BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Details, what few there are:

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Bicyclist-killed-in-hit-and-run-crash-along-Penn-Avenue/-/10927008/15690256/-/123nia2z/-/index.html

I heard it happened at 5am, one Penn Ave, hit and run. White car.

I work at the corner of 5th and penn and co-workers said they drove by the police cars. Several checked to make sure it was not me when they got to work which was nice.

Terrible accident my thoughts go out to the family.

Wpxi reports cyclist in their 50s.i find this very upsetting. Already got several text from people making sure it wasnt me

Just made my daily commute back home from downtown-Lawrenceville and dealt with some not so pleasant motorists. Be safe out there everyone.

PG reports black man in his 50s, Penn at Penfield (just city-side of Braddock, behind the co-op

ugh , right near me . quite a few cyclists commute on penn there. i've never done a ghost bike before -- this might be a good spot for one?

@Pseudacris

I was thinking the same thing.

Sickening. Awful. A ghost bike would be a good thing. Hopefully they catch the sicko who did it.

this is making me nauseous.

For ghost bikes is the family usually consulted? Im hoping Nick D or Erok might have some advice?

wtae says there were 2 witnesses. the white car has front end damage because it rammed the cyclist from behind. i want to cry.

I don't understand why the drivers never stop.

initial PG coverage

...and...

initial WTAE report

On the radio (90.5) they said it happened around 5am.

Thoughts and prayers to the family. +1 ghost bike

I was biking on Penn around 6:15 or so this morning - and I was detoured by police - didn't know it was this until my mother called me to see if I was okay.

It easily, easily could've been me.

Looks like a fairly new inexpensive black mountain bike. Probably just some guy on his way to work.

I avoid that part of Penn as much as I can. Drivers there want to go fast and seem to be more aggressive than usual. I gotten honked at for no reason.

This is very sad. I got to work today and people were telling me about it. I feel sick over it. I just started to wear my helmet camera again recently. I suggest if you have one, use it.

Just got an email that mine just shipped.. this is really upsetting

Victim ID'ed as James Price, 46yrs old from Pittsburgh. Godspeed James, my thoughts are with your family and friends. Although it won't bring you back, I am praying that they catch the coward that did this to you.

Sickening news to wake up to, very sorry for the victim. I hope they catch the scumbag driver.

Video from WTAE

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Bicyclist-killed-in-hit-and-run-crash-along-Penn-Avenue/-/10927008/15690256/-/123nia2z/-/index.html

Very sad news. First thing I read when I got up. I am always afraid to open the story wondering, will I know this person. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

I too was awakened to this news in the form of a text message from my sister-in-law who was worried it might have been me.

My brother came to the last Flock, but my niece couldn't come because my sister-in-law thought it was too dangerous. I can't imagine this helping change that perception.

Anybody remember what article that guy was like "cyclists make great targets" I didn't get a chance to reply to that, but now seems like a great time to do it

The cops are starting to have a real backlog of hit and runs to deal with.

I'm also deeply troubled by this event. I work a block away from where this accident happened, and ride my bike or walk through there everyday - often forced onto the sidewalk, or buzzed when riding on the street. Just last night, my coworkers that ride bikes were discussing how it is not a matter of *if* but *when* we would get into an accident on Penn ave. I don't know why the urgency of this crucial road connection for bicyclist has not been made safe for bicyclists and pedestrians. I would like to see some driver education piece being promoted by the media as a response to this incident.

Here's another news article that I didn't see already posted: http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/bicyclist-killed-hit-and-run-crash-point-breeze-po/nP3c7/

Picking up spray paint tonight. ghost bike will be ready by the end of the weekend. if not for now, unfortunately we will need another soon enough. im starting to get cynical

For those riding on Penn Ave, I'd strongly encourage you, even in light of this accident, to take the lane.

If memory serves me right, far more people are sideswiped than hit dead on and it forces all but the most inattentive drivers to change lanes

I have often used Penn Ave. from the 130 intersection in Churchill through to Point Breeze to get to work, and the Point Breeze section of the road is one of my least favorite parts of what should be a nice fast route into the city. I agree with Pierce about taking the lane, but also suggest checking out much safer side roads like South and Meade that parallel Penn (particularly at rush hour).

damn, i was just going to say how refreshing it was that the article didn't mention whether mr. price was wearing a helmet. and then they updated it (he was).

don't read the comments. they are calculated to enrage.

this makes me ill.

The comments on the PG article are disgusting, even more so than the ones on the Carson Street lane article.

People suck. It's hopeless.

Keep in mind those dumb comments are fueled by inadequacy from almost always other males. These males that make comments like that don't like seeing in shape guys riding bicycles while they are sitting out of shape in their SUV's. They want to bring us down a peg. Don't allow that and just realize it is they who feel inadequate not us.

Anyway, I wish people wouldn't ride Penn in and around that region. I feel it is just too dangerous and there are other streets we can take. Yes, I realize it is our right to ride on Penn, but is it worth it?

Every time I read something like this it effects me for a very long time and makes me remember others that have lost their lives cycling. Donald Parker comes to mind first. These are not only horrible tragedies, they will make those thinking about cycling to work, not move forward. Sure is a sad day.

maybe we can make this an opportunity to make that stretch of penn ave more safe for everyone. not that i know how, but it really is one of the worst stretches of 25 mph roads in the city when there's traffic, and it doesn't have to be.

^+1

well I just tied some flowers to a signpost near the site of the accident and got buzzed by a UPS truck. Not only are the lanes narrow there, so are the sidewalks. The accident happened right in front of a row of poorly-kept rowhouses with tiny front yards that I have seen children playing in many times over the years. It is actually going to be tricky to figure out where to put a ghost bike that won't flip out into the lane or take up precious sidewalk space or become a defacto climbing toy for the kids who live on that block. So, this will have to be thought through carefully. It would be awesome to think of some sort of traffic calming in that area: that might be another awesome way to memorialize the cyclist.

