BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I should add that the person in my office who started commuting is not an experienced cyclist or anything... just a regular guy who rides his old bike to work.

It is hard commuting into town from that side.  Either scary w liberty or up and over Mt Washington.

I haven't noticed an increase in cyclists.   I am avoiding BOA to grant to the jail trail because traffic is so messed up downtown. It is fine when it is totally gridlocked, but as soon as there is an opportunity for someone to move anywhere, they often drive fast and unpredictably. So I have been taking the more direct way home via north side trail to lawrenceville to Stanton.

My problem with Grant St headed southbound is that it's so jammed, I make better time on the sidewalk. I don't do that myself, of course, but I've seen more sidewalk riding on Grant by Forbes since the bridge shutdown. I cannot tell if this is from an uptick in southerly commuters or cyclists sick of being stuck in car traffic. Separately, while Ross St would be a decent alternative to Grant for getting to the Jail Trail, it is not at all easy if you turn left off Ross onto First Ave. The access is not marked, and you have to dismount and lift over a tall curb. That's to get down past the bike rental place. I've wiggled through the exit from the parking garage a couple times, but that's neither safe nor I suspect legal, and still doesn't really get you to the trail. Turning right onto First doesn't really work, either, because of the same jammed traffic trying to get to Grant. In short, we need a better way to get from Ross St to the trail. An ADA curb cut and a bit of painted arrows with a bike symbol would be enough.