park for exactly the last two years. Two months ago I moved to Butler county and continue to park in millvale and bike to town. It has worked out well for me. When the weather improves, I frequently park in sharpsburg and bike from there. When I park in sharpsburg I usually take the rough route via the tracks but lately i have been crossing the 62nd street bridge and going into town on the other side of the river.

You must work for Highmark

I work on the southside, not downtown, but do ride through the park. I know two other McCandless residents who park and ride.