If we have the technology to have red-light cameras, we have the technology to have speed-check cameras. Exceed 10+ the posted limit over two cameras 0.2 mile apart, send the fine to the owner of record.

Speed limit is 35 there. From the WPXI article:

“On the side of the road was a bicycler. He had his headlight on and everything. Then two cars ahead of us, going 50 or 60 mph just blew him off his bike,” witness Kristen Green said.

Here's a policy: whenever a pedestrian or bicyclist - let's simplify it, a human - gets killed by a car, put a speed camera at that location for at least a year. Camera goes away anytime the number of violators decreases below 20/day.

+100 Speed cameras

I believe NYC is going to start implementing those. NYC also has 20 mph speed zones. We could use those too.

The city could make thousands of dollars by putting those on places like Penn Ave, Liberty Ave, Negley, 2nd Ave, etc

I love how some lady is like "cyclists break the law more" I'm wondering if she's including speeding as a law, because I've never driven in a car and not seen people speeding well over the limit

If the lady *two cars back* could see the cyclist why couldnt the lead driver who hit him?????

At least the news media havent questioned why the cyclist was in the road at that hour like they usually do.

Traffic calming is definitely needed along this stretch of road.

@marko, because he was drunk, or texting, or just didn't care.

Maybe it is just me, but I really struggle with all of the anger in the comments. I just do not understand how so many people can be so upset that this person was on a bike.

How or why is a bike so offensive to some people in cars? Wow.

When biking in the city, I usually got out of my way to hit lower traffic streets, I usually stop at signs and lights, and I try not to pass cars on single lane roads. I always wear a helmet, use a headlight, and have a red blinker. But no amount of care and caution is going to protect you from a terrible driver. Its frightening, really.

Comments on articles are a sad reflection of people's mental capacity. Im guilty of breaking some traffic laws here and there, as are most motorists. But my actions and mistakes will pretty assuredly never result in the loss of anyone else's life. Drivers don't realize they are in control of a deadly force. Even if it wasn't for bikes, there is still pedestrians and random road hazards. Use some caution, and common sense.

Very sad to see someone lose their life for such meaningless reasons. My sympathies go out to his family and friends. And I hope the driver is brought to justice.

keep in mind who is reading and responding to articles on local news sites. I choose not to think of them as neighbors, which they undoubtedly are, but as people with nothing better to do than to get enraged at something stupid while simultaneously being too inane to realize that the comments they're posting to the article don't make cyclists look bad, they make the commentator look like a raving idiot.

Sorry for the run-on sentence.

Put more comprehensively: their bigoted stupid is showing. It doesn't make us lesser people, and it won't affect the opinions of the vast majority of people out there. Most people are compassionate people trying to navigate our roads safely, don't mind sharing with cyclists, and have better shit to do than act stupid online.

edited to add: I tried to clarify this, but am having a particularly fuzzy-headed day. I guess I'm just trying to say: Don't feed the hater trolls. They don't deserve our energy. This news is sad enough. The flaming comments are just not worth it.

All of this (the death, the hit and run, the callous responses) makes me sick, and it makes me hate cars and humans and whatever it is about our society that allows this kind of thing to happen over and over again.

I hate Penn in that area, regardless of what mode of transit I am using.

On the rare occasion when I drive in that area (which is less than a mile from where I live), I often get honked at or see others get honked and yelled at for doing things like obeying the speed limit and waiting until an intersection is clear before entering it.

I hope his family can find peace.

First and foremost, thoughts and prayers to the Price family. I cannot imagine their pain, and hope I never have to experience it.

Second, I really hate that stretch of road. I worked two blocks from that intersection for two years, in the early 90s, and it was bad then. It's worse now. Speed bumps anyone?

Third, and PLEASE do not interpret this as criticism of James Price, because it is not. But under things we can all do to prevent being a victim in an accident:

1) Wear a helmet. There are way too many cyclist out there who don't.

2) Use a mirror. Handlebar mount, helmet mount, glasses mount, whatever. I know my mirror has saved me from being hit at least twice this year.

3) Lights everywhere. Front, rear, the more obnoxious, the better. As a driver told me two weeks ago, "you look like a damn Christmas tree from two blocks away!" My response--"Mission accomplished."

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I feel better for saying these things, because I do see so many cyclists out there on our streets who do not take basic precautions.

Do you guys light up in daylight or just when it's dark?

some details of Mr Price have emerged, from the PG. Father of an 11 yr old.



Mr. Price was an avid cyclist, and Penn Avenue was one of his regular routes, relatives said.

"He was going on a positive path," said his niece, Briana Jackson, whom he was encouraging to ride.

The father of an 11-year-old daughter, he had gotten in shape over the last two years by riding several times a day. She said the diet and exercise helped alleviate his diabetes.

It really hit home for me to read the quotes from his family. His story mirrors mine. Weight loss, improved health, improved outlook on life, all directly attributable to cycling. He dropped from 350 lbs to 230 lbs!

Heartbreaking.

Italianblend, I light up every time I get on the bike. I'll gladly burn through batteries for even a small improvement in my ability to be seen.

Italianblend - I use rear lights and have dynamo pedals that are on all the time. My headlight I use for late/early rides (dusk or dark). I've seen people use crazy bright headlights on sunny days, and while it does enhance visibility, it also blinds drivers. I think there's a happy medium, but lighting up in the daytime I think is better than not.

I light up pretty much every time I ride - front and back - other than today, strangely. But, I was wearing a really really bright orange jacket that makes me (the rider) pretty visible. I deliberately went back in the house to get it as I was leaving. I had taken the lights off the road bike when I loaded it into the car (for a trip back from WI) and didn't discover they were missing until I was out the door for the second time this morning. Figured I could ride the one day without them.

Be careful out there on the commute home. Day game with the Cubs will be ending just about the time the afternoon commute starts. That will put extra cars on the roads, and that will likely include folks driving in unfamiliar areas. Potentially after a few beers and dogs at the ballpark.

