Fall is a great time for a walk. Join the Safe Sidewalks Crew for our October push!

Our volunteers have mapped over 6,800 blocks of Pittsburgh sidewalk since last winter. Help make October our biggest month yet, and win some prizes while you’re at it.

Last December, we asked you to join the Safe Sidewalks Crew as part of our Mobility Justice Learning Series. A lot of you said yes. Ten months later, over 200 volunteers have collected 6,800 sidewalk surveys, and the City is putting that data to work. Now we need your help to achieve our goal of 10,000 surveys by the end of the year!

Nearly 300 miles of sidewalks walked & surveyed

The Safe Sidewalks Crew is a team of volunteers who walk Pittsburgh’s sidewalks and record what they find: cracks, uneven slabs, obstructions, missing curb ramps, and anything else that makes a sidewalk hard or unsafe to use, especially for our disabled neighbors. Volunteers rate each stretch of sidewalk using a simple web survey on their phone, and that data goes to the City’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) to help figure out where repairs are needed most.

The Crew is a partnership between BikePGH, Access Mob Pittsburgh, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, Mobilify, and Riverlife under the umbrella of Pittsburgh Walks, a pedestrian advocacy coalition that BikePGH coordinates. Anyone can join. All it takes is one 90-minute training, and then you can survey your neighborhood or others on your own schedule.

Here’s what we’ve accomplished this year:

225 volunteers have signed up to survey sidewalks.
6,800 surveys are on the Pittsburgh Walks data map, from the Hill District to Greenfield to Allentown. That’s a little over 20% of sidewalks in the City, which works out to almost 300 miles of sidewalk surveyed.
DOMI staff have spot-checked the data in the field and told us it’s been very helpful as they build their sidewalk repair priority list for 2027. They’re also using it to find and repair outdated ADA curb ramps. You can see their data dashboard here.
Pittsburgh has noticed! The Safe Sidewalks Crew has been featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, USA Today, Axios Pittsburgh, and City Cast Pittsburgh. Catch up on all of it on the Pittsburgh Walks news page.

Why does this matter? Without knowing the actual condition of our sidewalks, the City can only act on sparse 311 reports that don’t give a full picture of where repairs are needed the most. The City considers many factors when deciding where to make sidewalk improvements, but it’s safe to say that sidewalks in desperate need of attention stand a better chance of getting it in the next year or two if those areas have been surveyed by the Safe Sidewalks Crew.

So, surveying sidewalks is making a difference, and you can help. It’s a fun way to meet new friends, get some exercise, and contribute to your community!

A picture of volunteers holding up tomato stakes like the three musketeers. — *Attend a training and find out what the tomato stakes are for!*

October: our biggest month yet

October is perfect sidewalk-surveying weather, and it’s packed with ways to join in. Start with our next virtual training or the Mount Washington blitz, where no experience is needed.

Virtual Volunteer Training (Tue, Oct 6, 6 – 7:30pm, Zoom): Learn what makes a sidewalk safe and accessible and how to use the survey tool. Register for the October 6 training.
Mount Washington Neighborhood Blitz (Thu, Oct 8, 5:30 – 7:30pm, Mt. Washington Library): Trained or not, we’ll give you a quick lesson and send you out with a small group and an experienced Crew member. ASL interpretation provided. Stick around for soft serve on Shiloh Street afterwards. Sign up for the Mount Washington blitz.
Pittsburgh Walks Monthly Meeting (Mon, Oct 12, 6pm, Zoom): The best way to find out how else you can get involved. Email info@pittsburghwalks.org for the link.
Beechview Volunteer Meetup (Sat, Oct 17, 11am, Beechview Library, 1910 Broadway Ave): Survey Beechview together for an hour, then head to Slice on Broadway (2128 Broadway Ave) for pizza and socializing. For trained volunteers. Rain date is October 24. RSVPs encouraged but not required: RSVP to the Beechview meetup.
Highland Park/East Liberty Meetup (Sun, Oct 18, 10am, Tazza d’Oro, 1125 N Highland Ave): Survey for an hour, then meet back at Tazza for a social hour. For trained volunteers. RSVP to the Highland Park meetup.

More events are added all the time, so find the latest Safe Sidewalks Crew events at pittsburghwalks.org/sidewalks.

The October Sidewalk Challenge

Our goal is to hit 8,000 total surveys by the end of October (and we’d love to blow right past it). To sweeten the deal, we’ve got prizes, thanks in part to our friends at Riverlife!

Week Without Driving (Oct 1 – 8): The top 2 survey collectors each win a $50 Visa gift card.
All of October: The top 5 collectors win a $50 Visa gift card, a $20 Visa gift card, or a $10 gift card to Millie’s Ice Cream.
Anyone who hits 100 surveys earns a Safe Sidewalks Champion sticker.

Track your rank on the October Sidewalk Survey Leaderboard.

*The October Sidewalk Survey Leaderboard. Where will you rank?*

Join the Crew

Whether you’ve got an hour or a whole Saturday, there’s a place for you. Sign up for the October 6 training, join us in Mount Washington on October 8, and learn more on the Safe Sidewalks Crew page.