BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

For more information, please read my write-up on the June ride here.

Strangely there has been this event going around my FB feed of another group of folks trying to do a Critical Mass starting after 8pm tonight. They seem to be implying that this is the first Critical Mass in five years. https://www.facebook.com/events/808078239232866/

We've been in touch. I was going to post something here. They're both legit. It's actually been four years. April 2010 was the last widely attended CM, and it was a fiasco. I'll see if I can dig up the thread about it. George Pompadou's CM is at 8:15, mine's at 6, we both start at Dippy. His is likely going to be the traditional, old-school (his term) CM ride. Mine is intended to be law-abiding, but tackling a difficult couple of streets, as described above.

C.M. ride #1 was wonderful. We started with six riders, picked up a seventh before we got out of Oakland, and an eighth at the Science Center. Most of the ride was seven riders, though, as one dropped off at about the same point. Amazingly little trouble on Chateau. I dealt with three times as much traffic on my pre-ride on Monday. Most riders did not know about the new ramp from Chateau/Beaver/Island up to California/Marshall. Easily bikeable, and I think you can even get a tandem or trailer up it. YMMV. California up to Termon was very quiet. The street is wide, the grade not too difficult, traffic speeds moderate, traffic temper calm. We took the lane on the McKees Rocks Bridge. We must have been going close to 30, but even at that, two cars screamed past at 50+. We were tailed down Island Ave in McKees Rocks by a cement truck whose driver was very calm and patient with us. Chartiers was a bit more challenging, as we got split up into at least three groups, and there was noplace to be except right in line with moving cars. Windgap had a recent paving job, so was velvety smooth. Very little traffic, pleasant speed. Definitely a nice part of town to ride a bike along. Ingram wasn't too difficult. A couple of lights and signs and turns, but easily navigable, and drivers stopped at the same four-way stop waved us along. Only a couple of us were familiar with Crafton-Ingram Shopping Plaza. Lots of choices of everything: grocery stores, drug stores, dollar stores, restaurants, fast food. We opted to hang for a few minutes at Dunkin Donuts. Refilled the water bottles here. Steuben St headed inbound from there has one ginormous hill that took the group most of 10 minutes to climb. Despite that, we had zero trouble with traffic. The reason? No parking. The inbound lane is 25 feet wide. We grouped together as a tight cluster to go through the West End Circle and ride West Carson. Very little trouble, and again, I am sure it helped that we had about 20 blinkies among us. More later; gotta catch a bus.

Six videos, unedited. Thanks to Marko for helping me zip-tie my helmet cam to my bike rack. Zip-ties (which he had) and duct tape (which I had) fasten anything to anything and keep it there! Video 1, Dippy to edge of downtown: http://youtu.be/XNWvAkQHMeU Video 2, Downtown to North Shore: http://youtu.be/i4nu7xjXYjo Video 3, North Shore to Manchester: http://youtu.be/p_tYPOFgc1I Video 4, Manchester to McKees Rocks Bridge approach: http://youtu.be/not1im4e-rg Video 5, MRB to Windgap Ave: http://youtu.be/N76YcuRvJI8 Video 6 (brief): some of Windgap Ave: http://youtu.be/GGuRt4kX6r4

Nice ride! The "ginormous hill on Steuben Street" was on my daily commute in, my daily white whale. Welcome to the west.

"my daily white whale. " Thar she BLOWS. Yeah, that hill was my most challenging so far. My legs are really pissed off at me now.