Oh man, such a familiar intersection... wonder if I've seen Mr. Price riding through.

I'd agree that Penn Ave., especially right there, is just too dangerous for bikes. I cringe every time I see a cyclist on that stretch. Would strongly encourage people to use Reynolds or Meade instead. I hate that the Mellon Park trail dumps people at the even more dangerous intersection of Penn and Fifth, a little ways closer to town from the scene of this accident.

Can the next edition of the Bike PGH map color Penn as "dangerous" through here? Of course it would be better if the city tried to slow down traffic, but given that they just re-did the Penn/5th intersection to seemingly make it more amenable to speeding traffic, with the turning lane, I doubt bike and pedestrian-friendly changes could happen anytime soon.

@Italianblend I always have a Blackburn Flea front and rear on my bike. I turn the front on, even in daylight, when I feel like the situation is iffy. For instance descending S 18th or W Liberty inbound thru Dormont which is often a traffic mess.

My experience is it helps an awful lot. If nothing else the brain is wired for movement and light. Driving teaches you to ignore a lot of movement but it's hard to filter out light.

Can the next edition of the Bike PGH map color Penn as "dangerous" through here?

that's a tough one, as yellow (caution) means that we're recommending it because you kinda need to take that stretch of road, so be careful on it and plan accordingly. Yellow is not so much "dangerous" roads (otherwise we'd have to color in lots of roads on the map). We don't recommend Penn, but we do highlight thomas and reynolds as the best alternatives in blue.

I almost got hit a couple years ago at daybreak because my light was dim. On, but dim. The guy was apologetic, rolled his window down and said "I see now that you have a light, but if it had been brighter, that would not have been such a close call. You need better lights."

I would light up more, only I am constantly running batteries down. Hey bike shops! How about stock rechargeable batteries and chargers? Do I really have to make a special trip to Target to buy rechargeable AA and AAA cells? I would have a charger at work, a charger at home, and charged backups all over the place -- desk, house, and with me -- in addition to what's in place and operational.

I use dynamo lighting and just leave it on all the time. Never have to think about batteries, etc.

Can we have some sort of ride of silence or some sort of ride to bring awareness to how serious safety is on the part of everyone who uses the road? Somewhere where we are visible and with news coverage perhaps?

that's a tough one, as yellow (caution) means that we're recommending it because you kinda need to take that stretch of road, so be careful on it and plan accordingly. Yellow is not so much "dangerous" roads (otherwise we'd have to color in lots of roads on the map). We don't recommend Penn, but we do highlight thomas and reynolds as the best alternatives in blue.

Yeah, I guess the whole city would look "dangerous" if you color-coded all the bad spots.

@KBrooks: Agreed. The whole city *is* dangerous for riding a bike. Although, that shouldn't deter us from riding or improving the conditions. You probably feel the same way, but I wanted to say it out loud (or in writing, as it were).

@Erok: FWIW, There is no other connection between Braddock and Homewood other than Penn Ave. at that intersection. Thomas and Reynolds are not thru-way, while Meade is one-way for a portion. Meade is not much better than Penn Ave. either.

I would participate in a memorial ride of silence. @StefB talk to me.

+1 Ride of Silence.

@velomuse: Hamilton is a decent connector on the North side of the Busway.

+1 memorial ride. Honestly, it sounds like we need a rush-hour ride of silence from Bakery Square to Rt 130 and back. Rinse, repeat, rinse repeat. I hate Penn there.

I finally worked up the nerve to read the news articles (thank goodness the comments are invisible to me for some reason), and feel so much worse I'm not sure I can click on links like that anymore. At least some witnesses stopped to try and help him.

RIP Mr. Price.

"You need better lights."

"You have two big, honking headlights on your car that throw light for some 50 meters. You need to slow down so you have a chance for them to illuminate what's ahead of you."

Very sad news, as rightly noted above. Rest in peace, Mr. Price.

ej, re: the comments, there's a lot of positive in there too. A couple of a**hole commenters as can be found in any human activity. There is some percentage of the population who would bitch and moan that puppies have no right to exist. F' em.

Well I'd argue that for the majority of puppies, it would probably be in their best interest not to exist, but that's another discussion

I was just talking to Scott who has been in contact with the sister of the victim about putting a ghost bike out.

This is a block from Fiks:Reflective's production space and I am very familiar with the area. The concern, which Hyla expressed earlier, is that putting something out would be dangerous.

I am going take a look up there in a few and so is Scott. If anyone else has input, don't hesitate to share.

There is no other connection between Braddock and Homewood other than Penn Ave. at that intersection. Thomas and Reynolds are not thru-way, while Meade is one-way for a portion. Meade is not much better than Penn Ave. either. Huh?

Thomas->Homewood->Meade->Braddock

or

Reynolds->Homewood->Meade->Braddock

@Nick an alternative might be to decorate the rusted pole that holds up the street sign at the corner of Penfield Pl @ Penn Ave. Maybe the pole could be primed and some retroreflective scraps put to good use?

Another idea would be to see if the owner of the building at the crosswalk (used to be Jones Printing, now part of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary across the street) would allow a memorial mural to go on the side of the building that faces S. Braddock.

Since the seminary has properties on both sides of the street right there, I wonder if they would be interested in helping improve things for peds and cyclists on that stretch?

I was just up there. I am going to weld a piece of angle iron onto the ghost bike and weld the headset straight so it can be bolted to the sign post. This should prevent it from becoming a hazard.

Thoughts?

I'll be able to get there in an hour, hour and a half and take a look. that sounds like a good plan though. I also like Hyla's idea of decorating the pole.

^That [edit: nick's welding idea] could work so long as there is no overlap with the street below the max legal truck height. When I was standing on the sidewalk tying flowers to the "stop here on red" sign a UPS truck whizzed by and I could feel the hair on my arms move.

