BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

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Winter riding conditions report

I guess perhaps we can ask questions and answer about conditions of trials/bike lanes/roads here. Did the bike lanes get plowed? Is Panther hollow and the jail trail still snow-covered?
stefb
2015-01-08 20:23:46
As of 10pm on 08 JAN 15: Hot metal bridge and jail trail have not been plowed. PH trail & cycletrack in the hollow are plowed with some icy spots, but good overall.
marko82
2015-01-08 22:46:37
Not to hijack thread since it related... Swalfoort, I see shovels appeared at their regular places but no one uses them. Is it still possible to get lock combination so I can go an get some excercize by shoveling HMB and around instead of going to gym? :)
mikhail
2015-01-09 08:55:45
EFT/Jail Trail hasn't had anything done to it, 10:45AM Jan. 9. Fresh snow on top of hardpack. At least w/ the colder temps it hasn't had the opportunity to do the frozen icy rutted mess yet. Downtown, sloppy, but treated. Watch the bridge transitions, though, some slick spots.
ka_jun
2015-01-09 11:42:32
Bike lane through Schenley was well-plowed at 9:30 this am.
mick
2015-01-09 13:04:39
EFT/Jail trail was very snow covered last night at about 8pm. Challenging ride. Hot metal bridge was untouched as well. However, I did see schenly was plowed, saline was plowed, and panther hollow trail was somewhat plowed (but still a think layer of snow on the trail since they don't salt).
benzo
2015-01-10 09:42:24
Penn Ave lanes in the Cultural District are generally rideable, with patches of snow/slush on the median and edges. Definitely not a carefree cruise right now so watch where you are going (as you should be doing, anyway)
chrishent
2015-01-10 16:12:00
7AM 1/12/15 Bates on the road is wet, with a thin sheen of slush. EFT/Jail Trail looks like it was hit with that small brush truck (no salt that I could see) and swept over the weekend. That said, between the Greenfield lot and Downtown there is a 1/2 inch layer of slush on 70-80% of it, some of that on top of the tamped down melting hardpack from last week, so there are slick spots. Downtown is ok, temps slightly above freezing.
ka_jun
2015-01-12 07:47:21
Side streets are quite a mess. I have studded tires and did not have any problems but do be careful -- some drivers are pretending the roads are fine.
neilmd
2015-01-12 08:43:38
@neilmd some drivers are pretending the roads are fine. The news media colludes in this by saying idiotic things like "The accident was caused by bad weather conditions." They should tell the truth: "the accident was caused by a buncha asshats that were going 10 miles above the speed limit and 30 mph faster than appropriate for the weather conditions." When there is a 150 car pile up, there were at least 75 drivers that were driving badly.
mick
2015-01-12 11:37:34
FWIW, I also am running studded tires today. Probably not a good day to carve your turns.
ka_jun
2015-01-12 11:52:18
Heading east on GAP(last night): from Hot Metal to the eagle's nest had an interesting 16" channel plowed into it that was nice. Thanks to whoever did that. The new section behind Sandcastle is a slushy mess which im assuming is ice now.
randy
2015-01-13 07:16:54
Watch out. Everything melted yesterday and is frozen solid this morning. I was glad of my snow tires. Lots of black ice.
jonawebb
2015-01-13 10:00:45
I wnet over the Hot Metal bridge SAturday night. Most of it was awful, but someone ( <3 <3 <3 ) shoveled quite a bit on the north end.
mick
2015-01-13 11:36:32
1/13/15 7AM EFT/Jail Trail is mostly clear. The standard expected places (under the Birmingham Bridge and about a 200 ft section inbound just before the jail parking lot) have some wavy ice, but nothing unmanageable.
ka_jun
2015-01-13 12:43:00
There were some puddles on pocusset street last night - I expect they are ice sheets today.
andyc
2015-01-13 12:43:59
45 on Saturday = great day for winter riding.
edronline
2015-01-13 21:38:46
Yes I'm looking forward to it!
neilmd
2015-01-14 07:00:31
1/14/15 North Shore trail past PNC park is iced up. River Ave. is fine to 31st St. Bridge. Penn Ave. in the Strip is fine including the bike lane.
ka_jun
2015-01-14 14:22:43
Sandcastle ice sheet season has begun. Large sections of the trail are literally sheets of ice across the entire width of the trail. Some ruts, but those aren't too bad yet.
sgtjonson
2015-01-14 16:59:57
Looks like salt was dropped on the icy spots on the jail trail while I was at work today. Didn't have to walk today. There are spots of ice, but the large areas have a clear path now.
stefb
2015-01-14 18:01:24
Most of it was awful, but someone ( <3 <3 <3 ) shoveled quite a bit on the north end.
It was me. :) And a little bit of trail (from HMB to parking lot). Friday and Saturday.
mikhail
2015-01-14 20:36:30
@Mikhail I owe you a beer, sir.
mick
2015-01-15 12:29:57
1/15/15 Chateau trail is good until past the Casino, then there's a considerable amount of ice. Will check the South Side trail on the way home, tonight.
ka_jun
2015-01-15 14:29:19
1/15/15 Section of Ft. Pitt Bridge to South Side is icy, bridge itself is fine, then you hit this sheet ice section that is long, hazardous, and nasty right before the incline. South Side trail has sections of nasty ice, less than might be expected. The little bridge behind American Eagle that connects to HMB has a nasty icy section. HMB is ok, though.
ka_jun
2015-01-15 20:26:05
While on the bus today, noticed that the sidewalks on the McKees Rocks Bridge seem to be pretty iced up. This affects not only cyclists but also pedestrians, as this is one of the two ways to walk to/from the McKees Rocks Bottoms area, the other option close not being reasonably close. I'm guessing whoever is responsible for this sidewalk is desperate to get sued.
chrishent
2015-01-16 09:08:56
Anyone know what the conditions are out by Boston to West Newton? Was thinking of doing an over-nighter, on the GAP.
look-out
2015-01-16 10:07:42
People probably know this already, but Oakland---Squirrel Hill is not altogether great, especially in the park (if you're expecting to stay in the ped/bike lane). Wilkins/5th/Amberson/Ellsworth is clean (except for ice inbound at Beeler). Warm week-end coming up though. An observation: there are way more bikers out at this time of year than I remember from past years. Nice.
ahlir
2015-01-16 21:54:28
The Steel Valley Trail is icy and almost impassible from Costco down to Sandcastle. Then it's difficult down to a little past the eagle watching area, where there's a snow shovel-width cleared space. After Beck's Run it's more or less completely clear. Pocussett Street is completely clear.
jonawebb
2015-01-16 22:54:55
hows the north shore trail looking did the ice melt by the west end bridge yet
bear250220
2015-01-18 21:06:20
5:30am 1/19: no ice on Panther Hollow trail, jail trail, saline street bike lanes, or fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge. Snow not laying in the road or Trail. Everything is just wet.
stefb
2015-01-19 06:33:12
@bear, ice was 'mostly' gone from under the West End Bridge yesterday - wide enough path that you didn't have to dismount.
marko82
2015-01-19 08:42:22
Was Pocussett Street recently swept or something? It seemed extremely clean for mid January.
shooflypie
2015-01-19 09:19:32
north shore trail back to normal no ice from west end bridge to millvale i dident ride up to western penn but im guessing its clear
bear250220
2015-01-19 16:13:27
the snow this afternoon covered the trail out near millvale it was clear till i got past heinz
bear250220
2015-01-20 19:37:20
I biked Kennywood to the Smithfield Bridge today on the left bank of the Mon, and conditions were good (a few puddles, rare snow patches on the side of the trail, but not a problem). If you're curious how they clear the trails of snow in the Netherlands, see the machine at 2:10 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gpMHnTT0Wg
paulheckbert
2015-01-23 22:40:02
1/26 5-6am: Most of the main city roads are wet with some slush at intersections. Panther hollow, jail trail, fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge snow covered. The snow appears to want to melt. There was one old tire track down the jail trail and some foot prints that felt slushy when I rode over them. My fat bike tire may help to create a clear path down to pavement, though I was running low pressure.
stefb
2015-01-26 06:19:59
1/26 6-7AM: Smithfield St Bridge upstream sidewalk is starting to pack down (mostly pedestrian traffic, a few bike tracks) and turn to ice. Still rideable, but be aware. South Side side streets are mostly snow-covered and ok, but have a few really slick spots where the untreated snow has been packed by car and truck tires.
reddan
2015-01-26 07:24:09
Stef can you put a plough on the fat bike?!
neilmd
2015-01-26 07:55:59
Did I could I would.
stefb
2015-01-26 11:01:13
1/26 10AM Bates St clear on the street, sidewalk is slushy mess. Sidewalk transition to EFT/Jail Trail on Second St. (including wooden bridge) is as expected, slushy mess. EFT/Jail Trail itself has bike/ped tracks and that wet heavy snow, expect slow going. Downtown is slightly slushy, but was warm enough that treatment was keeping it from freezing up. Still lightly coming down, I would expect a slow commute home.
ka_jun
2015-01-26 11:23:43
It's gonna get frigid in the next couple days. Any foot-packed slop this afternoon will be an unwalkable ice pack within 24 hours. Can we find someone to at least push a snow shovel along the Smithfield St Br sidewalk?
stuinmccandless
2015-01-26 14:02:17
This morning the Penn Ave lanes were uncleared except for a couple of blocks around 9th or 10th. Hopefully they won't be the same slushy mess on the way home.
willb
2015-01-26 14:55:27
1/26 5PM EFT/Jail Trail has 2-4 inches on it. Other intrepid trail users have been on it, it is slow going. Anticipate a slow commute tomorrow morning and leave early, did not encounter ice, but it's thick and you will need to plow through. No friendly powder up in here.
ka_jun
2015-01-26 18:09:46
EFT has been cleaned up by PA, I just finished cleaning the ramp to 2nd and a little bit of sidewalk.
mikhail
2015-01-26 20:12:42
Downtown trail along the Allegheny is unplowed. The 7th St bridge sidewalks were somewhat plowed but it's pretty packed down right now so I imagine it will become icy. I would assume that the other two bridges are the same. The roads are fine, though. Penn Ave lane had not been plowed properly as of 7 pm, but it's passable.
