Volume 5, Issue 10 – October 25, 2006

We are making Pittsburgh a better place to live, work, and ride. Visit www.bike-pgh.org and become a member of our exciting organization!

Advertise here! This newsletter reaches over 2,000 bicyclists in and around Pittsburgh, please contact info@bike-pgh.org for rates.

IN THIS HAUNTING ISSUE:

* Take Action: Mayor Ravenstahl Wants to Hear from You!
* Calm Our Streets!: Elderly Pedestrian Killed in Oakland
* Bike Pittsburgh Attends National Bike Advocacy Training in Philadelphia
* IMBA’s Trail Care Crew Weekend in Pittsburgh a Success
* New Riverfront Trail Map Available
* Bike Pittsburgh Nears Completion of New Website
* Calendar of Events
* Spare Parts: News Links
* Be an Agent of Change: Become a Member of Bike Pittsburgh!

TAKE ACTION: MAYOR RAVENSTAHL WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU!
This week Mayor Luke Ravenstahl launched an exciting initiative to log all city non-emergency comments, concerns, complaints, and requests. All you have to do is dial 3-1-1. This is a great chance for us, as city bicyclists and pedestrians, to call in and report dangerous road hazards, streets and sidewalks that are unsafe, and streets that need traffic calming measures. We also want the administration to concentrate more resources on the City Bike Plan, which includes safer bicycle infrastructure. If you’re not a phone person, you also have the choice to fill out the online form to log your bike infrastructure requests. It couldn’t be easier and you will receive a Service Request ID number that you can use to track your request. Leaving your name is optional. The entire process takes only a couple of minutes. Set aside a moment of your time and help make Pittsburgh better for bicycle transportation!

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CALM OUR STREETS!: ELDERLY PEDESTRIAN STRUCK AND KILLED IN OAKLAND
Tragically, on Monday evening at 6:13PM, Rosemary Huntley, 76, was struck at S. Craig and Filmore Streets. She was pronounced dead at 5:00PM on Tuesday at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. This is not an isolated case. There have been many other injuries and fatalities throughout the city as a result of cars travelling over the speed limit. This city is in desperate need of traffic calming and enforcement of speed limits. It has been proven that for each mph over the 25mph speed limit, a pedestrian or bicyclist is much more likely to sustain trauma or be killed.

Contact your councilperson and dial the Mayor’s 3-1-1 line to request streets for people not just cars. You could ask for better crosswalks, mid-block crossings, better pedestrian signals, bike lanes, speed humps (wider less jarring speed bumps), curb bump outs, and better enforcement of speed limits and traffic laws.

Together we can get the city to make strides towards making Pittsburgh safer for biking and walking!

Link to story

Recent Injuries and Fatalities: Woman hit by SUV in Strip District Accident
Student dies after car accident on Forbes
$465,000 settlement in death of Regent Square pedestrian
Pedestrian crossing signs posted on Liberty Avenue
Check www.maphub.org “Hit Hub” for more details on bicycle crashes and injuries
PA Mean Streets Report

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BIKE PITTSBURGH ATTENDS THUNDERHEAD ALLIANCE TRAINING IN PHILLY
Bike Pittsburgh is always striving to become even better bicycle advocates. This past weekend (Oct 20-22), we attended the Thunderhead Alliance’s Campaign Training workshop in Philadelphia. Thunderhead is a national bike advocacy organization whose mission is to strengthen organizations like ours so that we can become more effective at making our cities safer to ride and walk. We are really excited to put what we learned to use in order to get more on-street markings and bike route signs for Pittsburgh. Stay tuned and stay involved. The wheels are in motion and exciting things are happening!

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IMBA’S TRAIL CARE CREW WEEKEND IN PITTSBURGH A SUCCESS!
The IMBA Trail Care Crew visit to Pittsburgh on October 19 -22 was a spectacular success! Kristin and Ryan from IMBA taught a class in trail building for approximately 40 land managers from the City, County and State parks in Western PA. The class included several hands on projects to demonstrate sustainable trail building. The TCC taught a second class for approximately 45 local mountain bikers, equestrians, and hikers complete with two days of actual hands on trail building in Frick Park. The group completed a reroute of an unsustainable fall line trail. The new trail has great flow and, as several happy mountain bikers can attest, is a great trail to ride. Even the Park Manager thought the trail was great addition to the park. Kristin and Ryan had such a good time in Pittsburgh that they want to come back next year and help us build a mountain bike skills area in Frick Park. We are going to try very hard to make this happen!

PTAG, who helped sponsor the Trail Care Crew’s visit, held their first fundraiser to coincide with the TCC visit. The fundraiser was held at the Lava Lounge, with LL donating all door proceeds from 9-11 PM to the PTAG coffers. We are happy to report that the fundraiser was a rousing success and will allow PTAG to do even more to build sustainable trails in Western PA. Thanks to Brad and Marc for all of their fundraising efforts!

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NEW RIVERFRONT TRAIL MAP AVAILABLE
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is a wonderful pedestrian trail and greenway system around Pittsburgh. Running for 37 miles along both sides of the Allegheny, Mononghahela and Ohio Rivers, it is an almost complete public route for cyclists, walkers, runners, and in some places rollerbladers. The Friends of the Riverfront (FoR) was established to create and expand the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. FoR has just come out with an updated trail map and activity guide. To get your hands on one of these maps, send an email with your name and address to friends@friendsoftheriverfront.org or call 412-488-0212.

