BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Excellent timing! During work hours, or just after!

Well, I guess those are their working hours... I sent an email asking whether the presentations and other materials will be available on the web. There's nothing now, other than the meeting announcement.

It would be nice if they could set up a live stream, with a chat room alongside, so people could type in thoughts as people spoke.

Bump. This is today.

I attended the second. There were about 15 people there. Discussion mainly about an 18-month pilot project to test the idea of replacing outbound Penn Ave traffic from Stanwix to 11th with a two-way bike-only lane. No cars or buses. Lots of things still in flux, but that's the plan. Steve Patchan got a lot of constructive criticism and questions about how it would work. On a trivial note, I think this marks the first time I attended a public meeting and signed in using an iPad.

Thanks for going. This plan sounds intriguing. Though they already have a trail that connects the pont to the convention center. Maybe they need better signage for that and more ways to access it other than the strip, convention center, the point, and lots of stairs by the bridges.

The trail's nice, but they want a formal, bikes-only, on-street connection, displacing cars.

Story in the PG this morning: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/06/11/Wheels-are-turning-to-build-bike-only-lanes-in-cultural-district/stories/201406110055

"Though they already have a trail that connects the pont to the convention center" Have you seen the icebergs that form on this trail when the river floods in the winter? NOT PASSABLE by any means is what this becomes for parts of the year. I would also love some sort of barrier between me and the river, especially since the trail gets narrow by the pillars. Would really love them to build a bit of a deck out over the river to widen the path a bit (doesn't have to be much) and add a fence to make it a bit safer here. It's a good fall, and not so easy to get back up on to land over here.

Not entirely implausible. http://retrographer.org/photos/1690

Hey, James Love just showed up in the comments area -- what a surprise! And guess what, he mentions us (and Stu) by name. How charming.

I can hardly wait to read it. We were in the same room a couple weeks ago, and he laid into me twice, verbally.

Yikes. I think he's only helping our cause--the pro-cyclist comments are rational, and then he comes along with his anti-cycling rants, and comes across like a complete loon. Part of me feels bad for the guy, and part of me thinks that he's spiraling out of control and should be avoided at all costs. Stu, he doesn't drive, does he??

Amendment (to a likely forgotten post): I originally opined that the bike lane should be on Ft. Duquesne Blvd. This was because I normally just pass through that district on my way east and the Blvd is uncomplicated. A lane on Penn makes much sense (combined with bike racks). There's lots of stuff to stop and do on that street. What would be really be nice is a reasoned transition between Penn and Smallman to make it friendly to bicycles. (Say at the intersection with 11th.)

He doesn't drive much. He doesn't own a car. But yes, he is entirely out of control, totally believes everything he says, and has nothing to back up his arguments. "Complete loon" is accurate.

Traffic Studies, statistics, rational thought... not something you can use to communicate with with a true believer. They are immobile objects, you can only go around them, they will never yield.

Does it stop at 11th because that is the end of downtown and start of the strip, or is there something else to it? So penn outbound will be from 11th -16th with sharrows.... why not just commit?

Steevo, that's a good question. I think there's still a chance, but I'll answer as best i can, with the info that i have. Mind you, these are the reasons that are given to us right now, but things can change. I should more call them "hurdles," not reasons. Also, the ultimate goal is to take it into the strip, but the initial project is to get something in by the conference. Patchan the bike/ped coordinator is quitting. The city has so few staff. There has been an incredible amount of outreach to work on Stanwix-11th that they can commit to for the August install. If they can get it together to do the same amount of outreach in the strip by then, then there's a possibility, but that was a big part of the bike/ped coordinator job. One of the benefits that we have is that Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has been so supportive in spearheading this and getting behind the project. After 11th, it's a different neighborhood group. I don't think it's off the table to extend it, it's just that they don't want to publicly make a promise that they can't keep for the short deadline.

Moving buses off eastbound Penn will be a big change. That "Perrysville loop" of inbound 6th St, outbound Penn, out on 9th, has been in place for years (decades?). Buses could potentially be routed the reverse of that, which would not be as difficult as it used to be. About 15 to 20 years ago, a set of routes used inbound 7th, westbound Penn, out on Stanwix. What made that difficult was the tight corner from 7th to Penn. That would be less of a problem under the proposal, since buses would more easily be able to make the tight right turn from 7th or 9th to inbound Penn if the leading traffic was the occasional bicycle and not a car waiting at the light.

I finally read James Love's rant. Incoherent mind dump. Nothing to see here, folks, move along. But the guy does scare me. I have had zero contact with him in almost a month, and said nothing to him the last time we were in the same room.

Not formally Announced, but PAT changes requested! www.post-gazette.com/local/2014/06/20/Pittsburgh-moving-ahead-with-plans-for-bike-only-lanes-in-Downtown/stories/201406200025

I love how much people on Facebook hate this. It's visceral.

I have a personal policy of not responding to an article on Fb unless I have read every word of the article. I wonder how many other people do that. Certainly not all of these haters. I sense that they are more like dogs barking at passing fire trucks. "Truck! Must bark!" -> "Bicycle! Must post visceral comment!"