chrishent
2015-01-26 21:23:39
1/27 7:45AM Bates Street is clear, Bates Street sidewalk is compacted snow and slick. Second street sidewalk access to EFT/Jail Trail is compacted snow, except for 1/3 of it that looks like someone shoveled a 2 ft path to the ramp and shoveled the ramp, too (thanks for that, btw). From the wooden access ramp to the Blvd of the Allies flyover (Armstrong tunnel), it has been plowed 3-4 ft path (is that DPW 3rd division, if so, great job). From the flyover to the parking lot on Second before the jail, expect 3-4 inches of powder on top of remelted rutted ice crust. Slow and difficult, power through to the parking lot, then ride through the parking lot and if so inclined, you can connect back to the trail before the parking garage. That is clear. Downtown is sloppy.
ka_jun
2015-01-27 08:29:38
junction hollow trail was cleared
erok
2015-01-27 10:47:06
If you can't bike on the Pittsburgh trails, you can at least go dogsledding: Pittsburgh Dog Sledding: http://youtu.be/L8JCHhU-MnU
chrishent
2015-01-27 12:30:25
Interesting. It appears that EFT and Junction Hollow Trail were cleared last night and possibly more recently. However, there seems to be no visible activity on the snow plow tracker. I wonder if it limits tracks to roads, and it's not tracking history on trails, even when going all the way back to 1/26 at 12:50pm Is it DPW who clears these? Or is it parks?
benzo
2015-01-27 13:26:34
fairly certain it's dpw
erok
2015-01-27 14:12:38
The tracker knows about roads, since you can click on a road and it'll show you data for it. Most likely they didn't think to include trails as a type of road when they implemented it. I'll 311 the problem.
steven
2015-01-27 15:05:52
Not every DPW vehicle has GPS, so it is possible that if DPW cleared the EFT the vehicle that did it would not show on the tracker.
mjacobpgh
2015-01-27 15:39:56
It would be cool to have GPS on those dogs too! Thanks for posting.
marko82
2015-01-27 15:48:42
Here's a question, why only do half of EFT/Jail Trail? The segment that was done looks like it stopped where the dirt ramp access goes down to Second. After that, hadn't been touched. Is that a function of that part of the trail being part of Division 6, or just more difficult to reach that section? City is at "Snow Level 0" now, should we expect it to be done, or do we need to submit some 311s?
ka_jun
2015-01-27 16:29:52
Got a response. There's no harm in 311'ing about the cleared/uncleared trail sections, even if the response is "We need X more hours to finish every street and trail."
steven
2015-01-27 16:58:38
@mjacobPGH A little further up towards town, but from there to the parking lot before the jail is rough going. 1/27 5PM Outbound EFT. That snowy/icy segment of EFT/Jail Trail still untouched, 311'ed it, but the more the merrier would likely help. Pretty much the same as 1/27 7:45AM
ka_jun
2015-01-27 18:02:02
@Mikhail just caught that you cleared the ramp and were responsible for the cleared section of sidewalk, thanks. 1/28 7:30AM EFT/Jail trail is the same, that section is still uncleared and now is getting packed down by peds/riders.
ka_jun
2015-01-28 08:03:58
PG's Photo of the Day: 16th St Bridge
chrishent
2015-01-28 08:08:00
Penn Ave lane is still a mess. They must have plowed it at some point, but it's slushy the whole way in, and dangerously icy-looking in several places. Anyone know how the Schenley lane is? Any better?
willb
2015-01-28 09:12:29
1/28 5:45PM @mjacobPGH is legit. EFT has been plowed, some of that compacted snow/ice that won't come up, but none of that 3 inch rutted stuff that has you fishtailing all over the place.
ka_jun
2015-01-28 19:09:14
I passed a plough clearing the shoulders along Schenley Dr this am and this evening the shoulders were clear and dry. Of course they are not officially bike lanes but that is splitting hairs...
neilmd
2015-01-28 20:18:37
I really didn't have anything to do with the EFT being plowed, that's a result of the 311 requests so keep that up. Glad to hear it was taken care of though! :)
mjacobpgh
2015-01-28 21:55:59
The Liberty Avenue Bike lane outbound had a lot of black ice, especially going up the hill from the strip.
stefb
2015-01-29 17:22:46
1/30 5-6am Lots of snow covered roads. trails are unplowed with a nice thin layer of snow to ride on. Blvd of the Allies downtown is a sheet of ice. Be careful. It was ok on a fat bike with less than 10psi. Fort Duquesne bridge was snow covered with a slushy under layer and a lot of footprints
stefb
2015-01-30 06:20:12
1/30 7:00 am As Stef said, downtown streets in general are slick this morning. Thin layer of snow/ice. I would not expect the Penn Ave lanes to be treated. Be careful out there
chrishent
2015-01-30 07:51:34
1/30 7:45AM Bates St. in good shape going towards Second. 1/2-1 inch of new powder on EFT/Jail Trail, be wary and conscious of Smithfield Street bridge, downtown streets are garbage and very slick, compacted snow, melting slush on top of that. Take extra time and be very cautious this morning.
ka_jun
2015-01-30 07:57:26
I didn't ride this morning, but rode the length of the Penn Ave lane around 7 last night. Lots of meltwater, both moving and puddles, which I'm sure froze quickly overnight.
stuinmccandless
2015-01-30 08:39:59
Pretty slippy. All good with 40mm studded tires, but highly variable road conditions, from untreated to heavily salted and clear of slush. Most roads have at least been sanded. Last night was overall worse than this morning.
neilmd
2015-01-30 09:18:35
Just wondering who the genius was that plowed the fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge and didn't salt. It would have been best left the way it was with a layer of snow on it. The whole entire thing is ice. I actually walked because I don't have studded tires. It was slippery even as a pedestrian. Who is in charge of treating that? The jail trail and junction holow trail were nice because they weren't plowed. I would rather these trails not get plowed because then we will have exposed ice.
stefb
2015-01-30 21:27:43
The Highland Park Bridge sidewalk it a mess, but ridable for the most part. PennDot of course just plows the snow from the road right on top of the sidewalk, but that is what we expect here. Most roads up through One Wild Place and Highland Park are in pretty good shape. I still can't get over the amount of cyclists I am seeing this winter. Nice to have some company for a change. I was out last night at after 11:00PM and even saw someone riding down Highland.
gg
2015-01-31 10:09:41
1/31 11a From American Eagle, over the Hot Metal Bridge then EFT to the parking lot is a tundra of sheet ice.
mayhew
2015-01-31 15:15:52
1/31 4:30 pm Jail trail is very rideable with a few spots of snow here and there. There were a few puddles, though, so watch out for black ice tonight and tomorrow morning. The Panther Hollow trail is mostly covered in snow, but it's passable. The Saline St cycle track is passable, too, but majority is covered in snow
chrishent
2015-01-31 18:20:59
2/1 4:00pm The trail through panther hollow & Saline cycle track have not been plowed at all. Jail trail must have been plowed at some point but an inch of snow covere right now. HM bridge not plowed & very icy. I managed all of the above with my MTB, but probably would have had to walk had I been on the road bike.
marko82
2015-02-01 17:00:56
2/2 8:15AM Windy out. Bates St. clear, Bates street sidewalk in bad shape. Second St. run up to wooden ramp has some residual tamped down snow that is wet. EFT/Jail Trail is mostly clear, but there are brief sections of tamped down snow/ice that is/was wet. Was warm >32F when I was out, but the current temp is purportedly 28F. Assuming that's true, could make for some potentially hazardous riding.
ka_jun
2015-02-02 09:32:47
It's supposed to get real cold during the day, sub-20, so any wet spots are certain to become icy.
stuinmccandless
2015-02-02 10:28:43
2/2 4:00 PM Ft Duquesne walkway is a deathtrap near the North Shore end. Pretty much solid ice, half an inch thick or more, from the second switchback until the bridge levels out. Walkable by clinging to the railing, but not advised.
reddan
2015-02-02 16:51:06
2/2 6PM Light snow falling, making it difficult to see contrast even with decent lights. EFT is mostly clear, but for those sections that aren't, it's smooth ice that is hazardous. Most of the Bates St. sidewalk is iced over, if you have studded tires, you'll be able to climb it slowly. Meteorologists and their modeling were actually right today. In the section of downtown I passed, it was dry. Watch that patchy ice if you're out tonight.
ka_jun
2015-02-02 19:47:38
I was out cross-country skiing on the GAP on Tuesday 1/27 near Kennywood and the trail looked like this. It was nice! This was after about 7 inches of snow the previous two days. Between the Pump House in Munhall and Kennywood, a truck (who? why?) had driven the trail, leaving a track which would ease walking or biking. But when I was there, no one had yet biked it.
paulheckbert
2015-02-02 22:17:55
How was junction hollow trail and the jail trail today?
stefb
2015-02-03 18:22:35
DO NOT ride the fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge. It looks like it was cleared and that there was just a thin layer of new snow on it, but I found out that it was ice as I approached the North Shore side and went down. Please 311 this. It was almost impossible to walk. I also hear that the hot metal bridge is the same way.
stefb
2015-02-04 06:13:16
2/4 7:15AM EFT/Jail Trail is pretty clear, a section between the Second Avenue wooden ramp and downtown looks like it was salted. Still patchy ice that people should be cautious around, but a pretty fast run in this morning.
ka_jun
2015-02-04 07:43:36
Any status on the Hot metal bridge / Ft Duq Bridge?
benzo
2015-02-05 09:33:47
2/5 7:45AM EFT/Jail Trail had some sections of light powder on it, DPW looks like they ran a truck over it and laid down some salt. Predominantly clear, but stubborn ice spots in the expected places (i.e. near the Blvd of the Allies flyover, right next to the Second Ave. parking lot. Tertiary streets hadn't been treated and I saw a lot of places where the exhaust from cars melted that light layer of snow and it refroze into black ice. Downtown was fine.
ka_jun
2015-02-05 09:37:28
When I rode by it this AM, the North Shore end of the Ft Duquesne walkway appeared to still be iced over; that said, i didn't take a close look.
reddan
2015-02-05 11:27:20
Penn Avenue track has been salted though some parts are still snow covered. It's probably too cold for the salt to have a huge impact at the moment.