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BIKE PITTSBURGH NEARS COMPLETION OF NEW WEBSITE
After a rollercoaster year of trying to design a new website it’s finally almost finished! For over a week now, we’ve been diligently going through the old site and deciding what content to keep and what to scrap. Believe me, we’re scrapping a lot. It’s literally an entirely different site, and you won’t believe your eyes. The new site is looking absolutely great and we’re ever so close to launching it. Only a few finishing touches to go. We’ll make an announcement very soon to let you know when you can check it out.

A Big thanks to ClickNathan for hooking us up!

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS: OCTOBER NOVEMBER
Here is a sample of upcoming cycling events in the Pittsburgh Region. For complete details and updates be sure to check out our Google Calendar and subscribe! If you have a bike event you’d like to submit, just email us at submit@bike-pgh.org. Be sure to answer all the typical questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how much.

October 25th
REI Winter Cycling Clinic
Join Bike Pittsburgh and REI for an informative clinic on cold weather bike riding. We’ll cover all aspects of this rewarding activity: Bike set-up and maintenance, clothing for warmth and safety, lights, and motivation. Don’t lose your summer fitness this winter; continue riding through the cold weather.
Free!

October 26th
Hot Metal Pedestrian Bridge Groundbreaking Event
1PM: Come out and celebrate the groundbreaking for the new bike/ped bridge!
Location: Behind the Cheesecake Factory in the South Side Works

October 27th
Critical Mas(s)querade
5:30PM: Wear a costume and have fun
Location: Meet at the Carnegie Library in Oakland

October 28th
Halloween Misfits Themed Alleycat: Mommy, can I go out and ride tonight?
6pm registration, 7pm start
www.pghalleycat.com
Location: Meet under the bloomfield bridge, polish hill side via gold way

October 29th
Haunted Bike Ride
5PM: This easy-paced ride will take us all over Pittsburgh to various haunted buildings.
Location: Meet at the Eliza Furnace Trailhead
Cost: $20 member/$25 non-member, benefits Venture Outdoors

October 31st
Bike to Khalil’s II and Eat Cheap
4-8PM: RIDE YOUR BIKE� to Khalil�s on Tuesday evening and enjoy a hardy meal for only $8 ($10 if you drive)
Location: 4757 Baum Blvd.
A portion of the proceeds support Group Against Smog & Pollution
For more information, please contact GASP at 412-325-7382 or bridget@gasp-pgh.org

November 5th
PTAG Trail Maintenance – Hartwood
For more info go to www.bike-pgh.org/PTAG.html or email publisher@dirtragmag.com

*If you’re looking for some fun and easy rides in the city, be sure to check out Team Decaf (every Tuesday evening) or Team Caffeine for some more intense riding (every Thursday evening). Both rides leave from Enrico’s Tazza D’Oro Cafe at 1125 N. Highland Avenue in Highland Park at 6:15pm sharp. For more information please contact John Strait.

More rides can be found at WPW, P.O.R.C., and Venture Outdoors

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SPARE PARTS: NEWS LINKS
Bike Pittsburgh and Free Ride in the news:
Tribune Review: Ride on, cyclists
Pop City Media: C’mon and Take a Free Ride
The Tartan (Carnegie Mellon): Pittsburgh behind handlebars

While you’re at it, check out these articles:
The Wall Street Journal: American bike makers eye commuter market with new models
BBC: Town planning blamed for obesity
Post Gazette: Vision forms for giant riverfront park

Links:
Bike Pittsburgh’s Blog: http://bikepittsburgh.blogspot.com
MapHub: www.maphub.org
ByCycle: www.bycycle.org
Bikely: www.bikely.com
Sign up to BikePool: www.commuteinfo.org
Free Ride: www.freeridepgh.org
Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen: www.wpwbikeclub.org
P.O.R.C.: www.porcmtbclub.org
Friends of the Riverfront: www.friendsoftheriverfront.org
Sustainable Pittsburgh: www.sustainablepittsburgh.org

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BE AN AGENT OF CHANGE: BECOME A MEMBER OF BIKE PITTSBURGH!
Membership in Bike Pittsburgh directly supports bike lanes, shared lane markings, bike route signs, bike racks, traffic calming, removal of cycling hazards, better crosswalks, maintained streets and trails, and just downright good urban design. Other things we’re working on are bike maps, educational brochures, and fun events like BikeFest and Bike to Work Week. Phew, that’s a long list… You really get a lot for your money.

With your tax-deductible donation you will receive a Membership Card good for discounts with participating businesses, invitations and discounts to special Bike Pittsburgh-sponsored parties and events, and the satisfaction that you are making a difference for all of us who ride in Pittsburgh. For details, go to www.bike-pgh.org and click on BECOME A MEMBER. Join us today!

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Bike Pittsburgh gratefully acknowledges the Richard King Mellon Foundation for their generous support
The eMessenger is an electronic newsletter published once a month. Previous issues of the eMessenger can be found in the Newsletters section of our website. Bike Pittsburgh, Inc. does not rent, sell, or make available any personal information, including email addresses. If you would like to be removed from the distribution list, simply email remove@bike-pgh.orgescape great theater moviemovie galleries hardcoresex hardcore moviemovie downloads hentaimovies hentimovies hot lesbianincest movies mommovies korean sex Map