Sometimes even a little means a lot

New shoulders were striped on Forbes Ave through Frick Park this weekend

We’ve been getting a bunch of emails about Forbes Ave in Squirrel Hill in the past few days, so we thought it best to let people in on what’s going on.  The other day, Public Works repaired sections of the road and striped a shoulder, effectively reducing the lane widths, in the hopes of slowing cars down a little.  This also inadvertently gives cyclists some space to ride through to access the park.

The road, marked at 35 mph, is typically driven at much higher speeds.  This is unfortunate, because it’s also a major cycling route from Squirrel Hill to Frick Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.  It’s also the most direct route for bicycle commuters from Point Breeze, Regent Square, Swissvale, etc to Oakland and Downtown.  Needless to say, it’s an important road to regional cyclists.

Last year, we began exploring with the city what can be done on this stretch to accommodate cyclists.   For the moment, these will remain shoulders while the Bureau of Transportation and Engineering assesses whether they can safely extend bike facilities into Squirrel Hill and connect them with the existing lanes on Beechwood Blvd.  We’re also exploring ways to reduce speeds so that drivers are more inclined to drive the posted speed limits.

Feel free to call 311 to let the City know that you like the direction that Forbes Ave is headed.

Not a member of Bike Pittsburgh? Join today! We need you to add your voice! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride.For more info, check out: www.bike-pgh.org/membership