Drivers’ disregard for the law and safety have driven residents to put their bodies on the line to prevent parking in the bike lanes

It’s become almost cliche at this point. Without proper protection, the bike lanes downtown are too tempting for drivers to stay out of them, regardless of the law or safety. These selfish actions not only block the lane, but cause people on bicycles and scooters to need to exit the lanes, sometimes riding into oncoming traffic in order to get around the blockage. 

This is especially true on Penn Ave in Downtown, which, to remind our readers, was never a parking zone, even before the bike lanes were installed. Over the past several months, the problem only seems to have gotten worse, especially during the drop off and pick up times of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO) who practice at Heinz Hall on Sunday evenings.

While the PYSO has reached out to parents to ask them to park in the legal spaces on the other side of the street, many of these drivers ignore the advice, the law and the safety of others and choose to continue to park in the bike lanes.

Bike activists known as Pittsburgh Bike JAM are taking matters into their own hands. These activists plan to create a human-protected bike lane during the next drop off and pick up times of the Orchestra, blocking drivers from entering the bike lanes.

On Sunday, January 15 between 5-6pm and 8-9pm, people will be supplementing the plastic bollards with themselves to ensure that the bike lanes remain open and Penn Ave remains safe.  

If interested in participating, wear High-Vis clothing and meet at Katz Plaza at 5pm on Jan 15th. 

Please direct questions about the event to Pittsburgh Bike JAM on twitter @PghBikeJam or via email.

What’s next?

At least at Penn Ave, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as the City’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) has heard the message loud and clear that the bike lanes need to be fixed. According to the Mayor’s 2023 Capital Budget, DOMI is planning on installing solid barricades along Penn Ave, but not until later this year. Physically preventing people from parking in bike lanes in the first place, through installing separation, is the best solution to this issue.