[edit] it also has to be too high for kids to reach. Young kids play in the yard there depending on who the current tenant is. They would be tempted to climb on the bike if it is anywhere within reach for them. Not 'cause they're bad kids but because its a crappy yard on a dangerous block with little room for play.

Unless I am mistaken, the pole that you tied the flowers to is not in front of a house.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=penn+ave+pittsburgh&hl=en&ll=40.448082,-79.8979&spn=0.005446,0.013078&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hq=penn+ave&hnear=Pittsburgh,+Allegheny,+Pennsylvania&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.448126,-79.898039&panoid=sJKfgNPjNHmsKm7VXl0nOQ&cbp=12,17.98,,0,6.13

The bike would still sit on the ground, parallel to the street.

Does anyone know the exact address/location of the accident? I'd like to leave flowers or something but I want to make sure they're in the right place (although others have hopefully done the same sooner than I and it may be easy to figure out).

The site of the accident is marked on the street with forensics spray paint. I tied my flowers a bit farther inbound near the bus stop.

My personal opinion is that a bike on the street in this location would pose a danger to curious kids who sometimes live in the apartments there. I think they would treat it as a climbing toy. Perhaps some people who are parents (I am not) or who are familiar with the current tenant situation would see it differently.

I don't really see how an immobile and immovable bike surrounded with flowers (let's face it, this bike will be taken down by the city before the flowers are gone) would pose any more of an issue with kids than anything else.

However, if this is the general sentiment, I could arrange for something else.

In case friends/family read this thread I would like to express my heartfelt condolences. I am extremely sickened and saddened by this horrible crime. I hope they get the driver. I was out today on a long ride and I thought about Mr. Price a lot. RIP

Regarding the seminary, I know some of the administrative staff. If someone wants to talk to them about a mural or whatnot, email me (bjanaszek/gmail) and I'll do an email introduction.

Could we tie a memorial ride to the funeral?Would the family feel supported by a large number of cyclists showing up? I would not be surprised if the funeral was this Saturday.

In any event, +1 on some sort of memorial ride. Please keep us informed.

Might run into an issue with it blocking passengers looking to load/unload from the bus. Didn't think of it when I was up there earlier with Nick but it is pretty close to the bus stop sign.

I think a Ride of Silence down Penn would be a very good idea.

If the police want to commemorate this fatality they could try enforcing the 4' rule on Penn for a while. It would certainly get everyone's attention.

If there's a ride please let us know. I might ride past the scene this morning, like in 30 minutes. Does traffic calm down there about this time?

^ I think its still pretty busy til 9. When the density of cars thins, there is still a lot of speeding there. I would consider taking the sidewalk for a short visit then getting the heck off Penn.

When I'm over at the Fiks space and run to grab lunch at East End Cafe I almost always take the sidewalk up Penn. Riding on that stretch of Penn sucks and is one of the few places in the city I try my hardest not to ride on.

Italianblend, part of the issue is that traffic doesn't calm down there.

A ghost bike would be good there, but I disagree that kids would play on it and get into trouble - the kids would quickly figure out what the bike is and why it's there. Kids haven't learned all the crap that callous adults have, and I'd trust kids small enough to find a useless white bike interesting to also have respect for its purpose(and the traffic near it). At least as long as it makes it. Maybe I'm naive.

It would be nice for something permanent to be put in place that celebrated more than just the cycling aspect of his life. I guess the ghost bike as a symbol stands for more, but somehow doesn't feel like enough. I didn't even know him.

If we really want to raise unholy hell, we can ask for Penn to be slimmed down to one lane each direction, and put in a bike lane.

Ask for that, but settle for actually enforcing the speed limit along there.

I would bet that better than 30% of the traffic on Penn is commuters trying to avoid the Parkway. They're hurrying, speeding, and endangering us.

Stu, I think that's entirely possible. We can calm Penn without causing huge backups. I'm going to meet with the folks involved with the Traffic21 initiative at CMU to discuss adaptive signaling along Penn Ave. They have a pilot at 1 intersection near Target and have already reduced waiting time by 20% there. And that's just one intersection. Changing Penn into 2 lanes with a center turning lane would eliminate speeding and dangerous weaving, would free up enough space for bike lanes and put a nice buffer between the sidewalk and car traffic.

http://triblive.com/news/2270545-74/price-bike-police-bicyclist-hit-lanes-bicycle-bricker-crash-driver

I am on board with a Penn Ave redesign all the way into downtown. It's ridiculous that it goes from two lanes, to one, to two lanes back to one before going back to two lanes into downtown where it is all of a sudden one lane and then it's back to one lane again.

Not to mention that parking is allowed during certain times of the day adding to the confusion...

Parked cars on Penn do encourage quick, not always safe, lane changes. There is also a lengthy section where it is not clear if there are one or two lanes. Turn lanes and light sensors would be immensely helpful in moving auto traffic along. On a side note, when driving that stretch I feel like I'm starting and stopping continuously, which isn't great for fuel economy...

Starting this weekend, inbound Squirrel Hill Tunnel closures will bring 35,000 extra vehicles per day through Regent Sq. and Squirrel Hill. Braddock / Forbes / Beechwood / Murray and I'm imagining Penn as well will be a nightmare. Avoid.

The lights aren't timed well which also encourages speeding.

I rode past today, but honestly I didn't notice anything. I might have been on the wrong side (going inbound), and I had traffic on my mind. There wasn't anything blatant at the scene that something happened. I continued on Penn until I realized I probably passed it.

Tunnel closures probably will increase traffic on Penn, and when that happens traffic also increases on the typically bike-friendly roads that parallel it like South Ave. in Wilkinsburg (and after sitting in traffic drivers tend to be more erratic). Definitely be careful!

I live in Regent Square and work in East Liberty. When I first started bike commuting I would use Penn. I got tired of getting honked at, yelled at, spit upon and was nearly crushed by a bus. I started using Reynolds instead. It makes for a much more relaxing ride to and from work. I know that we all have the right to take a lane of Penn Ave, but there are alternatives.

