I believe the entire length of Beechwood Blvd. should be made bike friendly. There already exists a partial bypass from Monitor St. to Forward Ave. which I believe is useless. If this bypass can be extended to beyond the dangerous part of the interchange, it would be a major step toward filling this gap. Installing a traffic light Monitor St., a stop sign at the end of the highway ramp, and an RRFB at each end of the trail. would make Beechwood Blvd. a bike friendly corridor for its entire length. Staying on Beechwood Blvd. past Lilac St. would make going to Schenley Park from The Waterfront and GAP Trail a lot easier as there are fewer hills.
zzwergel
2020-10-29 00:50:37
I just looked at Google Streetview. What I have found is that heading east from the Greenfield Bridge, It appears that all houses in the vicinity have driveways and/or garages so on-street parking is unnecessary. Also, on-street parking is not allowed on Beechwood Blvd. from Welfer St. to Hazelwood Ave. between 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM. The few cars that park near the Murray Ave. steps can park on Welfer St.
Because of this, it would be much simpler to turn the Parking/right turn lane into a protected cycle track between Hazelwood Ave. and the Greenfield Bridge. Parking can remain on the opposite side of Beechwood Blvd. between Hazelwood Ave. and Monitor St.
zzwergel
2020-10-29 03:00:27
Does anyone think this is a good idea?
zzwergel
2020-10-30 20:24:08
If on-street parking is prohibited during certain hours (and to me it looks like the signs prohibit stopping, not just parking), it might indicate there's so much traffic at those times that it requires two lanes to avoid backing up onto the Parkway.
I tried plotting a bike route in Google Maps from the top of Browns Hill Road to the Hobart/Bartlett/Panther Hollow/Greenfield intersection in Schenley Park, to understand the issue.
Murray Avenue to Pocussett to Wightman to Hobart was a 98 foot climb. When I forced it to use Beechwood to the Greenfield Bridge, it was a 79 foot climb. Maybe the Murray Avenue route would be a better option, both as a current route, and as a route the city might improve for cycling as necessary? While it's slightly more climbing, it seems like it would be pretty safe already (though I've never ridden it).
steven
2020-10-31 18:33:23
That whole interchange should have never been built the way it was. Why couldn't have the built a half-diamond off of Foreward Ave. for the westbound exit/entrance ramps and a RiRo to Beechwood Blvd. for the eastbound exit/entrance ramps. A RiRo is what they have on 279 at Hazlett St. and Venture St. This way, cyclists heading west on Beechwood Blvd. would not have to deal with the possibility of ending up on the Parkway. Is it possible to build a flyover to bypass this nightmare in the future?
What I usually do to get to the Greenfield bridge from Beechwood Blvd./Hazelwood Ave. is
- Straight onto Hazelwood Ave.
- R. Murray Ave.
- L. Loretta St.
- R. Greenfield Ave.
- Slight R. Ronald St.
Due to the construction on Murray Ave. and Loretta St. This is an alternative.
- R. to continue on Beechwood Blvd.
- L. Lilac St.
- L. Windsor St.
- R. Greenfield Ave.
- Slight R. Ronald St.
zzwergel
2020-11-01 00:32:51
Could getting rid of the parking on the northbound side of Beechwood Blvd. between Hazelwood Ave. and Monitor St. and turning it into a cycle track be viable? Have residents park on Monitor St., Lilac St., or Saline St. and build a flyover for the interchange and extend the Monitor-Forward Trail to Beechwood Blvd. just past the westbound entrance ramp. Install an RRFB, a crosswalk, across Beechwood Blvd., and a turn pocket so cyclists and pedestrians can cross safely to access the trail. Installing crosswalks across the ramps as well as ADA complaint curb cuts into the wedge would ease access to the bus stop right by that ramp as well.
zzwergel
2020-11-04 18:16:10