mjacobpgh
2015-02-05 12:03:38
"DO NOT ride the fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge. It looks like it was cleared and that there was just a thin layer of new snow on it, but I found out that it was ice as I approached the North Shore side and went down. Please 311 this. It was almost impossible to walk. I also hear that the hot metal bridge is the same way." Wonder if 311 helps at all? The bridge on Penn Ave between Target and Club One that goes over the RR Tracks/Busway was a sheet of ice on the sidewalk. The Highland Park Bridge sidewalk was a sheet of ice as well, but that is PennDot, so I have no chance of that changing until it melts on its own. They caused the ice from plowing all the snow right on top of the sidewalk, but that says it all. Kind of frustrating. It is amazing how many people now walk/ride across the Highland Park Bridge. Sure are different times than just 10 years ago. Thanks for the updates. I usually don't want snow to melt, but I think it would be great if it does, just to clear the sidewalks. I would salt it myself if it wasn't so long! I would be there all day and how much would that cost? Let alone how to get all that salt there.
gg
2015-02-06 10:28:17
I saw a 311 about this -- they referred it to parks I think. It the Ft. Duquesne pedestrian bridge is not maintained by the city. I think it's handled by that guy that almost ran Stefb off the path one day.
jonawebb
2015-02-06 11:30:49
Penn Ave bike lane finally seems to be easily rideable for the entire length. There are still some icy spots but they are easy to ride around.
willb
2015-02-06 12:04:22
Pucusset had been salted; it was dry (but crunchy) this morning. Greenfield Br sidewalks completely clear and dry. Ditto Saline & Junction Hollow. Just like summer... well, except for the cold.
ahlir
2015-02-06 14:11:58
I did some asking around and the Fort Pitt Bridge pedestrian walkway is state whereas the Fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge is city. Where it gets confusing is that DPW has separate streets and parks maintenance divisions. The name for the parks division that maintains the pedestrian bridge is the "State" Division. Hopefully that helps.
mjacobpgh
2015-02-06 14:28:15
HMB is clear but it has tonns of salt on it. Piles. Be careful.
mikhail
2015-02-06 21:35:42
After a too long hiatus from riding to work I am considering starting up again on Sunday. Any word on how clear the trail is west of the casino? It seems most reports are from east of there. I do realize temps today should help finish off any small amounts of ice.
helen-s
2015-02-07 09:22:10
Standing salt is gravel. I wiped out this morning trying to bump start the motorcycle. Tried a sharp stop and went sideways, at less than a jogging pace. Then I couldn't push it back up the hill because my feet couldn't get traction on all the salt. I suspect bicycle tires would function the same way. Shovel early and often. I hate salt.
stuinmccandless
2015-02-07 10:32:33
This afternoon, the Southside / Baldwin Boro Trail had almost no snow near the Hot Metal Bridge, but it got steadily worse as we went upstream. By the "Eagle Viewing Area" sign, it was so treacherous (icy, rutted) that we turned around, but we met a guy that had just biked to Kennywood. I think you'd want studded tires to attempt that. Eliza Furnace Trail was fine. Fort Duquesne Bridge was fine. Northside Trail was fine, except for massive piles of goose droppings near the stadiums. There were a few icy spots, but the ride to Alcosan was mostly fine. Marko & Yale biked up toward Millvale and said it got so icy so they turned around. Excessive piles of salt on the trails, here and there. I got a flat tire very fast from a thin sliver of steel that, I'm guessing, had flaked off the Fort Wayne RR Bridge overhead and fallen into the snow on the Northside trail. That's the railroad bridge near the Convention Center. It skewered my tube and tire quite effectively.
paulheckbert
2015-02-09 00:04:16
Rode whatever the little trail is that skirts the edge of Frick from the end of Reynolds St to the housing off Braddock north of Forbes on Sunday afternoon. Entire thing was a sheet of ice---great place to practice your countersteering, I guess.
epanastrophe
2015-02-09 19:04:40
2/10 12PM Ft. Pitt pedestrian bridge is mostly clear, on the South Side section of the bridge is a short icy segment where it is shaded from the sun. There is also a small section of ice on the South Side trail almost under the bridge. From there to HMB is clear. HMB has lots of salt piles on it.
ka_jun
2015-02-10 13:31:57
Pleasant news: East Street had a pothole patching crew on it this morning on my way in.
stuinmccandless
2015-02-10 22:21:12
2/12 7:20AM Tertiary streets were untreated/unplowed, I encountered thin ice and around < 1/2 inch of powder. Blvd of the Allies, Bates Street, EFT/Jail Trail, Downtown were functionally clear. News had reports of some accidents, so be careful out there. Supposedly, temp will drop later today. It was low 30s when I made my run in.
ka_jun
2015-02-12 07:54:16
2/12 12:15PM Chateau trail is fine.
ka_jun
2015-02-12 13:14:59
2/13 7:15AM Roads are clear, wind is down. Ride on.
ka_jun
2015-02-13 07:52:14
All good -- cold.
neilmd
2015-02-13 08:33:24
Low Winter Sun, along with fogged up windshields, makes us more invisible.
kooklie
2015-02-13 08:51:25
Sunny and beautiful - perfect conditions. I enjoyed waving to somebody passing me at the east entrance to the jail trail. Any advice on windproofing my feet? I wear two pairs of socks, SPD shoes, and Pearl Izumi neoprene booties, but the booties are open on the bottom and my toes still freeze after about 20 min. I think a chemical warmer slipped inside would be perfect but I don't want to spend the money. Ditto Lake winter shoes. Is there some elegant way of, like, wrapping saran wrap or plastic around the shoe somehow? It's really only a problem if it's below 10 or so.
chinston
2015-02-13 09:31:23
I actually find it's helpful sometimes to wear slightly thinner socks. For a while I was wearing the thickest socks I had, but it made my shoes too tight, and my toes would always freeze. You want to be able to move your toes around plenty, and have some airspace that can get warmed up.
willb
2015-02-13 09:49:58
Plastic bags are a cheap, readily available, and effective wind stoppers for either hands or feet. I suppose only to be used if you value comfort over appearance.
helen-s
2015-02-13 09:57:57
^ +1 for loose toe-wiggle room. You can also try a piece of duct tape under the shoes insole to prevent water/air infiltration around the cleat opening.
marko82
2015-02-13 10:02:52
@chinston, chemical toe or foot warmers can do the trick. It's an added expense, but it helps a lot if your commute is relatively long. As for winter shoes, it's one of those purchases that you think "nah, I'll never get my money's worth for them". But, trust me, you do. I've had my Northwave Arctic Celsius MTB shoes for four years now and they are totally worth it. Of course, it helps that I got them at a significant discount, so look for sales towards the end of the season, as you can usually get these type of shoes about 50% or more off the retail price.
chrishent
2015-02-13 10:17:14
I double up on the booties and certainly make sure my toes have room to move. Thin booties keep the air trapped around the feet, and thicker neoprene goes over the whole thing. I think the guys at the global cycling network once did a winter riding video in which they put some aluminum foil around their toes, but they are "winter" riding in England. In general, layers are your friend. This morning in addition to the double booties, over my trunk I had a base layer of wool, a heavy long-sleeved jersey, my heavy rain jacket, and they a light airtight shell over the whole deal. The only things that regularly get cold are my thumbs. I have never worked that one out.
neilmd
2015-02-13 10:20:35
Things I do to help keep my feet warm: 1. Use booties over summer shoes or get winter boots. I do all this stuff AND wear winter cycling shoes like the Shimano mw-81 or 45nrth fasterkatt. These work fine in spring and fall and adding a few things makes it fine down to deep winter temps we have in PA. 2. Wool socks. Nothing better. Ditch the synthetic till spring. 3. Aerogel insoles to prevent leeching of heat from soles of shoes and cleat, amazon has some for $12. I was surprised how much this helps, but then I got a pair. They don't have arch support though, so fit may be an issue. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ZUI7N2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 4. I won't bag my whole foot, but I'll cut corners off plastic bags and use them to cover my toes and forefoot to prevent wind from chilling my toes too bad since that's what freezes first. Just the toes. If you have lots of room in your shoes, you can get some neoprene toe covers that go over your socks. Aerotek has a 3mm and 1mm thickness type: http://www.aerotechdesigns.com/neoprene-toe-cover.html 5. Keep your legs warm. If your legs are cold, your feet get cold since the blood going to your feet is pre-chilled as it flows down your legs. Wear a thin baselayer under your pants or tights (I like wool or for a thinner type, use silk long underwear. If you can't add stuff under, go over. I'll use my spring/summer rain pants over my jeans or tights to cut the wind and keep in some extra heat. Those tall socks help a lot too.
benzo
2015-02-13 10:32:40
Thanks! I think I'm going to give the ziploc freezer bag strategy a try - take out the insoles in my shoes for a little more room, then put on thin wool liner sock, bag, medium wool sock, shoe, shoe cover.
chinston
2015-02-13 10:47:00
I found one of the keys to keeping your feet and hands warm is wearing protection that fits well, or slightly loose. I think cutting off circulation with all these tight socks and more is more of an issue than anything. Make sure your warm blood is flowing easily. I was wearing summer ventilated shoes with regular cotton socks last night at midnight-12:40AM on my ride home and was fine. My head was cold though. Lousy new hat!
gg
2015-02-13 10:48:03
Removing the insole might be the wrong way to go. I was thinking you could try removing the existing insole and putting in a heavier cushy neoprene type insole. I wouldn't be surprised if a big part of the heat loss is the metal shank, cleat, and pedal conducting heat out like a radiator. You might also consider abandoning the spd's for the winter and putting on some cheap plastic mtn bike pedals and riding in some light hiking shoes. That itself largely solves the problem. I might even have some plastic pedals I could give away. ++ on maintaining some wiggle room, though.
edmonds59
2015-02-13 11:01:57
Regarding cold thumbs, big skiing mittens that allow your thumb to touch your fingers every now and then helps
kooklie
2015-02-13 11:08:33
I use my standard cycling shoes. -1st layer, thinner wool sock -2nd layer, plastic bag (the ones from The Exchange are particulary nice) -3rd layer, thicker wool sock -shoe -neoprene bootie For days like today, chemical warmer in the shoe. I might have to do that 2-5 times a season, total. It's not that cold here in Pgh. +1 to what Benzo said, re: your legs. I have synthetic base layer, work pants, wind pants. That's sufficient for my short commute.
ka_jun
2015-02-13 11:49:55
So jail trail is clear of ice?
stefb
2015-02-13 16:51:30
Nothing of note, from what I recall of this morning's ride.
