By Karen Price
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, June 29, 2007

In 1990, Bicycling Magazine released its rankings of the best and worst cities in the nation for cyclists, and the news wasn’t good for Pittsburgh.

It ranked among the three worst, along with New York City and Orlando.

That’s no longer the case.

Pittsburgh isn’t ready to knock off bike-friendly cities such as Portland, Seattle and Denver just yet, but the city’s image as a bad choice for a bike town is changing.

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“Bicycling Magazine did another story in March 2006 ranking cities and Pittsburgh did not make the top 20, but they were also nowhere near the bottom of the list,” said Loren Mooney, executive editor of the magazine. “Pittsburgh has made small but very important strides.”

Mooney cited among the advancements the formulation of a city bike plan, the creation of recreational trails along the waterways, the addition of bike racks to city buses and, most recently, the creation of bike lanes along Liberty Avenue and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s approval to hire a bicycle and pedestrian coordinator to the city planning office.

One of the organizations working to make more advancements is Bike Pittsburgh, an advocacy group that lobbies to make Pittsburgh a more accessible cycling city.

Bike Pittsburgh kicks off its second annual BikeFest today, with various events and rides going on through July 8.

“Our mission is to make Pittsburgh safe for cyclists,” said Scott Bricker, executive director of the 5-year-old organization.

Bricker said there are still a number of things that could be done to make Pittsburgh more bike-friendly, but that the Liberty Avenue bike lanes and shared lane markings are a big step.

“That’s on-street education (showing) that cyclists belong on the street and should be treated with respect,” Bricker said.

Still, not everyone believes the bike lanes are a good thing.

Dan Sullivan, a vocal opponent of the new lanes, says cyclists are actually at greater risk of injury on that stretch of Liberty Avenue, particularly going downhill, because the bike lanes put them in the “door zone.”

“They’re too close to the car doors,” Sullivan said. “There’s a reference in PennDOT’s bike safety manual that’s very explicit about telling you to stay away from car doors.”

Sullivan points to one tragic case in 2002 in Cambridge, Mass. Cyclist Dana Laird swerved into traffic after a car door opened suddenly in her path along a bike lane, was hit by a passing transit bus and was killed.

“It’s the downhill that’s most dangerous because you’re going fast,” Sullivan said. “The irony is they’re trying to make Pittsburgh more bicycle safe and they’re actually making it more bicycle dangerous.”

But Mooney said Pittsburgh should be commended for beginning to paint bike lanes on city streets and that it’s up to cyclists to pay attention no matter where they’re riding.

“Just because you’re riding in a bike lane doesn’t mean you can switch your attention off and cruise along,” Mooney said. “You still need to be alert for everything from car doors opening to pedestrian traffic. Obviously, it’s safer to have a buffered lane safe from opening doors. But I think there’s a tremendous value in bike lanes, in having dedicated space and raising the awareness of everyone, including people in cars and pedestrians, and encouraging people to come out and ride their bikes.”

Richard Meritzer, the city’s senior planner responsible for bicycle issues, said he’s had substantial feedback from cyclists, and that the vast majority support the bike lanes. The city is working with a traffic engineer to identify what other streets will support bike lanes or shared lane markings.

“The goal is to put bike lanes eventually on any street that qualifies,” Meritzer said.

Meritzer said other projects being worked on, many in conjunction with Bike Pittsburgh, include additional trails along the riverfronts, updating the city’s current bike map and making bridges more bike friendly.

“As with any substantial project, everything’s moving at a slow speed and as time permits,” Meritzer said. “It would be great if we could do it all at once, but we are moving forward.”
BikeFest highlights

Bike Pittsburgh, an organization whose mission is “to establish Pittsburgh as a city that is increasingly safe, accessible and friendly to bicycle transportation,” kicks off its second annual BikeFest today. Bike Pittsburgh describes the event as a framework for organizing bicycle-themed events for a celebration of two-wheeled madness. There are multiple events every day through July 8. Check out this calendar of events.

A few highlights:

Tonight – Kickoff party and fundraiser for Bike Pittsburgh, free ride, 214 N. Lexington Ave., 7:30 p.m. Includes silent auction featuring two bikes from Trek of Pittsburgh, a raffle for a Fuji touring bike, DJs, food by Whole Foods and beer by East End Brewing. $5 for Bike Pittsburgh members, $10 for non-members.

Saturday – Bike Swap and Market at REI, South Side Works, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Buy, sell or trade your old parts, equipment, bikes, etc. Selling space is free, but please RSVP to bikefest@bike-pgh.org.

Sunday – Yoga for Cyclists at Breathe Yoga Studio, 1113 E. Carson St., 1-3 p.m. Kristi Rogers, director of Breathe Yoga Studio, will teach this workshop on poses to help cyclists build strength and endurance, introduce flexibility and bring more awareness and balance to their bodies.

Monday – Women’s mountain bike ride at Frick Park, meeting at tennis courts on S. Braddock Ave., 6-8 p.m. For women of all ability levels.

Wednesday – Flying Colors GLBT fireworks ride, meeting at Eliza Furnace parking lot in Greenfield at 7:30 p.m. All GLBT persons and friends welcome.

July 8 – Underground Railroad History Tour, beginning at St. Benedict the Moor Church (91 Crawford St., just above Mellon Arena), 4-8 p.m. Join the Major Taylor Cycling Club on an informative tour of six Underground Railroad sites in Pittsburgh. For more information, contact Mike Canton at cantonm@westinghouse.com.

– By Karen Price

Karen Price can be reached at kprice@tribweb.com or 412-320-7980.