Public Meeting September 12: Make sure bikes are included in the Strip 

The City’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) has scheduled the next meeting for their Smallman Street redesign, a project that is linked to our #ExtendPenn campaign seeking to connect the Penn Ave bike lanes to the eastern neighborhoods of Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, and possibly as far as Highland Park.

If you are just catching up to this story, the City installed the Penn Ave bike lanes four years ago. Currently, the eastbound bike lanes awkwardly end at 16th St in the Strip District. While there was always the intention to extend these bike lanes further east into the surrounding neighborhoods, to date, nothing has been proposed.

Meanwhile, a PWSA project is underway that affords the opportunity to completely rethink the wide section of Smallman St, between 16th and 21st, one of the few sections of road that could be used to extend the Penn Ave bike lanes.

In July, the City proposed a design for this stretch that does not include bike facilities, nor any alternative ideas on how the bike lanes will connect to the eastern neighborhoods. This chain of events led us to launch our #ExtendPenn campaign, a campaign that at its heart is about getting the City to figure out once and for all how bike facilities will connect downtown to the eastern neighborhoods seamlessly, comfortably, and safely before any major investments and designs are finalized for any street in these neighborhoods.

Standing room only 

In July, DOMI released plans for Smallman St, to mixed reviews, and some bad press. Additionally, they published the announcement for the meeting only a few days before the event was held (we found out about it exactly 1 day prior). They then hosted a more publicized meeting on August 22, reiterating this design. This time, a large number of people showed up, many of whom demanded safe bike connections through the Strip District, as well as a need to maintain as much parking as possible. Just a few days prior, Councilwoman Deb Gross identified $200,000 to study the parking and transportation needs of the Strip District. At the end of the meeting, BikePGH Executive Director, Scott Bricker, presented DOMI Director Karina Ricks with the 2071 signatures that we collected over the course of the past two months asking for the City to create the eastern connection.

We’re not FInished yet – please Attend this next Meeting

Which brings us to the present. DOMI just announced a third public meeting for the Smallman St redesign to take place on Wednesday, September 12, 2018.

While it is unclear what they will be presenting on, what is clear is that if you want a safe, clear bike connection from the end of the Penn Ave bike lanes to the eastern neighborhoods, you need to show up and show support for safe streets for bikes and pedestrians. And we need to keep the pressure on until this entire connection is planned for and funded by the City.

We hope to see you there. We’re depending on it.

Meeting Details

Date: Wednesday, September 12th
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Location: Amplify Church
Address: 1918 Smallman Street
Click here to RSVP on Facebook

From DOMI: The City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) is conducting a public meeting to discuss the proposed Smallman Street Improvements project located in the Strip District neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh. The purpose of this meeting is to present the proposed project scope and schedule. Further, DOMI and its consultants will be available to answer questions about the project. This project will consist of roadway resurfacing and reconfiguration as well as traffic calming and streetscaping. The project limits extend from 16th Street to 21st Street.

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