ka_jun
2015-02-13 17:45:14
At 3pm, Penn Ave lanes were snow-covered (duh) but they had been partially salted (between 7th and 10th, then a few blocks past 11th). Saw a few riders out there, as well as more than a few clueless pedestrians who were not expecting bikes in this weather. One guy even asked me, "isn't [cycling] dangerous in times like these?" That cracked me up :-D
chrishent
2015-02-14 16:24:13
This afternoon I rode past a cop. He yelled out "shouldn't you have snow tires?" I yelled back "Not yet, it's still wet".
ahlir
2015-02-14 18:38:27
People who ask that generally don't know that there really are snow tires for bikes, in my experience. They are making a joke.
jonawebb
2015-02-14 18:41:38
Cars are pretty spinny. But alley riding, away from the cars, was terrifically fun! I love riding in fresh snow so so ao much!!
emma
2015-02-14 19:21:50
Any word on jail trail or Panther hollow?
stefb
2015-02-16 16:08:55
Frick Park, yesterday:
paulheckbert
2015-02-16 16:23:53
Somehow it seemed colder this morning than yesterday.
neilmd
2015-02-17 08:45:01
2/17 8:15AM Tertiary streets by me unplowed. Bates Street clear, (sidewalk, not); EFT/Jail Trail from the wooden ramp to the Parkway flyover/dirt ramp to Second Ave has been hit not too long ago with the brush tractor. From Parkway flyover to Jail Parking lot has not been hit/treated and has 1 inch of fresh snow on in that is starting to get tamped down by commuters/trail users. Strangely, at the end of the parking lot, the brush truck starts up again and it's clear to Grant St. The shared use sidewalk to Smithfield St. hasn't been plowed/shoveled/treated. Downtown is sloppy, but fine. I have to say, it irritates me to pass the Second Ave parking authority lot and see it plowed so that vehicles can sit there all day. Contrast that with EFT/Jail Trail, an arterial transit route to Downtown people use to get to work that is kinda hit or miss.
ka_jun
2015-02-17 09:08:09
The North Shore trail between Veterans Bridge and 31st St. Bridge looks all compacted snow. Saw a couple of runners but no bikes. Took River Ave instead. 31st St Bridge shoulders and the sidewalk are unploughed. Liberty Ave outbound bike lane has mounds of dirty snow mangled by tires making it pretty much unusable. Had to ride in traffic uphill. Most drivers slowed down and passed with caution including a Port Authority bus that moved all the way across to pass me.
rainbow-dog
2015-02-18 11:14:29
2/18 5:45PM Downtown was sloppy, EFT/Jail Trail from PNC to wooden ramp had a brush truck run over it in the last few hours, snow is still fairly soft, but the temp is dropping quickly, so it will likely firm up. Wooden ramp and sidewalk on Second Ave. has 1 inch of snow on it. Sidewalk up Bates St. is untreated and tamped down. Tertiary roads were treated and clear. If it does what they say it's going to do tomorrow, be prepared.
ka_jun
2015-02-18 18:41:54
2/19 8:15AM pretty much the same as yesterday, with the slop turning into that soft pliable dirty snow. Saw someone coming out of their tent this morning at the encampment overlooking Second Avenue and under the Parkway. That can't have been comfortable last night.
ka_jun
2015-02-19 09:48:48
Thumbs remain the puzzle...
neilmd
2015-02-20 09:06:33
2/20 8:15AM Bates St. clear (sidewalk compacted/tamped down snow), Second Ave. sidewalk uncleared. Wooden ramp - EFT/Jail Trail clear (with salt laid down) until Parkway flyover, from there to Second Ave. parking lot, spotty snow from last night. Jail to Grant St. clear. Shared use Ft. Pitt sidewalk uncleared/untreated. Downtown is fine. Wind was not as bad as the fearmongers projected (-20F - -30F) when I was out. -3F dry air, w/ windchill and/or RealFeel of anywhere from -7F to -16F.
ka_jun
2015-02-20 09:12:42
As of yesterday around 4pm, The north shore trail from PNC to millvale had variations of compacted snow and deeper snow toward Millvalle. Wondering why there were tire tracks from vehicles. It was all fine on the fat Bike. Beyond that, there were nice tire tracks down from RR vehicles on the access road to etna. However I got stuck for 20 mins under the 62nd street bridge because two very long trains kept going back and forth. Maybe dropping or picking up train cars.
stefb
2015-02-20 09:51:46
Junction hollow trail was clear & salted last night (2/19) with only a small patch of wind blown snow by the soccer field. Saline street cycletrack was plowed but icy. Jail trail to HM bridge & the bridge itself were also clear and salted.
marko82
2015-02-20 09:54:07
It's nice that the city has stepped up their game and started more reliably salting the HMB and jail trail. Even if it's not as fast as I would like, at least they seem to be going at it with more of a plan.
benzo
2015-02-20 12:00:59
In past years they've been pretty good about the EFT, but the first few snowfalls this year weren't treated as well as they have in the past. Maybe my memory if faulty though. Lately they've been better. I tend to think this tweet could be the reason: https://twitter.com/billpeduto/status/563093586682859520 From @billpeduto: "@mj_in_pitt @Pgh311 Discovered there are no snow/ice removal plans for most pedestrian bridge walks, stairs, trails, etc - creating it now!"
mattjackets
2015-02-20 14:53:24
It seems like there is a distinct difference on what part of EFT/Jail Trail you're on. From the Greenfield lot to the dirt ramp down to Second seems like it's usually taken care of fairly well, but from the dirt ramp to the Second Ave parking lot, that section often is left untouched, I've found.
ka_jun
2015-02-20 16:03:55
Image is everything?
ahlir
2015-02-20 18:27:54
Ahlir, I gotta say as I was riding to work to and from today, it was really not a very enjoyable ride either way. On the way in it was snowing like crazy and it was heavy and super slippery. On the way home it was freezing rain and a mess. Of course the Highland Park Bridge sidewalk is all plowed over, because the a-hole PennDot plows all their garbage on the sidewalk. It sucked today out there. Maybe I need a break, but I hate driving!
gg
2015-02-21 22:22:27
Just to note: I posted the strip because it maybe reflects what some non-biking people think about bikers. As they say, it does not necessarily represent the views of this poster. Anyway the coming week looks like a really nice one for biking; I'm looking forward to it.
ahlir
2015-02-22 17:22:21
Aside from disappearing shoulders and the occasional pond, riding 12 miles into the city from the North Hills wasn't too difficult. What was difficult was the sidewalk leading up to the 40th Street Bridge from Millvale. I didn't even try to use the new bike lane, though in retrospect, that might have been preferable. That sidewalk has gotten zero attention in all of February, as best I can tell. I ended up walking the bike in the semi-soft stuff today, one of the few days recently that it hasn't been frigid. Then at the top of the sidewalk, it looked like the upstream sidewalk that I usually use had also not seen a plow or shovel all winter. So I got out in traffic and used the (one) inbound lane on the bridge. I sent a tweet about it to @pghtrails, which got retweeted by @LVbikeped to @pgh311 and @penndotnews, so maybe hopefully someone will get out there and do something with it. Today would have been ideal, even just one shovel width, starting at Foster St and continuing to the base of the sidewalks by the railroad underpass. Tomorrow and the rest of the week, it will be frozen solid.
stuinmccandless
2015-02-22 19:46:15
On the flip side for some reason todays commute was great. The snow had a lot of grip to it for some reason and I rode up through the woods with ease. Tomorrow is going to be very cold and probably a sheet of ice, but that is good for my mind. Keeps one sharp. Obviously we all enjoy cycling or we wouldn't be doing it. Goes without saying. The occasional bad day may happen however, so I related to the comic posted in a way. I don't understand what the big deal is riding through winter? Just put on some more clothes for goodness sake!
gg
2015-02-22 22:32:37
02/23 6:00AM: Ft Duquesne walkway is mostly clear on the center span, but both north and south ramps are quite icy. If heading to the North Shore, take special care, as there's a deceptively clear path down leading to an abrupt ice sheet on the first switchback.
reddan
2015-02-23 06:53:55
Yeah someone really needs to talk to whoever clears that walkway. They plow but don't put down salt and it is dangerous. There was shitty ice and snowy footprints along the junction hollow trail but the snow next to it is thick and ridable at a slow speed on a fat bike. Most of the jail trail is clear but there is ice under the bridges. Thick icy snowy footprints on the trail next to the parking lot for the jail.
stefb
2015-02-23 07:12:44
2/23 8:15AM Tertiary streets alternated between clear and substantial surface ice (both the flat/clear/slick type and the crusty washboard type); Bates Street clear (sidewalk is a rutted icy mess); Second Avenue to wooden ramp is an icy rutted mess; wooden ramp EFT/Jail Trail to Second Ave parking lot 95% clear and fast, couple of tiny patches of ice that can easily be avoided; trail abutting parking lot is an icy rutted mess, I would bypass through the parking lot; end of parking lot to Grant St. is in good shape; Ft. Pitt shared use sidewalk is icy/rutted; Downtown is not in good shape, Smithfield inbound is pretty much one clear/dry lane everyone is getting into and the right lane looks untreated (i.e. tamped down/compacted snow that melted a bit and refroze last night).
ka_jun
2015-02-23 09:04:48
The Boston snow tunnel story was fun to read. But of course some of us were immediately thinking "what if the tunnel collapses?" When I was young this is what us kids would normally do; and parents would scream at us about collapses or, more gory, snow blowers grinding you into a bloody mess (since the obvious place to dig was into the road-side hills created by snowplows). The truly adventuresome would try to see how long into the spring thaw they could still walk out on the lake (this is in a location where in the dead of winter cars would drive across the lake, following a plowed shortcut). I was not adventuresome. (The coolest things about walking the lake were these hairline cracks that would race towards you, literally passing between your feet; the cars, about a mile away.)
ahlir
2015-02-23 19:57:45
2/24 7:45AM Pretty much the same as 2/23 8:15AM, with the important note that there are some sporadic patches of very slick black ice, a couple patches on EFT/Jail Trail and specifically, if you come down Bates and transition to the sidewalk at Hodge St./Bates St. (past that XO Cafe & Lounge and where the old dirt ramp to access EFT used to be) there is a substantial patch that is hazardous. Next to the Second Ave. parking lot, looks like someone started to work on that ice, making a 2 ft wide path maybe extending 20 ft up, but then it stops. One might bypass through the parking lot proper, if you're not interested in slick washboard.
