The following article appeared in this week’s POP City publication.
Pittsburgh's first inter-neighborhood bike lane opened on June 18th. A collaborative project between the City and non-profit Bike Pittsburgh, the five-foot lane runs alongside Liberty Ave. from Baum Blvd. to Ligonier St., and is identified with on-street, stenciled markings.
The project also calls for a bike lane along Greenfield Rd., which runs from Hobart St. to the Greenfield Bridge, and directional signs to lead cyclists from Schenley Park to Frick Park.
“There’s mometum now–this is just the beginning. We’re tyring to get these throughout the city,” says Bike Pittsburgh's executive director Scott Bricker, who is working with engineering firm Trans Associates to identify additional streets for striping. Bike Pittsburgh, which has more than 500 members, received a $36,000 grant from R.K. Mellon to support the project. “Cyclists want to feel safer. It's a tool to educate motorists and encourage more people to ride. The more iconography on the streets, the better.” The city has already received sixty calls and e-mails in support of the lanes. “They've never received such support before.”
To make Pittsburgh's 22 miles of riverfront trails more accessible, the city will also install 89 new signs to direct cyclists to riverfront trails and motorists to free trail head parking lots. The $52,000 project is supported by a Federal Transportation Enhancement Grant. Signs are being fabricated by Verona-based Bunting Graphics. The circular blue signs will feature a red rim, light blue bicycle silhouette and white text. Landesberg Design provided design assistance, as part of a partnership between the City, Riverlife Task Force and Friends of the Riverfront.
To support these projects, the City will hire a full-time bike-ped coordinator, who will oversee Pittsburgh’s Pedestrian Improvement and Bicycling Plans, and advise officials on pedestrian and cycling needs as they relate to infrastructure projects. The coordinator will also work on streetscape and traffic improvements and trail expansion.
Writer: Jennifer Baron
Sources: Scott Bricker, Bike Pittsburgh; Joanna Doven, City of Pittsburgh
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