BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Wabash Tunnel. Or has that been mentioned before?

Bike lanes from 837 / Carson Street at Station Square to Route51 at McKees Rocks Bridge Bike switchbacks or ramps connecting land at base of West End Bridge to the bridge deck (both sides) Some kind of infra to get out of city to West End Village and thence west to Carnegie & Panhandle Trail. The Braddock Connector on the GAP

What V said, seconded.

Here's a short wish list. I don't want to bore you with the long one :) Signage to connect glenwood bridge sidewalk to GAP trail, bike rails on stairs on glenwood bridge. Bike rails on stairs on west end bridge. Signage and/or street markings on how to connect to Ohio River Trail. Bike rails on 62nd street bridge stairs (or build ramps or bikeway on 62nd street bridge to avoid dismount). Fix sidewalks on mckees rocks bridge. And/Or buffered bike lanes. Extend south side trail to west end bridge. Wabash tunnel bike connection. Widen the chute connecting the hollow to EFT trail (might be more feasible once almono site directs irvine street traffic through there). Some connection to southern Neighborhoods via old rail lines or seldom seen greenway through west end along Rt 51 / Saw mill run blvd. Bausman street bikeway (really needs matching connection along rt51 to work well) Connection to EFT trail to Brady Street and Birmingham bridge. Bike lanes or separated path on brady street between second ave and 5th ave along with connection to technology drive (which takes you to hot metal bridge). 5th / Forbes corridor bike improvements from downtown through oakland. legal Trail track crossing at becks run rd @ east carson st Legal Track crossing at duck hollow trail to glenwood bridge / 2nd ave. Legal Track Crossing at Schenley pond and junction hollow trail. Build the allegheny green bouldevard along rail right of way between smallman st and railroad st all the way to washignton blvd.

Personally, I'd like some cycling specific infrastructure on Bates St. Not sure what it would look like (due to space constraints) but maybe something similar to what it being designed for Schenley Drive, with separate space for ped/cyclists (i.e. asphalt paved with markings that would extend inbound to the crappy wood ramp on Second and across Second (maybe on that sidewalk that connects to HMB). I like the idea of the lanes in Schenley and on Bouquet (and the new lanes in Central Oakland) connecting to Bates down into South Side / EFT/Jail Trail. I suppose an out of the way alternative might be to do something with Joncaire, but then you have the garbage chute to contend with. I miss that dirt ramp that you used to be able to connect to EFT/Jail Trail directly that was under the old bridge over Bates. That sidewalk that is effectively mixed use to the wood ramp isn't taken care of during winter and has all those light posts and whatnot that make it less than ideal. I want to see dedicated infrastructure on the Fifth/Forbes corridor, I think if one were to frame it as new cycling/ped specific infrastructure = more foot traffic and increased $$$, you could get OBID and those stakeholders to make some serious noise about doing some serious development in Central Oakland that encourages things like on sidewalk businesses/cafes, etc. while also making cycling specific infrastructure between Downtown and Oakland. I'd love to see something done on Blvd of the Allies between South Oakland and Squill. Reopening of the Strip District Trail. Cool trail abutting the rivers (Almono, etc.)

Connect Jail Trail to Birmingham Bridge. Didn't Mary Shaw have a list from 2006 or thenabouts? The last time I saw it, I recall it as being quite forward looking, well thought out, and still mainly unbuilt.

I'd like to see a climbing lane on Greenfield Avenue from 2nd Avenue to the top of the hill and a sharrow on the downhill side of Greenfield Ave.

A kid-friendly connector between Millvale and Sharpsburg that doesn't involve the words "Seavey", "High", "Friday", or "ballast": probably a rail-with-trail. Access to 62nd St Bridge sidewalk on the Sharpsburg end...a switchback ramp or some such. (Good for ADA access, too.)

"A kid-friendly connector between Millvale and Sharpsburg that doesn’t involve the words “Seavey”, “High”, “Friday”, or “ballast”: probably a rail-with-trail." X2 That would be great!