ka_jun
2015-02-24 08:15:52
Thanks for the conditions report - coming in on the jail trail was clear sailing, with only a few tiny ice patches. I would definitely suggest cutting through the 2d avenue parking lot, though. The trail looked pretty ugly from there to downtown. Is junction hollow still iced over? I'm trying to figure out the best way to get back to Squirrel Hill from downtown. I like to come up the sidewalk on Greenfield Ave. but that's not an option at the moment. I guess I can make my way through the snow in junction hollow over to Oakland.
chinston
2015-02-24 09:33:25
I rode on the Blvd of the Allies/Panther Hollow Road bridge overlooking Junction Hollow on Saturday 2/21, and from my vantage point it looked pretty frozen over and rutted, FWIW.
ka_jun
2015-02-24 10:07:38
Yesterday evening there were patches of ice on the Panther hollow Trail but mostly clear.
stefb
2015-02-24 11:57:58
Does anyone have a report on the conditions from Sandcastle to the Hot Metal Bridge?
durishange
2015-02-24 14:18:56
Nope, riding up the greenfield avenue sidewalk was adventure enough. (Well, more a nuisance, but I wasn't in a rush so I just took it as a technical challenge) Some of it was clear, but as much or more that was all lumpy frozen crud. Foot down twice, better than I expected I'd do with it.
byogman
2015-02-24 22:48:14
As of 5-6am, Panther hollow trail is mostly clear. I don't have studded tires so I had to get off and walk over sections of ice. Jail trail has salt down from the UPMC parking lot to the Birmingham bridge. There is ice immediately after that. Looks like there may be a clear path along side the parking lot near the jail, but I still took the parking lot. ice at the bollards near the bike rental. Fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge is almost completely clear. Looks like they dumped a lot of salt on the switchback ramp on the north shore side.
stefb
2015-02-25 08:55:14
Tertiary roads are reasonably clear, but certainly some icy patches. Some streets still have a thick mixture of sand and snow, so they can be like riding up (or down) a sand dune. It is downright balmy out there -- almost rode in shorts!
neilmd
2015-02-25 09:17:29
^ Much the same. My 10-mile trip this morning featured everything from four dry lanes to pushing a bike through unplowed snow (trail above the West View steps) to aforementioned icy patches in the curb lane, particularly around Allegheny Center. For those of us who take the lane as a matter of course, this should not be that big a deal, but for edge-huggers, you're gonna have trouble.
stuinmccandless
2015-02-25 10:46:17
As above North Shore trail - didn't even attempt on a roadie, took Beaver Ave instead. Allegheny Center - what Stu said. Ice patches in the curb lane near the post office. Downtown was good other than the gridlocked traffic. EFT was clear from the 2nd St parking lot all the way to Schenley Park. Before that it was a thick layer of ice so I bypassed it through the lot. Panther Hollow Trail was mostly clear with occasional ice patches.
rainbow-dog
2015-02-25 14:21:05
2/26 8:15AM Tertiary streets by me clear. Bates Street clear, (sidewalk, mostly clear until after the Parkway off ramp); Second Ave. sidewalk to wooden ramp clear, EFT/Jail Trail from the wooden ramp clear, with the exception of directly under Birmingham Bridge...there is a substantial 20 ft section of ice. From Parkway flyover to Jail Parking lot is clear and the section next to the parking lot is clear except for a 30 ft section of ice or so that extends across the trail and is substantial. Fast run this morning.
ka_jun
2015-02-26 10:50:57
Thanks to everyone for the updates. I would like to compliment the bike handling skills of a guy who was coming through the "cattle chute" with me yesterday around 5:45 pm. There's a hilariously large patch of ice under the railroad overpass - just solid, almost perfectly smooth ice, like you could play hockey on the thing. I am too chicken to try to ride it, so I inched my way across on foot, which was still treacherous. Meanwhile, the other rider just rolled on over - I must have a dim grasp of physics, because I sincerely don't understand how the rubber side stayed down - but regardless, I salute you, friend! Here's to better conditions in a few weeks.
chinston
2015-02-26 11:02:18
If the ice is fairly smooth (enough to not make your front wheel turn to the side hitting a lump) is is usually pretty safe to roll over ice. Just don't try to turn, accelerate, or brake while doing so. I only attempt this for short distances- usually while coasting.
helen-s
2015-02-26 15:04:42
This is where I really like my studded tires...
neilmd
2015-02-26 15:55:49
2/27 8:15AM Apparently, it snowed a bit last night. Tertiary streets by me have trace/light coating of snow. Bates Street clear, (sidewalk, trace snow); Second Ave. sidewalk to wooden ramp trace snow, EFT/Jail Trail from the wooden ramp clear, with the exception of directly under Birmingham Bridge…there is still a substantial 20 ft section of ice. From Parkway flyover to Jail Parking lot is trace snow and the section next to the parking lot is clear except for a 20 ft section of ice or so that extends across the trail and is substantial and now under a thin layer of snow, keep in mind that there a few spots of black ice that are now under a thin layer of snow, not a problem if you remember where they are, but be aware.
ka_jun
2015-02-27 09:17:11
except for a 20 ft section of ice or so that extends across the trail
Yesterday after work I made a shovel wide pass through it.
mikhail
2015-02-28 07:21:04
@Mikhail that's awesome, thank you. I really should start carrying a small collapsible shovel/entrenching tool for that purpose. Anyone have an update on EFT/Jail Trail today? I'm anticipating probably fat bike for tomorrow morning's commute, unless it ices up or gets cold tonight. Snow is really wet and heavy.
ka_jun
2015-03-01 13:22:07
3/1 - Jail trail was plowed this morning and was clear from the trail head past the HMB. The bridge, cycle track and Junction hollow were not touched but were passable on MTB. The side roads in the South hills were re-freezing on my trip home around 7pm, so be careful out there because everything that was wet is possibly ice (I had to walk down a hill using the grass beside the road because I could barely stand let alone bike).
marko82
2015-03-01 20:11:00
Totally shitty as of 9:00 pm. At least it is mostly slush.
neilmd
2015-03-01 21:08:10
5-6am 3/2: Don't use bike lanes. They are ice. Morningside was a sheet of ice. negley and Baum were fine in the left lanes. Liberty inbound to the strip was fine outside of the bike lane. Penn ave to 9th street bridge was fine (again, bike lanes were icy, so I didn't ride these). 9th street bridge was ok in the left lane. Be safe out there. I saw drivers going too fast for conditions. fortunately, at 5am, there isn't a lot of traffic. I did take it easy and it took me about 20 minutes longer to get to work than usual. Take the lane today, people.
stefb
2015-03-02 06:18:42
Side streets in Squirrel Hill are really icy. Smooth and deceptive. Careful.
jonawebb
2015-03-02 07:34:50
3/2 7 AM: Ft Duquesne Bridge is bad: heavily trodden, rutted ice on both north and south ramps; ice slicks on ramps of north switchback; smooth black ice on south approach off bridge to the park proper(which looks deceptively clear, smooth, and dry after the crap on the bridge...go ahead, ask me how I know.) South Side side streets between Carson and the river are really slick, and have some nice windblown snow masking the ice patches.
reddan
2015-03-02 08:13:28
My lord that was unpleasant. Incredibly variable conditions and road treatment. Some tertiary streets are ice (including mine, which is dead end and 10%, making the start kind of interesting). At least the cars on my route were also being very careful.
neilmd
2015-03-02 09:17:21
3/2 10AM Tertiary streets by me have trace/light coating of snow over thin sheet ice. Bates Street clear, (sidewalk, icy rutted mess from Blvd of the Allies to Second Ave); Second Ave. sidewalk to wooden ramp icy and rutted, take the line next to the wall, but not too much to do to avoid ice, wood ramp is icy; EFT/Jail Trail from the wooden ramp mostly clear if you take the middle line (watch the icy edges, with the exception of directly under Birmingham Bridge…there is still a substantial 20 ft section of ice (with a clear section that Mikhail has cleared). From Parkway flyover to Jail Parking lot is mostly clear and the section next to the parking lot is rutted icy and I encountered an inch of icy slush that transitioned to slick ice, then back to rutted ice. It was difficult to tripod and walk through and I would avoid (I have no idea what possessed me to do this, as opposed to take the parking lot). PNC is pristine, as usual, Grant Street shared use sidewalk to Smithfield is rutted, icy. Smithfield Downtown is fine, if you take the left travel lane. My normal 15 minute commute in dry ideal conditions took 45 minutes today. There are sporadic hazardous conditions you will encounter if you are out. Be hypervigilant. Ride safe. I encountered 2 bike police downtown this morning, do they get issued studded tires?
ka_jun
2015-03-02 10:44:00
Most of the sidewalks I saw as I passed (aside from Downtown) were downright treacherous. It's hovering around freezing so when the sun was coming out, it was melting stuff, then refreezing quickly.
ka_jun
2015-03-02 11:53:17
JZ, I don't feel so bad now. It took me 45 mins to do a normally 25 minute ride into work today. I appreciate everyone's reports. Wish that I had invested in studded tires this year. Most icy winter commuting season in memory.
stefb
2015-03-02 16:44:00
3/2 4:45PM Downtown was fine; Grant Street/EFT Trailhead cleared of that snow; EFT/Jail Trail next to PNC fine; next to the Jail by the Wall is slush over ice; I took the parking lot which was fine, but the trail looked ok from what I could see over the metal rail (not as bad as what I "rode" through this morning); EFT from Second Ave parking lot was clear until that icy bit under the Flyover & Birmingham Bridge; wooden ramp ok; sidewalk on Second Ave. clear.; watch that transition at Hodge St. under the bridge/still icy; Sidewalk up Bates St. clear. Tertiary roads were treated and clear. What a difference a few hours makes. @stefb For me, today's morning commute probably sucked the worst of the season, and honestly, wasn't that bad in comparison to one last year where 5/6 of EFT/Jail Trail was tamped down washboard snow/ice. DPW and the City has markedly improved on keeping EFT clear. I agree, w/ neilmd, my studded tires are unadulterated awesome. I also appreciate everyone's reports. Saw PPS had called a 2 hour delay this morning, felt like crap anyway, went outside to salt the sidewalk, listened to Josh Raulerson's traffic report which broke down to "multiple accidents pretty much everywhere", checked this thread & saw the reports of the early intrepid folks and figured I'd try to call in my own 2 hour delay to try to wait out the majority of the garbage. Hope you all were okay out there today.
