BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I would not bike this as a solo rider. While there are a few areas that may have a shoulder, you will mostly be riding in +50 MPH (agressive) traffic on a road that is very "busy" visually and drivers are not expecting to see a cyclist.  I usually feel vulnerable while DRIVING at the posted speed limit on this road. As a test, a handful of us biked inbound from the Brentwood McDonalds to the West End circle a few years ago during morning rush-hour.  It was non eventful, but some of that was because traffic was moving slowly, and as a group we were more visible and were able to protect our lane completely by riding two abreast.   As a solo rider I don't think you will get the same respect.

If I needed to get to Glenbury street, I would take one of these routes.  Neither one is particularly nice, but that's all we've got. https://goo.gl/maps/G4GJTBhmUDB2 https://goo.gl/maps/co8Ntu7gDhn

I know people that ride from the West End Circle to Banksville Rd on 51. They do this on Saturday mornings, and I think there is a sizable shoulder along this stretch. Beyond that, the Dirty Dozen route goes on 51 for a bit, between Woodruff and Crane, I think. But that's a huge group of cyclists. @zzwergel, I gotta ask: is there a particular reason why you need to ride on 51 (job, home, store, etc)? Or are you just looking to explore? You seem fairly intent on doing so, and unless there's an absolute necessity, I personally don't think it's worth the trouble. I don't even like driving on 51. There are safer, albeit hillier, alternatives to this road, if your goal is to simply head southeast.

@zzwergel, if you are looking to explore, and in case you're not familiar with this, the Strava heatmap is a good start to see which roads are favored by cyclists: http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/ While this by no means represents all cyclists, I find that it generally points out well which roads are best to ride on. Of course, just because a road is lightly used by Strava members, it doesn't mean that it isn't suitable for cycling. For example, you'll see from the map that Strava users seldom go to or through the Hill District. As far as I'm concerned, those streets are perfectly fine for cyclists.

If you had to ride one direction on Saw Mill Run Blvd, I think you would be better riding inbound and taking a bus outbound. Ride the bus up hill.

I was one of the crew that rode from Brownsville Rd to the North Shore via 51 and the West End Bridge. The front video worked fine where we had the least trouble, which was the section south of the Parkway West overpass. Beyond that, it was frigging scary. Ambient traffic speed passing us was in the 55+ range (posted 40...yeahright). We were hauling, I think somewhere in the 30 mph range in that downhill section, but cars were going almost twice that. Frankly, I wouldn't do it again. I would take the Wabash Tunnel. And this is from someone who regularly bikes McKnight Road.

Yesterday, I got on the Y46 down the busway and tryed to bike from Glenbury St. to Overbrook Blvd along Sawmill Run Blvd. .I think some cops should be stationed along that road to crack down on speeding and write some pretty hefty tickets. Also, I want to encourage anyone who uses this road to leave the house in the South Hills earlier so they don't have to speed on a road that is NOT an interstate highway. I Just want to explore the area. Overbrook appears to be a cute neighborhood turned dangerous not by crime, but by speeding car/truck traffic along its main street.