In addition to what has already been mentioned, - Complete the South Side trail between 2nd and 4th streets. Neither the on-road detour nor the unofficial trail behind the concrete plant are acceptable. Less important would be to put in a proper trail between 18th St and the South Side Riverfront park under the Birmingham bridge. - Ramps between the South Side trail and the shared sidewalks on the Smithfield bridge. This would get rid of the general weirdness around Station Square. - Sharrows down McArdle. A climbing lane would be nice, too, but I'm not sure if there is enough space for one on the McArdle highway - Climbing lane on Troy Hill road, sharrows downhill - A ramp to access Jail Trail between First Avenue T station and corresponding parking lot. (Yes, you can hop onto it, but you shouldn't have to) - Something to allow better access to Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge sidewalk from downtown. Designate Liberty Bridge sidewalk as a shared sidewalk - Sharrows on Southern Ave in Mt. Washington. Boggs, too.

I'm pretty sure there are zero inches of bike lanes, or even a single sharrow south of East Carson street. So that. I'm also pretty sure that the same is true of areas headed west from the WEC. So that too.

I agree with Marko. A lot of the suggestions here are about the areas that already have some infrastructure. That's understandable; it's where we live. But there are large areas of Pittsburgh with no bike infrastructure at all. It's unfair to those parts that all the bike infrastructure investment keeps happening elsewhere. They could really use some, too. And, of course it's harder, and those areas are hilly, or it would have happened earlier. But investing in infrastructure there will bring more people in, and diversify the political support for cycling. I really think the Wabash Tunnel could be the key to this whole thing. Devote it to bicycles, and set up a parking lot at the far end so people can drive there and then ride to town. Like the east end of the Eliza Furnace Trail. You would get more people/day traveling through the tunnel on bicycles than you get with cars, and PAT would have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars less on the tunnel (this is literally true) than they now do. So it's a win in terms of traffic, a win in terms of saving money for PAT, and a win in terms of forging a critical starting point for a connection to an underserved area of Pittsburgh for cycling. Then, you build out from there, connecting the Wabash Tunnel parking lot to the rest of the South Hills, and build bike infrastructure in the retail areas.

I couldn't agree more with the comments regarding the South Hills and surrounding areas. The infrastructure is non-existent. And while there are wonderful trails along the river, there are very few bike-friendly ways to access them (other than driving to a trail head). I would love just one safe, reasonable, and reliable way to get down the hill from the south and southwest areas into the city.

This thread raises an interesting question for me: Is it better to use our limited resources to expand infrastructure to new areas, or to close gaps in what exists?

Sharrows or Bike Lanes on Freeport Road between Highland Park Bridge and Fox Chapel Road Road Diet + bike lanes: - Butler Street between Highland Park Bridge and 62nd Street Bridge - One Wild Way (Through/Past the Zoo) - Freeport Road between Blawnox and Hulton Bridge And +++ to Reddans suggestion re Millvale>Sharpsburg

@ericf, based on the budget submitted by the City for next year, they plan to do both: - Connector between Point State Park and Mon Wharf. This will use up most of the funds allotted for bike infrastructure next year (>90%). Note that this does not include the Mon Wharf switchback project at the Smithfield St bridge, which will be carried out next year but won't be funded by the City - Bike lanes up East St on the North Side, though keep in mind that this one may not end up happening because of parking concerns by a church in this area.

Is it better to use our limited resources to expand infrastructure to new areas, or to close gaps in what exists?

I think the answer is a firm "it depends." :-) Closing gaps means that the existing central system is easier to use, which will then create more pressure to extend it outward. On the other hand, some small gaps are very difficult to close (see "Sandcastle"), but new infrastructure in disconnected areas may qualify as low-hanging fruit. And, closing the tough gaps is easier to justify, when there's greater payoff in the form of lots of existing infrastructure waiting on the other side. Personally, I prefer closing existing gaps, but I can see arguments both ways.

I agree with Dan, it depends. I see all the infrastructure development in the east and downtown as a good start, which is making the lack of infrastructure south and west more and more obvious. And the Wabash Tunnel is just sitting there. They still have the HOV restrictions removed, right? That can't last forever. So instead of putting the restrictions back, so PAT ends up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for a tunnel that gets used by a few dozen drivers each day, do something innovative with it that provides a critical link.