ka_jun
2015-03-02 18:07:38
3/3 8:00AM Tertiary streets by me are dry. Bates Street clear; (sidewalk, mostly clear); Second Ave. sidewalk to wooden ramp clear (small piled up snow from the brush truck at top of ramp); EFT/Jail Trail from the wooden ramp clear for the most part, some patches of ice that are easily avoidable; Flyover/under Birmingham Bridge…there is still a substantial and unavoidable 30 ft section of ice. From Parkway flyover to Jail Parking lot is clear and the section next to the parking lot has a few visible unavoidable sections of ice that looks like a Zamboni was run over it between sections of dry and clear, still would likely avoid. Next to Jail, some rideable ice; next to Golden Triangle bollards, there is a smooth pool of ice right next to the center line, be aware. PNC clear; Grant St./Smithfield shared use sidewalk salted and clear (from what I remember); Downtown is dry. Forecast is for freezing rain at noon, though. Yay.
ka_jun
2015-03-03 08:51:57
About to head home. I am doubting that "dry" is going to apply to any streets. However, I'm not planning on any "ice" either...
neilmd
2015-03-03 18:37:36
3/2 6PM Downtown was fine; Grant Street/EFT Trailhead cleared of that snow; EFT/Jail Trail next to PNC fine; next to the Jail by the Wall is standing water over ice; I took the parking lot which was mostly fine (watch for ice that is submerged under standing water, hard to see under the sodium lights even with a decent front light); EFT from Second Ave parking lot had lots of standing water until that icy bit under the Flyover & Birmingham Bridge that was wet and icy - I went with the center line; wooden ramp ok; sidewalk on Second Ave. clear.; watch that transition at Hodge St. under the bridge/still /weticy; Sidewalk up Bates St. mostly clear. Tertiary roads were as expected, wet with some ice. Be careful, at least it was warm rain.
ka_jun
2015-03-03 18:48:34
This looks like it is going to be kind of interesting...
neilmd
2015-03-04 07:11:56
Not so bad actually. In Sq Hill / Oakland it is slushy but not slippy. However I would be quite careful. Tertiary roads are very slushy and if your tires aren't getting to the road surface things will go wrong in a hurry. That brings me to a few reflections. I am not an expert but I am a physicist (that phrase by the way should generally make you run for cover -- physicists are trained early that they can figure anything out, which is very often true but there can be unintended consequences -- think thermonuclear weapons). Smooth is the name of the game. Jerk (good old jerk, the change in acceleration, or d^3 x / dt^3) is NOT your friend. 1. It is more important than usual to pedal smoothly, especially on slippey climbs. I also try to accelerate a bit (smoothly) before the start of a climb so that I have enough speed to get through/over slippey patches, and I keep my cadence as high as possible in a very low gear so that the force applied by my wheel is continuous and straight backwards as much as possible. 2. Speaking of force vectors, I almost literally have them in mind all the time. Cornering means applying force to the road surface normal to your direction of travel, and slipping in that case means your wheel sliding out. Unless you are either very good or very lucky your are going down. Because of this I tend to break turns down into 3 straight segments (more if needed) with a 45 degree turn (less if needed) between each. I sight into the corner, make the first turn somewhat ahead of the corner on a patch that looks to have enough traction for that normal force (as slowly as needed), then go straight through whatever much occupies the corner (often a lot) until I arrive at another clear patch coming out of the corner, where I make the 2nd 45 degree turn. 3. Shed speed early and smoothly. Just like climbing, you want to brake when you are going straight (that is true broadly in descending; I am a crappy descender at speed, but I know the theory...). Give yourself enough time to decelerate gradually, because again that requires force on the slippy surface. You don't want to get sideways. Thoughts of the day...
neilmd
2015-03-04 08:12:07
3/4 8:00AM Alternated between rain and sleet on me, temp is hovering around 32F. Tertiary streets by me are wet with some slush. Bates Street clear; (sidewalk, mostly clear); Second Ave. sidewalk to wooden ramp clear; EFT/Jail Trail from the wooden ramp wet with sporadic patches of slush that are substantial enough that I could still see the tracks of other riders/pedestrians; ; Flyover/under Birmingham Bridge…there is still a substantial section of ice, take the center. From Parkway flyover to Jail Parking lot is clear parking lot was ok. Next to Jail/Wall, still some ice; ; Grant St./Smithfield shared use sidewalk clear; Downtown is wet and Smithfield has sections of the right lane closed off by cones, so traffic is merging into one lane and it was congested, seemed to be a lot more potholes, too, but maybe that's just because the crud that was filling them melted off. The road salt & treatment laid down from a few days ago washed off last night. Watch for rapid changes in temp, all that water could freeze relatively quickly.
ka_jun
2015-03-04 09:00:42
Wet and sloppy, but no traction issues for me sticking to the centers of major roads (Panther Hollow Rd/Blvd, 5th). Nice how warm it is in comparison.
byogman
2015-03-04 09:05:29
Regarding rule #3, shedding speed slowly, is there also a reason to rely on the rear brake? I thought someone had said so, and it makes sense to me because the front is determining your path and locking it up might cause problems. Of course, I had this idea in mind the other morning when it was really icy, and then had to stop on a smooth icy downhill where I wasn't really expecting it and instinctively yanked on both brakes. My front wheel skidded off sideways and I went down, even though I have studs on that tire. There's a very slight turn there, but nothing major. I feel like this was user error, although I'm sure there's no easy and graceful way to stop in this situation. Rear brake only is definitely not powerful enough to supply all the stopping power. Could this have been avoided by better braking technique somehow?
richierich
2015-03-04 09:27:15
Definitely use your rear brake only on ice. Hitting the front brake, or both brakes, on ice will make you spill immediately. It's amazingly quick. As Dan said, ask me how I know.
jonawebb
2015-03-04 09:45:23
As a rule of thumb, in slop, I try, whenever possible, to ride in such a way that only light braking/turning/accelerating is ever necessary. So I don't follow close, I don't take anything steep or twisty, and I try to be reading ahead on light cycles, and generally start coasting the moment I see the one ahead turn red (or braking if it's downhill), even if the light is up a bit of a ways. And yes, rear brake dominant... sitting back on it a bit so it can do a bit more before skidding (though that's hard to avoid entirely). If I know or suspect a patch of ice is ahead, I try not to need braking or course correction there AT ALL because I expect it wouldn't work anyway. Learned from fortunately not too painful experience (the few falls I've had have been low speed).
byogman
2015-03-04 10:10:51
Interesting question regarding braking. As you probably know, on dry roads the front brake should get 60-70% of the load. It is pretty clear that under slippery conditions that is extreme. Is it so extreme as 100% rear? I'm not so sure. First, the physics of it all. When you decelerate there is a torque on the bike (and you) causing forward and downward rotation (i.e. trying to send you over the handlebars or even to flip the bike in extreme cases). This is part of why you want to use the front brake in general, and also why you should shift your weight back; there is MUCH more downward force on the front wheel due to this rotation, and correspondingly less force on the rear wheel. It is thus possible to use more braking force on the front wheel and not have the wheel lock up. The locking up part is I think the critical issue. When your rear wheel locks up it will start to slide out if there is any sideways force on the bike, but under most circumstances simply releasing the brakes and going straight will get everything back in order. I got pretty sideways coming down from Vail pass in the rain this summer when a marmot decided that between me and the buddy ahead of me was a perfect crosswalk; in the split second after the marmot made it in front of me I released the brakes and all was cool. When your front wheel locks up you are very likely to spill unless you release the brakes more or less instantly and are a bit lucky and/or really skilled. As it happens the next day I got a speed wobble in my front wheel descending Fremont pass and things did not end so happily. In both cases I was going about 30 mph, so not slow but not so fast. Case 2 involved an ambulance... I am told that pro cyclists will intentionally lock their rear wheels when a surface looks dodgy or it starts to rain just to get a sense of the conditions. I suspect that you mountain bikers do similar things. I'm not up for that. So, the consequences of locking up the front wheel are more severe on ice but even more it is just more likely because the coefficient of friction is so much lower (you lock the wheel when you are applying more force to the rim than the wheel is applying to the road -- or really than the road is applying to the wheel). My own practice is to use the front brake a lot less if I am worried about ice, but I do use it, with variable load depending on perceived conditions plus some sort of margin for error. When you use both brakes you have two friends slowing you down -- two separate patches of tire in contact with two different patches of road. You thus more or less double the chances that one of them won't be as slick. However, this is also why it is a really good idea to brake while going straight, when there are minimal sideways forces. If you lose the centripetal force being applied by the road to your bike because it just got slippy, all that is left is gravity pointing straight down. If "down" doesn't go straight through your wheels, down is where you are going.
neilmd
2015-03-04 11:21:01
I wonder if Shimano is developing an AVS brake caliper to go with their wireless group sets... That is of course exactly what AVS does -- it detects when wheels stop rotating and instantly reduces braking force until the wheel starts turning again. I've never heard that "pumping" bike brakes is a good idea.
neilmd
2015-03-04 14:45:10
In principle, having two contact patches to bring down speed is always better than one, and you'll always have the best braking power just before, but not past, the brake pressure at which your wheels lock up. So optimal braking distribution should depend on weight distribution. And in full agreement about braking while going straight. Though even if you feel you're straight, and perfectly upright, you're never quite, you always need the ability to make tiny corrections side to side to stay upright. And the slipperiness varies in ways you just can't predict or react to in real time. You'll always get a little slip/stick/slip/stick. The front wheel sticking and sliding rather than rolling is so much worse than rear wheel lockup/slide because it means your steering input isn't effective, so you loose out on an early chance to make a correction to push you back to upright, and it means that you don't have the realistic ability to "aim" your bike, for instance, at a gap beside the car you're following if the braking is insufficient to stop you behind it.
byogman
2015-03-04 15:43:33
Agreed that an automated sensing system is going to be able to react quicker and do better under most circumstances. I don't know, I guess I like the fact that a bicycle is a purely physical instrument. But for e-bikes, yeah, bring it on.
byogman
2015-03-04 15:49:13
Another thing about rear only braking. I live down a windy, 7-15% hill. I'm not sure I could actually manage rear only. It is better to slow down with both on the straight sections than to go hot into a curve by a long shot. ps -- the AVS line was sort of a joke, but as part of a regenerative braking system that is actually an interesting idea. My wife has a Bionix an quite likes it.
neilmd
2015-03-04 19:22:22
Oh yea, reports. Roads a little wet but no traction problems at all in Oakland / Sq. Hill.