Further to the posts about narrowing Penn Ave in this area. I remember during Snowmageddon that Penn was narrowed down to one lane in each direction with piles of snow in the middle and on either side of the road. I also recall people who were still able to get to their destination even though the road was (gasp!) narrowed.

I'm not sure how to post pictures (will give two tries below), but when I came home on my lunch break today, a coworker/friend of James Price's was tearfully installing a small monument in his honor.

thanks for posting joseph.

A ghost bike would be such a nice gesture there.

I'm thinking of doing a ride for silence at 5pm today, meeting at the crash site. I don't care about coverage or the number of people able to attend (more Ride of Silence could also happen). The time just seems right for me, and anyone is welcome to join me. I'm not going to organize much but perhaps a loop around the block. If anyone wants to bring candles or stuff to leave at the site, feel free. Contact me if you have questions eryn at velomuse dot org.

A thought came to me today while riding though - if it was possible (and it's probably not) to connect South Ave. to Reynolds (crossing Braddock), and make the connection only for bikes and pedestrians, more people would be apt to avoid Penn and use side streets.

Regarding Snowmageddon when Penn was down to one lane, my less than 7 mile commute took 90 minutes instead of the usual 20-30 minutes (I wasn't able to bike safely then obviously). Perhaps with turn lanes and better signal performance it wouldn't be bad, but simply taking away the right lane in both directions would make things significantly worse, particularly for residents that live close enough to skip the highway.

There is a "path" that does that. If you take Reynolds to Ben Hur there is a little bit of single track that runs behind the Shady Side Academy and connects to S Richland Lane. Getting across Bradock is still pretty terrible though.

There's a trail around the edges of the Shadyside Academy property that connects Waverly (Franklin, a block below South) with Richland and Ben Hur. I've run it, but it'd be a bit narrow for a bike and the surface is bad. Also, there's several short but steep rises to get from Braddock up to Reynolds back there.

there's also a trail from kensington to the bocce lawns on reynolds. the problem is, kensington ends at braddock, so you have to go a block in either direction to get to the side streets.

I just met with the Price family. They are very sweet and appreciative of the outpouring of support everyone has shown. They are all interested in being part of a memorial ride and they think it would be a good idea to do it the morning of the wake and end it at the wake itself. The only issue is, they don't yet know when the wake and funeral will be. They will be calling me with those details in the next day or two. After we have a date we will get the word out.

I still would like to do a ghost bike, although the location where the crash happened isn't ideal. We may want to search for a better location within 2-3 blocks on either side. The exact place, in my mind, isn't as important as the symbol. Others might disagree. I'm open to suggestions. I'm also open to putting it near the crash site.

The family assured me that anything we do to memorialize James is fine with them, but I do want to involve them as much as possible and they expressed a sincere interest in being involved.

Re: Memorial ride: @Scott What about Westinghouse park - I seem to remember reading that he was heading there that morning, so perhaps his ghost bike could complete the journey there?

I just drove past on the opposite side. I didn't get a good look at it, but some guy was there taking pictures. I haven't been to any of your rides, but I would like to do the memorial if I am able and invited.

I'm not sure who is leading the memorial/ghost bike ride with the wake-date TBD, but you are welcome to join me tonight if it fits your schedule. Meet at 5pm at the crash site to ride over to the park a few blocks away.

You are going to have a wet time of it.

BTW, @Scott -- to the extent that you contacted the family as Bike Pittsburgh, that alone justifies my Bike Pittsburgh membership, in my mind.

Also, good work getting the word "modicum" into the Trib story.

@scott, is BikePGH officially behind the ghost bike? I know with previous bikes the organization wanted to distance itself due to the controversy they can bring up.

Either way I am happy to help with Terry providing the bike and I think it's great that you have been able to be in touch with the family and get this whole thing going.

Could we do the ghost bike a little further outbound, perhaps along the fence at the Co-op parking lot? Even with the setback and the overhanging trees, I'm thinking a stark white bike would still be pretty noticeable there.

I'm still a bit shaken at the thought of all this. It's a 5 minute walk from my apartment and I ride Penn Ave several times per week.

At 5:30am I would have normally left to go to my office south of the city to ride my bike before work but I did an evening ride instead. I keep telling myself that if I might have actually gotten up to my 5am alarm and gotten gas at GetGo, perhaps I might have seen the motorist in action.

My condolences to the Price family. I will do my best to participate in anything planned.

I would very much like to do a memorial ride for James.

As for Penn on that stretch, I won't ride it from Braddock to the Target in E. Liberty. It's a nightmare and there's a much more pleasant and not particularly inconvenient alternative: Thomas Blvd. to Linden and then a quick jump into Penn and cross over onto the sidewalk in front of Bakery Square on the left turn arrow at Fifth and Penn. It's a bike-lane sidewalk--it's actually marked for it. If I'm going into Shadyside, I take the bike path to the Mellon Park parking lot and ride the sidewalk carefully by Ellis School, yielding to peds as required by law before I cut down to Kentucky and go through Shadyside.

I know it's my right to take the lane on both Penn and Fifth and if there were no alternative, I would, but I don't want to take a chance on either road at those points. They are narrow, crowded, people whip into the right lane to pass left-turners and they drive too damned fast.

Thanks for meeting with the family, Scott, I know that cannot have been easy. I'm sure we'll all be waiting to hear what we can do that's in accordance with their wishes.

I liked your quote in that article; here was a discussion on a work list where someone said Penn couldn't ever be made safe for cyclists. My response was, sure it can - eliminate two car lanes and replace them with separated bike lanes. I think Stu is right on - the main thing having 4 lanes does is enable and encourage people to speed, drive aggressively, make unsafe lane changes, etc.

I would also like to join the memorial ride for James.

Ill be there no matter what. This whole thing has shaken and angered me. I believe nick is picking up the bike tonight. Ill be house sitting but ill be there. I just feel so angry at this senseless loss of life.

