How the Uptown EcoInnovation District planning process can help make for a safer Fifth/Forbes

The neighborhood of Uptown is directly between the two busiest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Oakland and Downtown. The neighborhood is housed around Fifth and Forbes Avenues, two of the most iconic and important streets in the whole city.

For years, non-residents have viewed Uptown as a place to travel through, as evidenced by how car-centric Fifth and Forbes are designed, as well as the numerous surface parking lots servicing the Universities, hospitals and downtown workers.

The City and neighborhood group Uptown Partners, are looking to change that, and make Uptown a place that is appealing to stick around in. To do so, they have launched a planning initiative called the Uptown/Oakland EcoInnovation District that looks to, among many other things, reassess the role that Fifth and Forbes play in the neighborhood, and how it can better serve Uptown residents, many of whom do not own a vehicle.

In tandem to this initiative, the Port Authority has been working toward building a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line between Oakland and Downtown that would essentially be a complete transportation focused redesign of Fifth and Forbes Avenues. However, it’s still not clear what the Port Authority’s preferred alignment for the BRT. Will it be on Fifth? Forbes? or Both? This creates a once in a lifetime opportunity to include planning for bikes along with any proposed redesign.

BRT, will be front and center a part of the EcoInnovation District planning process. Once the City, Port Authority and stakeholders choose their preferred BRT alignment, the City can move forward, independently, with their plan to install bike lanes along the Fifth/Forbes Corridor, something that has gained traction after several Oakland fatalities.

Make sense?

This is why your participation in the upcoming Uptown EcoInnovation planning process is so necessary. No matter where you live in the City, what happens on Fifth and Forbes Avenues will affect you, how you get around, and what neighborhoods you visit or live in.

The timing couldn’t be better. In addition, CMU is also working on redesigning Forbes Ave, from Craig St to Margaret Morrison, and they are looking into providing bike lanes. On top of that, PennDOT is repaving Forbes Ave, from the Birmingham Bridge to Bellefield Ave, and, with the City, are also looking into the feasibility of adding bike lanes.

The City is hosting a kickoff meeting on Thursday, February 25, 2016. Please come out and hear more about the project.

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