neilmd
2015-03-04 19:24:22
3/2 5:45PM Mostly wet, couple of residual ice spots, but for the most part they are avoidable and it mostly melted off.
ka_jun
2015-03-04 20:35:16
Sorry I have no report today. I have the day off of work in favor of a road trip to Ray's (I hope). I bet that it is snowy and fat tired bikes would be fun. Kinda bummed that I missed the fresh snow this morning.
stefb
2015-03-05 08:27:11
Downtown is plowed, but snow-covered. Passable, but be careful.
chrishent
2015-03-05 08:39:43
3/5 8:00AM Temp 16F. Tertiary streets by me are unplowed/untreated (approx. 2 inches of wet type heavier snow). Bates Street brown snow/slush, slow traffic; (sidewalk, 1/5 shoveled/salted, the rest unplowed/untreated); Second Ave. sidewalk to wooden ramp unplowed/untreated; EFT/Jail Trail from the wooden ramp unplowed/untreated; Flyover/under Birmingham Bridge unplowed/untreated; From Parkway flyover to Jail Parking lot is unplowed/untreated; next to Second Ave parking lot unplowed/untreated and I rode over crunchy residual snow/ice mix that was under the new snow. Next to Jail/Wall, unplowed/untreated; PNC was plowed earlier and treated but there is new snow over the blue stuff they lay down; Grant St./Smithfield shared use sidewalk shoveled and salted; Downtown is wet/brown snow and Smithfield has some sections of snow that compacted down to ice, be wary. I laid the fatbike down on a turn right when I got down to the office. Was turning on some of that built up brown snow when the front tire let go, wasn't braking at all. Expect longer cycling commute times, there was vehicular traffic lined up on Second Ave and the Second Ave parking lot had snow on it. Projections are for another inch by tonight. Kudos to the rider who went through prior to me on what looked like 32-35 cyclocross tires.
ka_jun
2015-03-05 08:50:51
The snow is thick and heavy enough that you don't dig in all the way through to the pavement. Very tricky. I got saluted arriving at work, after riding up Mosside.
jonawebb
2015-03-05 08:59:20
Wow. That was the most technically challenging commute for me yet this year. The combination of thick crusty car tracks, ice from last night, and patches where spinning cars polish up the ice made for constantly variable and rarely firm grip. Filled in potholes of various sizes are an extra joy; I know where most of them are on my normal route but had to divert on Douglas to Murray because Shady going up toward Hobart was not even remotely safe. Kept upright but unclipped from time to time -- if I actually rode this cyclocross bike in cyclocross it might help the skill set. Be very careful.
neilmd
2015-03-05 09:18:43
I also had the most technically challenging commute I've ever had due in part, to my own stupidity. When I got down to 837 by the Mansfield Bridge by Glassport, the road was blocked off, due to flooding, which I could see. I thought "Ah, that's for cars, I can ride through it." When it started coming up to my paniers, which are about a foot off the ground, I decided to turn back, but then, said, no, I'm in too deep now..." Unfortunately, I didn't realize just how deep I could get, until it was halfway up my thighs when standing. Walking through was a PITA too, as partially formed ice had formed so I couldn't freely walk through the water. I managed to get through back to road. Unfortunately, it wasn't just one section of 837 that was flooded. I had to wade through three more sections of flooded road, most as deep as the first. One I was able to ride through, which was mildly satisfying to see my tires breaking through the ice as I pedaled. On the last flooded section, when I was concerned the water might get even higher, and I almost tripped and fell into the water, and there was a way to kind of go along the side, which was a little higher in elevation, I had to go over some fallen trees and then climb a fence. On the other side, a guy helped me, who was taking pictures of the flooding and was a fair weather cyclist himself. Ugh. Was annoying after that as well because my shifting and brake cables were all froze up. Luckily I didn't have any downhill sections and I was able to kind of kick my derailleurs into the gears I needed when going up hill. Also just noticed my shins are slightly cut up/bumpy from hitting the ice
sgtjonson
2015-03-05 13:23:35
Wow
neilmd
2015-03-05 13:52:09
That beats any commute I've ever taken.
jonawebb
2015-03-05 13:54:42
*bows down in respect*
chinston
2015-03-05 15:06:46
I can't decide which part of that story is my favorite. I think maybe this - "...I was able to kind of kick my derailleurs into the gears I needed when going up hill." I'm just trying to imagine how this could get any more hard-as-nails, like "Oh, and at that point, my seatpost snapped off, but fortunately I was able to fashion a replacement out of a hunk of concrete I found lying by the side of the road, which I wired to the frame with some rebar. I was back in business." Kudos to you, sir!
chinston
2015-03-05 15:11:13
Welp. Pierce's commute was way harder than mine. That can't be good for your bottom bracket. That said, when I was out and about a couple of hours ago, Downtown, Smithfield's condition was garbage. Liberty looked sloppy but relatively okay.
ka_jun
2015-03-05 16:00:40
Dang. Daaaaaang.
rustyred
2015-03-05 18:17:57
3/5 6:15PM Pretty much the same as this morning, only backwards, with the addition of Downtown streets being pretty shitty. Smithfield, Wm Penn Place, Cherry Way, Oliver...all freezing slush and slick from vehicles. Tertiary streets are in bad shape by me, had to unclip and jump off a couple of times. Guessing tomorrow will be more of the same. Stuff is getting packed down now.
ka_jun
2015-03-05 19:26:25
Neville or boundary or whatever it is called down to Panther hollow had some slush and packed down snow. Panther hollow is packed down foot prints. I was running 6psi on my fatbike and it was totally fine. Saline is snow covered and packed down. Jail trail has been plowed but there is like a coating of hard pack down. Easy to ride. Fort duq ped bridge was also plowed with slightly more hard pack down. Not slippery and not icy. Shocked. Now I am bummed that the crazy mocha on the north side, which is half a block from my office, isn't open yet. I guess when you have to be at work early, you miss out on the bike to work stuff.
stefb
2015-03-06 06:28:19
3/6 8:00AM Tertiary streets by me have compacted snow that is turning to ice. Bates Street clear; (sidewalk, top 1/5th is clear, rest is compacted snow/washboard); Second Ave. sidewalk to wooden ramp untreated and rutted; EFT/Jail Trail from the wooden ramp to the Flyover plowed with a thin layer of compacted snow; Flyover/under Birmingham Bridge clear; From Birmingham Bridge to Jail Parking lot is plowed with a thin layer of compacted snow, note that the section next to the parking lot has a couple of sections of ice that are under a layer of snow...hold your line and know they may lurk under there. Next to Jail plowed with a thin layer of compacted snow; next to Golden Triangle bollards middle is ok; PNC thin layer of snow; Grant St./Smithfield shared use sidewalk salted and clear; Smithfield has that brown slush that occurs below freezing. Downtown seems to have mixed conditions. Must have been a massive accident on outbound Parkway East, vehicular traffic was stopped for miles. *shoot, totally forgot about Winter Bike to Work day today.
ka_jun
2015-03-06 09:28:07
I missed yesterday but I had a good excuse, kids were off from school. This morning was cold, but no traction issues on the major roads. Saw a couple folks out there when I got downtown, but apparently, at the Local Press Juicery, I was the first one. Poor. Got the the lock cage at 525 William Penn and it wouldn't open. Even the security folks couldn't open it. Also poor. The bright spots? A U-rack right across the street and the fact that I had at least a thicker gadge cable lock long enough to get through both wheels, and that I had just on Wednesday gotten a new pair of hiking/winter biking boots (the sole was separating from the old ones) and they worked pretty nicely. Oh, and it's sunny, it's Friday, and I started my day with free Coffee. So really, a pretty good start to the day.
byogman
2015-03-06 09:30:26
Well, there's no Winter Bike to Word Day out here, but I would have missed it anyway. It's really cold out there.
jonawebb
2015-03-06 09:55:28
I had to pick some black carbon instruments up in the am and had left my bike at work last night anyway, so no biking this am sadly. However, I did notice that the bike lane in by Phipps had been plowed.
neilmd
2015-03-06 16:13:50
3/6 4:45PM Downtown was sloppy with patchy ice; Grant Street/EFT Trailhead cleared of that snow; EFT/Jail Trail next to PNC fine; next to Parking Garage by Golden Triangle is compacted snow; next to the Jail by the Wall is crusty snow over ice; EFT from Second Ave parking lot has snow on in but isn't too bad if you choose your lines; under the Flyover & Birmingham Bridge is snow; wooden ramp snow; sidewalk on Second Ave. snow/ice; watch that transition at Hodge St. under the bridge/still wet/icy; Sidewalk up Bates St. snow/ice. Tertiary roads were dry in the middle.
ka_jun
2015-03-06 18:03:29
I found most roads I rode in the east end to be clear enough; lack of snow removal, however, means taking the lane a lot. A collateral problem: Deep potholes are opening up. Highland in East Lib is getting to be pretty scary. But almost every street has something wrong with it (well, more so than before). But hey, just like ice it's just another fun challenge. Well, maybe.
ahlir
2015-03-06 19:15:51
Yes, the potholes are getting annoying.
neilmd
2015-03-06 21:33:45
Peduto posted a message for residents to report potholes for their Tuesday blitz. I've been driving around more than usual the last couple of days. It would be easier to just report pieces of street that don't have potholes.
edmonds59
2015-03-07 09:39:38
Yep. Riding today was wonderful but the havoc revealed by the melted snow is pretty shocking. it looks like the streets got carpet bombed.
neilmd
2015-03-07 20:50:58
The Chateau trail beyond the Casino has a long section of ice which should disappear over the next few days. I didn't bother going all the way to the end of the trail and instead got on Beaver Ave to ride towards Woods Run and Observatory Hill Like Neil said, potholes. Potholes everywhere.
chrishent
2015-03-08 18:47:11
^yep; I've noticed quite a few utility covers/manholes that have gone missing or dropped a few inches too.
marko82
2015-03-08 19:17:34
3/9 8AM Heatwave. Everything is pretty much fine, some residual ice under Flyover on EFT/Jail Trail prior to Birmingham bridge, but nothing that will sneak up on you. I would watch for potholes, though, and specifically, drivers fixated on dodging potholes. I've been seeing some very erratic driving the last few days.
