Photo courtesy of Bicycling Magazine

By Hal B. Klein

The first thing most people notice when walking along the 2500 block of East Carson Street is that 45 feet of premium car parking has been transformed into a bike corral.

Convincing the city to give up automobile parking in an area where finding a spot is nearly impossible “was a really big achievement” says Mike Kotyk, owner of OTB Bike Café.

It’s also just one of the bike-friendly community initiatives Kotyk has fostered in his bar, which goes well beyond the normal conviviality associated with a neighborhood watering hole.

Lou Fineberg, programming director of the bipedal advocacy organization Bike Pittsburgh, also praises OTB’s commitment to Pittsburgh cycling.

“OTB’s been pretty amazing from day one,” he says. “They just recognized there was a big bike community emerging in Pittsburgh, and they’ve been supportive on so many different levels.”

Read more: http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/for-local-cyclists-all-roads-lead-to-the-otb-bike-caf/Content?oid=1653034