@RustyRed had two cameras, and posted her videos on Saturday. She joined the ride at the Science Center, so hers overlap mine from there to Windgap, but also finish the ride, which mine do not. Both of hers also have audio, notably missing from mine. (My audio is on, but the camera is in a tight case, which excludes most sound other than rattles.) . Her front camera: Name: FILE0459 Start: Carnegie Science Center End: California Ave at Dickson St Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxatDft5j6I Name: FILE0460 Start: California Ave at Dickson St End: The approach to the McKees Rocks Bridge. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1-r4R4Ia4c Name: FILE0461 Start: The approach to the McKees Rocks Bridge. End: Windgap Ave and Bellhurst St, about where my camera quit. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKLYZLosFh0 Name: FILE0462 Start: Windgap at Bellhurst End: Crafton-Ingram Shopping Center Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15CnwmQFeJg Name: FILE0463 Start: Leaving Crafton-Ingram Shopping Center End: about to exit Station Square onto West Carson St Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JNXcz37fak Name: FILE0464 Start: Smithfield St and Blvd of the Allies, downtown The first 2:30 of this, we discuss the ride. Then we disperse. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmFST1PsT_k . Her rear camera: Name: 09170004 Start: California at Marshall End: starting onto the McKees Rocks Bridge Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYYV7tGtPXs Name: 09320005 Start: on the McKees Rocks Bridge End: Wind Gap Ave at Belhurst St Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3AAo3gdBu0 Name: 09470006 Start: Wind Gap Ave at Belhurst St End: Crafton-Ingram Shopping Center Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX3B2VzaTdg Name: 10020007 Start: C-I S.C. (all in the plaza) End: Dunkin Donuts in C-I S.C. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv9SfbQ4_Ag Name: 10280008 Start: leaving the donut shop End: halfway up the big hill on Steuben Street Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6b4B2WRFDk Name: 10430009 Start: climbing the hill out of Crafton on Steuben St End: on the access road into Station Square Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLI9hdUlKT8 Name: 10580010 Start: on the access road into Station Square End: to the end of the ride at Smithfield at Blvd of the Allies Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlpeNDdhzFo . If anyone else has video or a write-up, please post. I will also include this in a blog post I am writing.

I gathered up all the relevant posts above and organized them into this one blog post. I'd still like to hear more about the other ride Friday night.

I had a simar experience on the mckees rocks bridge. I did not feel safe while taking the lane due to the excessive speed of traffic passing me. I was probably going about 25 - 30mph and being passed at likely 45 - 55mph speeds. I got a few beeps and generally didn't feel safe at all. Cars came in waves. The first car tended to give me ok clearance, but it seemed less and less for subsequent vehicles, who likely didn't see me till after the first car started to move over the yellow line to pass me. I'd feel much safer had the sidewalk been an option here, but it was blocked by construction signs and marked as closed. The sidewalk really sucks, but I'd rather do that.

The MRB sidewalk is open, both sides, end to end. PennDOT never removed the "sidewalk closed" signs after the 2009 rebuild, and they've been sitting in the weeds ever since. If ever a spot needed speed cameras, the MRB, both directions, is it.

Who do we complain to to ask that these signs be removed?

McKees Rocks Bridge is SR 3014. Call 1-800-Fix-road to reach PennDOT. When they tell you they don't do sidewalks, even on their own roads, call 311.... Repeat ad nauseam, then start calling some relevant elected officials: County: - Michael J. Finnerty (Council D4: McKees Rocks, et al, 412-350-6540 - Amanda Green Hawkins (Council D13: Brighton Heights, and most of northern Pittsburgh, 412-350-6585) - Rich Fitzgerald, County Exec's office: 412-350-6500 State: Senator Wayne Fontana (412-344-2551 or 717-787-5300), possibly the only one other than Fitzgerald who represents the bridge in its entirety... Rep Dan Deasy (McKees Rocks, 412-928-9514 or 717-772-8187) Rep Jake Wheatley Jr. (Woods Run and upper Chateau, 412-471-7760, 717-783-3783), and/or Rep Adam Ravenstahl (Brighton Heights, 412-321-5523, 717-787-5470)

"Call 1-800-Fix-road to reach PennDOT." Alternatively, look for a random stray dog walking around. Explain to the dog the signs you would like to have removed, detailing their locations. Either course of action has an equal likelihood of the desired result. The dog will probably take your request more seriously.

The dog will take a leak on the signs, which is infinitely more attention than PennDOT has given them in the last five years.

How are these signs constructed? Perhaps a socket and wrench could solve the problem