Pittsburgh’s bike infrastructure is expanding! 

In the last ten years alone our city has seen over 90 miles of new bike infrastructure and counting! With the City’s New Bike(+) Plan in place and the work being done with the MoveForwardPGH program, we expect to see around 150 miles of new bike and pedestrian infrastructure put in place in the near future.

Through a collaboration amongst BikePGH, the City of Pitttsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI), and Healthy Ride Bike Share, the ambitious MoveForwardPGH program aims to inject energy into the City’s brand new Bike (+) Plan and install much-needed traffic calming and bike infrastructure in order to make our streets safer and less stressful for everyone, including drivers.

This blog will provide a better understanding of some of the new infrastructure types and how to use it!

How to use new bike infrastructure!

1. Neighborways

Neighborways are low-traffic streets that prioritize pedestrians, bicyclists, and other non-vehicular traffic and offer a safer, more comfortable alternative to busy arterial streets. Neighborways typically run through residential neighborhoods and use context-appropriate traffic calming tools to keep speeds slow and safe for all users. They aim to connect neighborhoods and feature clear signs and pavement markings to help people easily navigate through Pittsburgh.

2. Shared Lanes (Sharrows)

Shared bike lanes are, in many ways, the first iterations of Neighborways. People on bikes are allowed to take the lane on all streets (except highways). However, sharrows reinforce this and remind drivers that they should expect to see bicyclists. They can also serve as a guide to positioning bicyclists out of the “door zone.” Next time you see one, try biking over the arrow. 

2.5. Bifurcated Sharrow

You may also see sharrows that point in both directions. This is called a bifurcated sharrow. It’s used on neighbor ways narrow streets to show that cyclists are still encouraged to use this route. 

3. Dedicated & Buffered Bike Lanes

Dedicated bike lanes are a dedicated space on the road for cyclists. They are marked in white lines and can include green paint to indicate merging lanes and driveways. These lanes are also used as climbing lanes, and may also be buffered with either an added white line or hatched lines. Be on the lookout for temporarily parked cars, and busses with stops along the lane as well. 

4. Protected Bike Lanes 

 Protected lanes use a combination of vertical separation and paint such as plastic reflective bollards, parking buffers, and concrete to ensure that these lanes are completely separated from vehicles. Drivers can not park in these lanes and they are typically built against the curb but not always. 

5. 2-Way Bike lanes 

These 2-way lanes are also called protected bike lanes. The cyclist must treat the bike lane like a two-way street in order to avoid head-on collisions with oncoming cyclists. Passing is allowed when it’s safe to do so.

6. Contraflow Protected Bike Lane

Contra-flow bike lanes are designed to allow bicyclists to ride in the opposite direction of motor vehicle traffic. They convert a one-way traffic street into a two-way street: one direction for motor vehicles and bikes, and the other for bikes only.

As the name implies, contra-flow bike lanes are designed to allow cyclists to bike against traffic in certain areas. They aim to provide connectivity for traveling by bicycle in complex street grids and can reduce dangerous wrong-way or sidewalk riding. For instance, this contra-flow bike lane in Oakland begins at Bellefield Ave, where Forbes Ave goes from a two-way street to a one-way street, simplifying access to Schenley Plaza, Pitt’s campus, and bike lanes on Bigelow Boulevard. 

7. 2-Stage Turn Box 

A 2-stage turn box is intended to give cyclists a safe left turn option that doesn’t involve merging through multi-lane traffic to get to the left turn lane. The cyclist can safely continue in the dedicated bike lane to a turn box located in the front of the traffic in the desired direction. 

8. Bike Box 

Bike boxes, like the two-staged turn box, are intended to place cyclists safely ahead of stopped traffic, and give the right-of-way to the cyclist when the light changes. The bike box is unique because it allows people on bikes to safely make right or left turns without having to merge or disrupt the flow of vehicular traffic.

9. Runnel

One example, located on the city steps at the bottom of  Joncaire St in Oakland, runnels are  intended to give cyclists a way to easily navigate  stairs. People with a bike can walk and push their bikes up the steps giving another alternative to riding up a steep hill.

10. Trails

Trails are pretty easy to identity, and Pittsburgh has a lot of them. Trails are paths meant for pedestrians and/or people on bikes and are typically closed off to motor vehicles. They can be paved, gravel or dirt paths. 

11. Raised Bus Stop/ Bike Lanes

Watch for pedestrians and stopping buses as you make your way onto this Shared Raise Bus Stop and Bike Lane. These lanes run along the extended curb of a bus stop. People on bikes can ride through the boarding area when no busses are present, but must stay alert and yield to pedestrians. You can find these downtown along Liberty Ave and Stanwix St. 

12. Bike Parking 

Bike racks are becoming more and more common in Pittsburgh’s business districts, and come in all shapes and sizes from Squirrel Hill’s squirrels to the abstract, multi-bike racks in Downtown’s Cultural District. Be sure to properly lock your bike when using bike parking. When using outside bike parking we recommend using a high-quality bike lock, such as a U Lock for extra security.

Check out this video on How to Lock Your Bike

Does your neighborhood or local business need bike parking? Click here for more information on how we can help.

Thank you!

We hope that this information will help all cyclists and drivers have a better understanding of how to interact with all these new pieces of infrastructure here in Pittsburgh.

Change isn’t easy. That’s why we need your generous support to keep BikePGH’s advocacy projects moving forward. Please make a contribution today at bikepgh.org/give.

PS. Click here to support safe streets with a $10, $100, or $500 gift right now and have your donation doubled thanks to a generous match.