In addition to everything said above. Does anyone have a contact at the Pittsburgh Tri. It is this weekend and I think it would be fitting to have a moment of silence for James both days as everyone participating would be interested.

I just noticed the AutoZone bags tied to the wheel in the memorial pic. Sadly ironic.

Penn ave in point breeze is in desperate need of some sort of enforcement. My dad's house is a few blocks down from where the accident occurred and on an average day I cant even count the number of 65mph+ drivers I see or hear in a day. There are just so many. People treat penn (from bakery sq to get go) like a drag strip. Ive seen cars driving what has to be 80mph+. Its insane.

The race director at the Pgh Tri is Neil Semmel. Contact info here:

http://www.piranha-sports.com/ContactUs.aspx

I can't decide if it's the bad timing, or the fact that I got buzzed this morning on Liberty myself--a red pickup that passed close enough I could slap the back quarter panel--but this letter to the PG particularly pissed me off.

I love Brad's response. Similar to my response to a letter a few years ago.

cosigned on that PG letter. It was probably sent before a cyclist was murdered but this timing really highlights how insensitive this line of thinking is.

I just added a comment to it, too.

@pinky, thanks for providing that. I sent him an email and I will also bring it up when I pick up my packet for the race this evening.

perhaps we should all just carry puppies with us.

Well, b-b, I'm in with both feet now. There goes my day.

Bill, I looked in vain for a pic of your little Yorkie in the basket on the 2010 Tweed Ride.

I've been pretty bummed since I heard about this. I ride that area a lot, though I usually try for combinations of Thomas and Meade.

I'm in for any memorial event I can make it to. Also that bike wheel memorial his coworker put up really touched me.

I'm glad the media attention has given some attention to Mr Price as a person, and also how travelling by bike was positively affecting his life.

But

If I ever get hit, please don't let them call me an "avid cyclist."

edmonds, mine too. (I just discovered her today, actually, thanks to another thread here. In some respects it is thankfully a short backfile.)

I just spoke to the owner of The Factory, which houses the EEFC, and he has given the go-ahead to lock up the ghost bike on the corner or his property. Now, this will be ~100ft away from the site where Mr. Price was struck, but it will still be close, on Penn, and on private property where it won't be a potential problem or hazard.

That is great to hear.

+1 Thanks, Nick!

I was thinking of the fence bordering the Factory parking lot on the Penn Ave side for the ghost bike - I'm glad that the owners are willing to accommodate. Otherwise I was going to suggest right at Penn and Braddock where road-users can see it when they are stopped at the light.

Regarding Penn Ave in general...I agree like everyone else that not only is the road dangerous, but the sidewalks are very narrow in some parts. I can't imagine the backlash if there was a proposal to narrow it to one lane in each direction, though it would be great for cyclists and pedestrians. Would it be possible to have rumble strips or some other physical way to slow people down?

Meanwhile, I'm sitting hear fantasizing about ways to remind people that the driver/biker/pedestrian that you are pissed off at for slowing you down/cutting you off is another PERSON and to respect their life even if you don't like their actions...

What do you think of this type of redesign for Penn?

Here's another good example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/completestreets/4686193634/

Update on memorial: I talked to James' sister again yesterday evening . The service is going to be Monday morning at 11am and she thought they would like to have a bike ride on James' neighborhood route prior to that. She was going to check with the rest of her family when she got home from work and then get back in touch with me. I'm expecting a call today with more information. I will also ask to see if it's possible to do the ride tomorrow just to make sure we maximize how many people can go on it, but I'm leaving the decision up to the family. Sorry I don't have more info at this point, but please continue to check in on this thread.

Rode past this morning. One of the flowers was on the sidewalk so I put it back against the wheel.

I can do a Monday morning ride and probably a Sunday ride.

RE Penn Ave: I think that could be great!

It may be necessary to limit where people can make left turns to get into Pt Breeze and Homewood.

I'd also expect the Evergreen Cafe & the Church @ 5th & Penn to be upset about the loss of parking.

That church only needs that parking on Sundays. Perhaps there's a deal they can work out with Chatham East or the Port Authority garage for their parishioners to use. The rest of the parking near Evergreen and where the crash happened is very dangerous and should be eliminated.

By the way, just came across this in my twitter feed. I like what the bicyclists did in front of city hall http://happyholodecks.com/2012/07/26/the-blame-game/

Scott, I responded to your proposed redesign here, to avoid cluttering this thread.

When we identify this motorist, I want to know what the purpose of his/her trip was. What were points A and B? Why was using Penn Ave preferable to another route? And why was the car necessary in the first place?

Of course, what I am getting at is that bicycles and transit and other non-car means of travel, and not traveling at all, need to become more feasible. Had this driver not been in a car, there would not have been a fatality.

*If* they catch the guy. Every day that goes by makes it less likely.

I know you don't mean to justify it in any way, but what this guy did makes as much sense as going to a crowded place and shooting off a gun because you like the noise. He was going down Penn Ave at 50-60 mph at 5 am. He was drunk or high or having fun.

Re: ghost bike etc, I was riding today with somebody much smarter than me (there's a lot of them) and they suggested: why not arrange for a mural depicting James and his life and including a ghost bike? It would tend to be more permanent than a ghost bike, less subject to capricious removal, and something that everybody that drives by would see - raising consciousness. I wonder if the Sprout Fund might support that.

That would be an awesome sprout project, if there was an artist (or artists) who were interested in that. Murals depicting safe bicycling (and safe driving) as part of city life, with special attention paid to areas where awful collisions have occurred.

Agree with above suggestion for a mural with a ghost bike in it. Additionally, I think it would be great to incorporate things that meant something to Mr Price specifically.

Ok, I just heard back from James' sister. The family would like everyone to meet at James' mother's home at 7927 Tioga St at 3:30PM on Monday for the memorial ride.

