I went for a ride in Blawnox earlier this week and noticed sharrows which were painted the wrong way. They painted sharrows for both directions on the same side of the street and some were even backwards. Today I got video or the bad sharrows.
https://youtu.be/EGd7mo4cV1k?t=295
zzwergel
2017-10-19 16:32:23
Zach: Yes, those are confusing and potentially dangerous, if a cyclist takes them literally. I just sent an email and mentioned your video to Stacey Vernallis at Friends of the Riverfront. FOR worked with Blawnox to get the Three Rivers Heritage Trail extended out through here. Maybe she can talk to the Blawnox people and get them to repaint the sharrows. I hope so!
paulheckbert
2017-10-19 17:29:11
When is the trail going to connect Millvale to Aspinwall or Sharpsburg without having to climb Washington St., or Parker St.? Until it does this, it is absolutely useless to me. Also, when is the Hazelwood trail which is "Temporally closed (for three years)" going to re-open?
zzwergel
2017-10-19 17:47:17
We've covered this in other topics. The Etna park is being planned and looks like it'll go forward so that will at least get the trail to 62nd st bridge
As far as I know there are no plans in Sharpsburg/Aspinwall and everything seems to be on hold until the politicians f Aspinwall and developers figure out R47. All seems to be on hold until the election and there seems to be a big Aspinwall backlash against R47 development.
So who knows. Maybe in 2 years we can bike from 62md st bridge to downtown on the north shore.
edronline
2017-10-19 18:54:08
What about Hazelwood?
zzwergel
2017-10-19 20:53:56
Z: was that street a one-way street, and now they are allowing bikes to go the opposite direction?
That's kinda what it looks like. not sure i've seen that done before, but would at least explain why they put the sharrow where they did
erok
2017-10-20 11:09:41
Erok -- it just seems that they didn't know how to paint sharrows, so they just put both directions right next to each other or pointing to one another, etc. THey have the right lane one in the left lane, etc. etc. Like if you gave it to a high school kid with zero instructions and never showed him/her examples.
+1 for the thought
+1 for effort
-10 for execution
edronline
2017-10-20 12:52:09
I just sent an email to the borough, the borough manager, as well as friends of the riverfront, notifying them.
I suggested that incorrectly painted sharrows are telling bicyclists to drive into oncoming traffic, thus creating a liability for the borough.
It seems that they used the sharrows as trail markers ("turn this way," "go this way") instead of actual sharrows.
edronline
2017-10-20 12:59:20
Per friends of the riverfront they're heading out to Blawnox right now to document the issue and help Blawnox take care of it.
edronline
2017-10-20 13:27:27
They Should have a look at the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Sharrows on Freeport Rd. through Aspinwall, The Waterworks, (West) O'Hara, Blawnox, (East) O'Hara, and Harmar Twp, as well as Main St. in Sharpsburg and Poplar St. in Etna. would also be a good idea providing an on road connection from Millvale to cheswick while the trail is being constructed. Getting from Poplar St. and Across the tracks would be the most direct way to connect until the R47 issue is resolved. I think bike racks should be installed in all the business districts along the Freeport Rd. corridor.
zzwergel
2017-10-20 21:14:35
