BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

new in town? welcome!

the problem with your way into town is that centre ave goes through the hill district, so you'll be climbing up a long unnecessary way.

as for your return trip, forbes ave is one way out of town, so that won't be much use to you heading back.

if i were making the trip, i would do either forbes into town, then jog over and do the 5th ave sidewalk (some others who actually go this way can help you with tips on that), or perhaps, as you said, the jail trail to bates, or even to junction hollow (it's longer, but more enjoyable, in my opinion).

on the way back, fifth ave from oakland to downtown isn't bad at all, and it's my preferred route if i'm heading from the east end to downtown on a schedule. there are a number of good options, though. for example, you could head through junction hollow, across the hot metal bridge, and up the slopes, if you're feeling spunky.

Inbound I'd probably take jail trail to junction hollow, up to 5th, and then you only have a few blocks to BST.

Outbound, just take 5th to downtown. It is downhill and I keep up with the evening traffic without a problem.

I'd avoid biking up Bates, especially during morning rush hour. The extra couple miles junction hollow adds are totally worth it to skip biking up that hill and dealing with the mess of Oakland morning commuters (and you might see a deer or two, and a few bunnies). If you do bike up it, use the sidewalk on the downhill side. I've never seen anyone take the lane going up.

Like HV said, Forbes is a one way street on that side of Oakland, and it goes the wrong way. You could take it in the morning, but there are people coming off the freeway onto it, and they always seem to be driving at freeway speeds at least till they hit a stop light or two.

It looks like you can make a route using Centre to the higher part of Oakland (say the Petersen Events Center) that includes only a little extra climbing. Here's a route to Darragh and Terrace.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/137085

It climbs steadily from downtown (750 feet elevation) to about 1030 feet elevation (at the Kennard Playground), drops 50 feet, then climbs to 1055 feet and stays right around there for the rest of the trip. (Terrace Street is at 1040 feet elevation and Fifth Avenue is around 930.)

So it might be worth considering, as far as climbing and cooling down goes, if that's the part of Oakland you're going to. I've never ridden it, but Centre is marked as a good bike route in the Pittsburgh Bike Map on this site. I don't know how bad it is as far as traffic in the morning.

I've never seen anyone take the lane going up.

I did that last week (albeit in the evening). It sucked

As for climbing Mt. Washington, I feel the easiest way is to travel up 10th street in the southside and make a right at the Black and Gold Beer distributor, head up PJ McCardle. When it crosses the Liberty Bridge/ Liberty Tubes intersection, head straight on PJ and take the sidewalk the whole way up, it is a nice sidewalk and somewhat necessary since you won't be able to stay up with traffic on the climb. On the way down the mountain, simply take the road and hang on!

From downtown take Forbes towards Oakland and hang a left on Gist Street up to Fifth, then ride the bus lane and or the sidewalk and climb up from the Birmingham Bridge. This should drop you right off in front of your building.

Have fun and good luck. Also if PJ McCardle isn't steep enough for you, check out Sycomore Street. It drops you off by Station Square, and it's a monster.

Double post,sorry.

I meant 5th ave on the return trip not Forbes.

Well I've been here almost a year so not exactly new. I've been cycling here since april. My typical commute is Mt Wash to either the north side or bloomfield depending on the week.

@Steven, the route you posted is even better than what I was thinking about. It is about the same total climb as going via the EFT and junction hollow or bates but 1-2 mi shorter and the climb is more towards the middle of the trip.

Ridewithgps.com seems like a great tool, I hadn't seen that one before.

if it was me:

mcardle-10th-sarah-23rd-birmingham bridge-5th ave bus lane/sidewalk-halket-euler-meyran-jog over to lothrop

birmingham bridge/5th is a nice gentle climb, going up and over center is a bitch, plus there is construction going on in the central hill that has traffic all screwed up on center

you could also try turning up robinson from 5th and going behind the va center, but any way you go you will be ending on a hill as bst3 is at the very top of pitt campus

I guess it depends which BST you are in. BST3 has a main door on 5th ave. You need to go up to the 6th floor of BST3 to get to the ground floor of BST. If you have a BST3 card, you could cut through and take the elevator up.

Also, riding in the bus lane is technically against the law, just an FYI incase you end up with a $240 ticket.

the sidewalk is legal though!

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I don't need a $240 ticket for sure. So for cburch's route that would leave me on the sidewalk for 0.6 mi. Google maps shows the sidewalk ripped up and undergoing construction, has this been finished?

I don't have a security card and I am going to BST.

sidewalk has been done for a long time. that photo is way old.

Is riding on the Fifth Avenue sidewalk legal east of Craft Avenue? I'm not sure. (If it's considered a business district, it's not.) Farther east, I think there are explicit signs prohibiting bikes on the sidewalk, but I'm not sure where they start.

In any case, the sidewalk there is narrow and has lots of pedestrians, so be careful if you go that way.

West of Craft Avenue, I think the new sidewalk is now finished (?), and OK for cycling. (In one spot there are often cars parked on the sidewalk, but I think it's fine to use the adjacent bus lane to get around them. Traffic law says you can do otherwise-illegal stuff to get around obstructions.)

you only stay on the sidewalk east of craft for a block before you cut down halket to the alley. and in fact you can usually cut into the parking lot thats halfway down the block and then use that to get to the alley. that section of 5th is usually pretty devoid of pedestrians as its at the very end of oakland anyway.