If we want to combine the Ghost Bike ceremony with this, perhaps a couple of people could go to The Factory and wait for the large group to arrive since it's on the way. We can hold a brief ceremony there and then continue the ride.

The only other options are to do the ghost bike ceremony at the end of the ride or on a separate day.

Thoughts?

I wish I could make that but I suspect I will still be at work at 3:30 on Monday.

Ow. I work daytime, can't get away in the middle of the afternoon, and can't afford to take half the day off. I suspect I'm not alone. But hey, it's their call, and I respect that.

I could make it Monday at 3:30pm for a memorial ride (I'd leave work for an hour, then go back).

The ghost bike and the memorial ride are excellent ideas! Maybe this has already been discussed, but TV stations should be notified in advance - a reasonable level of publicity on this would be beneficial to friends & family, I would think.

In the past, we have done ghost bike lock-ups around dusk. It's a calm time and for other harder to explain reasons it has always seemed appropriate.

Considering that The Factory has been kind enough to allow it to be kept on their property, maybe we could consider locking it up around dusk to prevent disturbing regular business there/creating a hazard in their already busy (and slightly confusing) parking lot.

However, if the family would prefer it being done at the same time as the ride, that can be accommodated as well.

At this point, the only thing that needs to be done is get the sign approved by the property owner and it can be locked up at any point.

I can do the Monday ride & live nearby.

What do you guys typically wear for such a ride? Are you dressed to sweat or does everyone make an effort to wear something half decent (say a collared shirt and shorts). Just curious.

Black armbands for everyone, red armband if you've been hit, like we did for Don Parker?

Heh. I guess I can join the red armband club myself. While I wasn't actually hit, I bit asphalt and drew blood.

unfortunately I work 12hrs Monday and can't make it.

I'll be there. James' mother's home at 7927 Tioga St at 3:30PM on Monday

http://goo.gl/maps/uKsC

I'm going to talk to them again today, but the idea for that time being chosen is so that it can end at the wake which will be at the Methodist church located at Swissvale Ave and Ross in Wilkinsburg. Perhaps after the wake we can hold the ghost bike ceremony?

This might not be a giant ride given the time. We probably want to do an evening ride of silence in the next couple of weeks. The ghost bike could and should be the meeting place for the ride of silence.

How long do you think the ride and ceremony will last? I could maybe come by on my commute home.

I have a meeting at 4 but I am going to try to make it to the ride at least for part of it. But the evening would definitely be easier to get to.

I think we should probably also do an evening ride sometime soon for the many people who won't be able to make this one.

Yes, and not too late. It's starting to get dark by 8:30. I'd shoot for 7, maybe even 6:30, so we're not trying to get home with it getting dark. I'd even be OK with 6.

I have a Commission meeting tonight (where the death of Mark Schneider in a MD bike accident this weekend will undoubtedly be announced to his fellow board members). I can't make the Price memorial ride as a result. Probably can't make ghost bike either, but will someone be sure to post relatively up to the minute reports on timing? If I can make it, I will, but I won't know until the last minute.

If you can schedule the memorial ride at 6:30 or later I'll be there, otherwise not. But my thoughts are with you either way.

If anyone is interested in a Bikepool to Tioga street this afternoon, I plan on being in front of the co-op by 3 and biking over from there.

Psuda, that sounds like a good idea. As much as I feel the need to show support to his family, I always feel akward in these situations, and showing up with someone I know would be nice. I'll try and be there well before three.

The Church at the corner of 5th and Penn uses the Chatham East Parking lot to some degree(I work in the Chatham East building).

I will try to make it. I have a 3:00 PM conference call which should be over by 3:15. I'm in the Strip District, so if I hammer, I can get to Tioga close to 3:30. I imagine meeting at 3:30 will mean wheels down closer to 3:45 PM.

By the way, today is the visitation, not the wake. Visitation is from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Deliverance Baptist Church, Ross and Swissvale Streets, Wilkinsburg. The funeral is tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM. If we are planning anything for after the visitation, that would mean 8:00 PM.

Hm, sounds like we ought to check in with Scott, since he spoke to the family. It could be that dates have shifted. He definitely said something about the ride being times with the service.

I'd really like to be there for this despite all the other things I'm supposed to be doing today. I'll plan to meet you guys at the co-op by 3. I may just have to drop out early depending on how things go.

WTAE is saying a witness saw the driver using a cell phone just before the crash.

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Point-Breeze-hit-and-run-victim-s-family-pleads-for-justice/-/10927008/15823496/-/5livcl/-/index.html

WTAE is saying that a witness saw the driver using a cell phone just before the crash

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Point-Breeze-hit-and-run-victim-s-family-pleads-for-justice/-/10927008/15823496/-/5livcl/-/index.html

If you can't make the memorial ride it might be nice to drop by the visitation. Obituary says 4-8 pm today, at Deliverance Baptist Church, Ross and Swissvale Streets, Wilkinsburg. Or sign the guest book at http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/postgazette/guestbook.aspx?n=james-price&pid=158800790&nocache=true&cid=addentry&sign=0

Got someone to cover the end of my shift, so see yinz at the co-op

Hyla informed me there might be some confusion. Sorry about this. The viewing starts at 4pm today at the church located at Swissvale and Ross. The bike ride will be at 3:30 today leaving from the Tioga St address and ending at the church.

FYI: I have provided the Co-op staff with a Memo about the details of the ride, ghost bike installation and where to find further information (here). Anyone that arrives here on a bike will know where to go.

I will not be able to make the ride, as my conference call has been delayed until 3:30. Is the ghost bike installation planned for tonight?

See http://bike-pgh.org/bbpress/topic/ghost-bike-lock-up-for-james-price-tonight-830p-73012

Two things if I may. I went to the afternoon ride and it was extremely cool, and major props to Scott Bricker for representing with compassion and gravitas.