Road Diet + bike lanes: – Butler Street between Highland Park Bridge and 62nd Street Bridge – One Wild Way (Through/Past the Zoo) I don't understand why there is no bike lane from the Zoo to the 62nd Street Bridge. There is no line for cars to know what to do on that road and I frequently see cars making two lands going inbound, which is very dangerous for cyclists. At least put a white line down showing the road is one lane in each direction. Geez! One Wild Place would be easy. Plenty of room going up hill for a bike lane up to that small parking lot on the right, then you can have a shared sidewalk for the remainder of that journey. That sidewalk is rarely used and I think we need to embrace the idea of a shared walkway. They have them in Boulder all over the place and it works fine and there are way more cyclists and pedestrians in Boulder than that area.

Expanding the network outward reaches more people. When I lived in Oakland and Squirrel Hill, I had no problem getting to where I needed to go by bike regardless of the weather or time of day. Granted, the infrastructure is still lacking and improvements are needed, but I could get around. Now that I am southeast of the city and commute to downtown, it is a struggle and it is dangerous. Non-bikers think I'm nuts for commuting on the roads that I do. Expanding the network outward would introduce people outside of the relatively bike-friendly neighborhoods to the cycling community. It would create more cyclists.

One huge want for me is improvements along butler street between 59th street and highland park. There are several issues: *Road is too wide for lane markings present *As a result, cars Speed too often and too fast and pass as if it was a 4 lane road in some cases. *Cars park on sidewalk to avoid being hit due to the poor road design and speeding. *Sidewalks deteriorated due to cars parking on sidewalks *Lack of bike infrastructure and high speeds causing low utilization by bike. This whole section of road needs to be redesigned to accommodate 1 lane of traffic in both directions, a parking lane on one side of the road where it is needed, bike lanes on both sides where it makes sense (buffered if possible), and grants need to be made available to repair sidewalks.

@Bree33 - Non-bikers think I’m nuts for commuting on the roads that I do. I'm north, but face the same questioning. My roads are Perry Highway and McKnight Road. It's all in knowing how. I've ridden Saw Mill Run from Woodruff to West Liberty, then WLib up into Dormont, several times. Being visible and taking the lane really does work. If we could educate all cyclists in how to do that, and also educate motorists in cyclists' legality in doing this, things would get a lot easier for everyone. I hope you have perused the Wabash Tunnel thread. And we've been talking about having a Critical Mass of sorts from 51 at Brownsville to the West End Circle at 7 a.m. sometime.

(for those who don't already know) I commute in occasionally from Robinson (not as often as I would like), and I seriously think the Montour Trail has germinated a slightly different culture. When I tell people I commute into town, I have never recently had anyone respond as though I am nuts. Responses range from being impressed to thinking I'm totally fking awesome. Not even kidding. Except I'm not awesome, I'm just a normal guy who cuts his grass and drinks beer. Such a huge number of people use the trail, everybody knows someone who bikes - a relative or friend, every other car has a bike rack to get to the trail, but it's easy for people to make the mental step to actually riding to get somewhere. Based on this, I would have to say - scatter bike infrastructure wherever possible, even if imperfect, increase the pressure to make the connections.

Access to the bus ramp off of W. Liberty into South Hills junction and through the Mt. Washington tunnel. Maybe that would let them still reject something if brought up alongside of Wabash.

I think, looking to the west, Noblestown Road might be a place to expand the infrastructure, probably in a buffered bike lane way.

For me? Kinda minor things. Sharrrows on 5th between the Birmingham Bridge and Gist Street would make a big difference every day. Also the Bates street connection to the Jail Trail, mentioned above. ============= For the Pittsburgh bike community? 1) Better signage. 2) Enforcement of speed limits and other traffic laws. Having constitutionally questionable checkpoints for drunk driving doesn't somehow excuse police personnel from enforcing the law. Being sober should not be license to drive like a drunkard. Why are there people getting away with driving 50 or 60 miles an hour on a 25 mph limit road? 3) SOUTH HILLS/WEST END BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE. wtf? Why is this even an issue? Why isn't there a good way to get from the end of the GAP to the Panhandle trail? Why should travellling to the West End be hellish? Wabash Tunnel!

I think, based on my commuting patterns (mostly in the East End, sorry!) a climbing bike lane on either ends of Stanton Avenue would be very helpful. Also, some contra-flow bike lanes in Friendship might bring more use to the Liberty Avenue bike lanes. Thinking long term, shifting the bike lanes on Liberty and E. Liberty Blvd. to protected style would be beneficial, and bring less experienced riders into the area.