New map shows the way for cyclists

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Larry Walsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh has some tricky topography, and Version 4 of Bike Pittsburgh’s city bicycle map is designed to better depict it.

The improvements are intended “to help users see the depth of the hills, ravines and valleys that distinguish Pittsburgh,” said Eric ” Erok ” Boerer , advocacy director of the Lawrenceville organization.

“This was accomplished by more clearly labeling many of our bridges, specifically where it was important to show when bike routes go over or under them,” he said.

The free map, updated by Deeplocal of East Liberty and available at bike shops and other locations, distinguishes hillsides from parks by using a grayish-green for the former and grass-green for the latter.

“By pairing the ‘steep hill’ icons on the streets with the hillside coloration, we clearly show where our biggest topographic challenges are to bicyclists,” Boerer said.

Although a two-dimensional map may show two parallel streets as being side-by-side, such as Carson Street and Grandview Avenue, the latter is several hundred feet above the former. You can imagine a visiting cyclist’s surprise to discover that.

The newest version of the commuter-oriented map, which first appeared in 2007, is designed “to show the features that bicyclists care about without adding all the ‘noise’ of a typical topographical map.”

Read the rest of this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Do you like the Pittsburgh Bike Map? Support the map by becoming a member 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