Second, later in the day I was reading this P-G story: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/jordan-miles-trial-witnesses-say-they-found-braids-near-bushes-646835/?p=0 about the Jordan Miles beating, and the address kind of jumped out at me - the J-M incident occurred on the same block as where we met for today's ride. That street's had more than a fair share of woe.

I second the comment about the ride. It was well done and well attended, especially on such short notice. The ghost bike ceremony tonight was even more moving.

Thank you to everyone who made both happen.

I have posted photos from this afternoon's memorial ride and this evening's ghost bike ceremony at

https://picasaweb.google.com/111415749895648787719/JamesPriceMemorialBikeRideGhostBikeCeremony

here are two from that set

WTAE had a short clip of the ghost bike on the 11pm news.

It was awesome to see such community support and meet some of Mr. Price's wonderful family.

I am also very glad that WTAE did not show footage of me tearing up.

Though it is unfortunate that its takes tragedy to bring people together, it sure is nice to see so many people unite to honor someone.

Just wanted to say thanks to Nick for doing the gut wrenching work of installing this and other Ghost Bikes.

Very moving photos from the ghost bike lock up.

Good letter to the editor today responding to the person who complained about the S Side bike lanes last week that mentions the senseless killing of Mr. Price.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/letters/cars-vs-bikes-646909/

That's wonderful. Good job everyone, including those who just showed up.

Great letter too.

I really wish I could have been there.

thanks for posting the photos, Paul.

I want to thank everyone involved, especially Nick and Scott, for organizing this. It was a great moment after a terrible tragedy. I don't think anything other than justice will really start healing after this loss, but at least we did something, and the ghost bike will remind people of the wrong that was done.

Today’s front page of PG has a photo of yesterday’s ride – above the fold.

Wish I could have made it, looks like a very moving experience.

That's a beautiful photo. Thank you to everyone who organized and attended.

WTAE coverage of the ghost bike. By the way, it has been a while, but in the past I have seen Andrew Stockey riding around Lawrenceville.

Riding home last night I thought, it would be great if someone would offer a reward for turning in the hit and run driver who killed James Price. Then I thought, maybe there's a national program offering rewards for turning in hit and run drivers. Well, it turns out there is.

There's a website (http://www.bestattorney.com/hitnrunreward/) and a toll-free number, 800-6-Hit-N-Run (800-644-8678). The reward program is funded by personal injury attorneys. The offer is a $1000 reward for turning in a hit and run driver.

If we publicize this, the $1000 just might be enough to get someone to call in a tip.

this sounds like something i could get behind. if someone decides to coordinate this ill be happy to donate web/print design time and/or put together a tv spot.

That might be a good idea. Someone out there has a messed up car that fits the description. Someone's friends, family or neighbors must know or be suspicious about it. I would think just the poster design & rely on the people of Facebook and Twitter to share it would be sufficient.

The memorial was extremely sad and I really wish it didn't have to happen.

Hyla, I think your link is broken. Can you re-post?

Also, if posters are made describing the vehicle, the first place I would drop them off would be any and every auto body shop.

Good thinking going on! Yeah, If I can help somehow (like delivering posters to body shops), I would do it.

I really hope somebody steps forward to coordinate this. I would have no idea of where to start. But I think it would also really be cool to make up a large banner that says something like "Call (800) 644-8678 to report hit and run drivers. Confidential, $1000 reward" and put it next to the Ghost Bike memorial. If nothing else it would give James Price's and Anthony Green's killers something to think about, should they drive by again.

How much does it cost to rent a billboard for a month?

Dudes, Saturday night another cyclist was hit and the driver fled on perrysville in perry north. Cyclist taken to AGH.

It wasn't me; I'm off the bike this weekend. *sad face* Nothing wrong, just busy.

christ, Stu, thank you for responding so quickly. That was a mini slow-scroll heart attack I'm not sure I can handle again.

http://triblive.com/home/2346054-74/avenue-hit-saturday-available-bicyclist-cyclist-died-fled-penn-police

What the fuck?

Also how did that random collection of words end up in the URL? Namely "died" which doesn't appear to be true from the text of the story. I hope it remains false.

I wonder if those are intentional tags used to get higher hits in search engines

I think the words are used for SEO but I think/guess it's automated and not nefarious. What struck me about the URLs was the word "available".

Looking at the article, the word "died" appears twice. The words "avenue", "hit", "Saturday", "available", "bicyclist", "cyclist", "fled", "penn", and "police" also appear twice - those are all the words in the URL - so I'm speculating it's a word frequency tag generator.

In the interest of keeping this on the radar, has anyone seen a vehicle recently with this type of damage? I know I've been trying to keep an eye out.

I've been thinking the same thing, too, maybe calling around to auto body shops and asking them to report to the police if a car matching the description comes in. I can't imagine the driver would want to drive the car in its current condition, and unless they're some kind of magician (that's how cars get repaired, right? With magic? Right.), he or she probably can't fix it themselves.

The car that hit mr. Price was reported to be white. But another incident involved in hitting a cyclist reported a gold car. i just saw a gold sedan (Toyota?), plate

HTL-7082, with front-end damage significant enough to have been in a police report. Does anyone have the ability to check records for a wreck involving this car? Fine if it does show up; the bigger question is if it does not show up. All around the right headlight and fender is mangled pretty good. Sorry, no photo. Seen at Grant & Sixth Ave, Friday 8/31 around 2:10pm.

willie mentions a gold Toyota, very aggressive, here: http://bike-pgh.org/bbpress/topic/carefull-of-aggresive-drivers

perhaps compare notes?

stu, call 911

PA plate I'm assuming? Cleveland police are looking for a gold 4 door that hit a cyclist on 8/27. Not that far removed. If you call 911 might be worth including that info. Or inform Bike Cleveland on facebook, they were asking for info.

http://fox8.com/2012/08/27/police-searching-for-driver-who-hit-cyclist-drove-off/

http://www.facebook.com/bikecleveland

edit: I just put up Stu's info on Bike Cleveland.