BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

you forgot the part about "Bike Pittsburgh and its affiliates does not condone illegal blah blah blah..."

was this part of the strategy session this past weekend that I missed?

In all honesty, I don't think Pittsburgh's DPW is all that broken. They do seem responsive enough, much of the time, and IMHO they often do the right thing. They're not above reproach, and I'm not too fond of the disappear-in-less-than-a-year sharrows, but they could do a helluvalot worse.

@stu +1

I don't think anyone's bashing our DPW here. I think the title of this thread is meant to get at:

a) I really doubt you could get these signs put in at an official level, no matter how great your DPW is

b) Sometimes when you have a really good idea for some great, snarky signs to raise awareness of the benefits of biking, you just have to make them put them in yourself (and Bike Pittsburgh and its affiliates does not condone illegal blah blah blah...)

Anyway these signs are a great illustrator of how to emphasize the benefits of biking creatively without necessarily bashing/alienating people who drive motorcars.

There is an ugly hand painted sign on Gold Way that says "No Thru Traffic" or something like that. Someone doesn't like the high speed traffic using it as a shortcut.

Stop trying to read between the lines. I'm just passing along a story! Sheesh.

You didn't think you could pass it along without "inspiring" some people, did you?

I took it as simply another great story in the famous tradition of LA "DIY" highway projects.

The biggest one I know about is the epic DIY sign over the interstate:

http://www.good.is/post/the-fake-freeway-sign-that-became-a-real-public-service/

"An artist named Richard Ankrom had the same experience {missing the I-5 exit because of lousy signage}, and so he did what any fed-up Los Angeles driver would do: He began designing a simple directional tool to help drivers prepare for the 5's poorly-marked, hairpin exit. He designed and sewed a Caltrans uniform, cut the shield-like "5" shape as well as a "NORTH" from sheet metal, and affixed the reflectors to match the existing system. He even gave the signage a nice dusting of L.A. smog-sheen so it wouldn't look glaringly new. And on August 5, 2001, in broad daylight, he hoisted a ladder onto Gantry 21300, walked onto a catwalk above one of the city's busiest arteries, and installed his own freeway sign. This collage of six time-lapsed photos shows how he did it. There are more on Ankrom's site.

....

"Ankrom called his piece "guerrilla public service," and that it was: His action quickly and seamlessly alleviated millions of headaches for those who were able to make their transition to the 5 somewhat less hairy (can you imagine how long it would have taken to petition Caltrans the old-fashioned way?). He very likely saved a few lives. But I see Ankrom's work more like "public service performance."

....

What I really applaud is that while Many see signage as "the Man trying to keep me down", some people see it as an opportunity - and a subset see it as a positive opportunity. Chapeau to the free creatives.