ka_jun
2015-03-09 07:54:45
3/9 12PM Still a 20 ft section of ice on South Side section of Ft. Pitt Bridge; 4-5 section of stubborn ice on the South Side trail that is holding on (Ft. Pitt Bridge to Southside Works)...some you'll have to ride over; a small section of ice on the ramp from the trail behind South Side Works to HMB.
ka_jun
2015-03-09 12:41:41
I am happy to report that I had to dodge more pothole patching crews this morning along Perrysville and Federal than actual potholes. All of the on-pavement ice is gone, and most of the edge snow is well off to the side. Biggest problem I had to contend with was loose gravel.
stuinmccandless
2015-03-09 13:45:45
Riding is really different without three pants and two coats on.
mick
2015-03-09 14:40:31
As one might expect, the trail up through the schenley park gorge is all slush. Things will be a mud bowl there in a day, and it'll most likely stay that way a while. Why was I even there? On the ride home the cogs started spinning quite freely of the rear wheel so I decided to walk the more scenic climb. Minor observation, balance biking is very slow and quite a pain in the ass.
byogman
2015-03-09 15:17:11
Just yesterday GCN had a free hub cleaning video... I think your palls got gummed and stuck. Conditions in Helsinki look great but I don't have a bike...
neilmd
2015-03-09 23:42:02
Yesterday was the first time in 2 months that there wasn't ice on the fort duquesne pedestrian bridge.
stefb
2015-03-10 06:32:26
Anyone have a recent report on either Chateau or North Side going towards Millvale? May take a lunch ride today, weather/schedule permitting.
ka_jun
2015-03-10 08:53:05
All is passable. Aerotech designs posted that the chateau trail is clear. I rode the North side trail last night and it's fine. The north side trail is so much better with the tar and chip than the old crushed limestone path. Also, the GAP / Three rivers heritage trail is rideable all the way to the waterfront. Not sure after that. 40th st bridge was clear, ft duqesne was clear, hot metal was clear. All good to ride :) Keep in mind anything crushed limestone is going to be SUPER SOGGY and not fun at all. I hopped on the pavement by the millvale riverfront park because my tires were just sinking in to the trail, I'm sure most of the GAP past mckeesport will be in similar shape.
benzo
2015-03-10 09:31:39
Thanks, I appreciate the report.
ka_jun
2015-03-10 10:06:05
Biking toward Kennywood from Hot Metal Bridge, yesterday, conditions were quite good up until the Whitaker Bridge. Specifically, Hot Metal Bridge past the eagles to the Waterfront was mostly dry, with a few isolated icy/slushy patches and puddles to dodge. The trail close to the river at the Waterfront is crushed limestone and a soft puddled mess. So Yale and I rode the sidewalk, which was fine. Upriver of the Pump House in Munhall was fine until the Whitaker bridge over the railroad tracks. We turned around on the first hill, pictured, as this shady section of trail was far more icy/snowy. The trail past Kennywood might be decent later today, though.
paulheckbert
2015-03-10 10:34:47
The rain today might help clear some persistent ice and salt, but that probably means a wrap-up to my favorite winter-spring game: Ice, Salt, or Glass! Wherein you have to decide if that patch of pebble-sized stuff on the road ahead of you is Ice, Salt, or Glass, and whether or not traffic conditions allow you time to avoid it. Fun times.
jaysherman5000
2015-03-10 10:42:18
Biking from Hot Metal Bridge downstream along the Southside Trail, the only spot where I put out both feet was a 20 foot stretch of the Fort Pitt Bridge sidewalk. There was dramatic ice on both sides of the trail in the shadow of the Fort Duquesne Bridge, in Northside, but there's a wide ice-free pathway down the middle, so no difficulties other than today's drizzle. Eliza Furnace Trail was clear of ice.
paulheckbert
2015-03-10 16:44:33
Is the trail clear from the point to the convention center on the other side of the river? It looked to be mostly clear last time I was over there, but I didn't follow it.
benzo
2015-03-10 20:19:13
3/12 8:15AM Some ridiculous fog out there this morning, looks like its still hanging around on North Side/Chateau, but will probably burn off later today. 30F or so out, so any residual moisture from yesterday is frosting up in low lying/poor drainage areas.
ka_jun
2015-03-12 07:34:38
As of Wednesday afternoon, it's possible to bike from Pittsburgh to McKeesport on the GAP trail without your tires hitting any snow, but you'll want to detour from the crushed limestone portion of the trail along the river at the Waterfront, which is muddy. My preferred detour is behind AMC theater, Macy's, Giant Eagle, and Lowe's Home Improvement on the asphalt. There are a few spots where you need to dodge snow on the trail, but it continues to melt, day by day. And some puddles. South of McKeesport (e.g. to Boston), the GAP trail is undoubtedly soft and muddy.
paulheckbert
2015-03-12 13:54:06
On the commute home Thursday evening. Minor flooding by Heinz Field on the North Shore Trial. Had to ride through about 1 inch of water for 50 ft or so. Lots of debris for 1/4 mile or so.
kristopher
2015-03-12 21:43:12
Ahhhhh. A month without Tesla is like a month without sunshine, and February we definitely a month without sunshine. Did not have time for the 200k today as I got in last night from Europe and leave for DC in the am, but I did get a Tesla loop in. It must have been a spectacular day for the 200k. The roads are clear and dry. Kilbourne is still a little mucky from the pipe work they are doing, but it is much clearer than last time in Jan I went up. Beechwood has some new potholes on the curves going toward Browns Hill Road, so do be careful and do take the lane.
neilmd
2015-03-15 15:41:43
The TRHT/North Shore trail is flooded between about PNC Park and the Stadium, BTW, or at least it was Sunday.
jonawebb
2015-03-16 20:19:29
The north shore trail from millvale, the Point, and the trail to the convention center, aren't flooded as of 2pm. There is thick mud in some spots. I hope that was mud. the only spot that looked iffy was around the 7th street bridge, but in that case, I took the ramps up and down. I did have to hop barriers near the convention center.
stefb
2015-03-16 21:47:31
As of Sunday, there were moderate patches of peds, freds, and inline skaters throughout the trail system
sgtjonson
2015-03-16 23:15:54
I was on the West Ohio St bike lane eastbound between Brighton and West Commons. Lots and lots of loose gravel, though the outer side was kindasorta clearer. That's not saying much.
stuinmccandless
2015-03-17 12:37:35
@Pierce, also spotted: the rare cross-country inline skater
chrishent
2015-03-19 11:53:21
Heard a woodpecker this morning! There's a noticeable increase in filled potholes; but of course what's a filled pothole for a car is not necessarily one for a bike. Also, my average speed has increased by 2-3 mph over the past week or two. The only difference I can think of is that streets no longer have ice and snow on them. Or maybe I'm starting down the path to recklessness again. I'm hoping it's the former.
ahlir
2015-03-19 20:54:12
It popped up in search... Sorry.
ahlir
2015-03-19 20:56:30
On the first day of Spring maybe it is time to retire the thread... Other than the fact that sleet kind of stings there were no issues when I rode in.
neilmd
2015-03-20 07:32:57
I think you'll be happy with either one. I had a problem with a Hakkapeliitta tire years ago -- the studs were working their way in through the casing and pinching the tube, causing flats. That was after several years. But I don't know if that is a general problem when you sometimes ride with those tires on asphalt, or with that particular tire.
jonawebb
2015-12-07 12:43:40
I ran on Nokian Suomi Hakkapeliitta 700x40s last winter and loved them. I also spend some time in Finland so they make me feel warm and fuzzy (OK, they don't make me feel warm). I've only had them for 1y so I can't comment on the studs working through the casing.
neilmd
2015-12-08 20:50:44
I'll be in Saariselkä, Lapland, in January. Don't know if there's share-bikes out there (or if they'll sport Hakkapeliitta's). But I'll let y'all know if I get to ride one. Anyway, hoping the reindeer are human-friendly...
ahlir
2015-12-08 23:15:28
Some slick roads this morning, but I was mostly okay. Bike lanes on bayard were mostly snow covered till you got to Ohara and Bigelow intersection. I'm afraid of the combination of snow and the bayard bike lanes on outbound trips to oakland when drivers can't see the chicanes in the bike lanes.
benzo
2016-01-04 10:28:10
Does anyone have a report on junction hollow and jail trails? They were fine a bit after 5am with a bit of light snow, but more came down since then. Any ice?
stefb
2016-01-04 11:11:28
The PH trial was ok at noon, but the Hot Metal Bridge had a light covering of snow (not too icy though). All very passable.
marko82
2016-01-04 13:26:28
EFT/Jail Trail was fresh powder when I went through inbound at around 8H15. Downtown was clear.
ka_jun
2016-01-04 15:27:41
1/5/16 8H15 EFT/Jail Trail is clear with only that small section by the flyover that doesn't get any sun with a small bit of ice/snow that is easily avoidable.
ka_jun
2016-01-05 09:25:37
EFT/JT was fine midday. The snow/ice bit under the Birmingham Br is not an issue: truck tires have left nice clean paths through (well ok, they're a bit narrow). The bit past the Jail had small frozen puddles, but just pay attention. Something interesting: the stretch that's right up against the highway had salt. I started to wonder if maybe they were salting it. But no, it was salt flying over from the highway (or off the salting truck).
ahlir
2016-01-05 18:46:17
Watch out for icy spots this morning. I wiped out on the South Side Trail while passing under the Panhandle ('T') bridge because of one of them. The people I met up with mentioned that the McArdle bridge that goes over Sycamore was icy as well and they had to walk their bikes. Things might be fine by the time you read this, but still, be careful out there.
chrishent
2016-01-09 08:11:34
It sucked this morning. I was spinning out pedaling up a few hills on my way to work. Didn't wipe out, but did fishtail a couple of times
sgtjonson
2016-01-09 12:06:24
A friend wiped out on Herron at the bend coming down from melwood. Be careful of black ice in that area
kieran
2016-01-09 12:27:56
I and a fellow rider wiped out on ice on East Liberty Blvd near the garage for bakery square. It was 40 degrees, but a sheet of ice. Shaded areas were all ice.
stefb
2016-01-09 22:39:04
It's getting hella windy out there. With the wet roads, it's not a good combo. Fishtailed and got pushed sideways a few times during a short ride just now. Be careful out there.
chrishent
2016-01-10 12:29:45
I noted some large patches of glaze ice on the Ft Duquesne walkway early this morning. Easy enough to avoid now, but, if predictions for snow tonight hold true, it may be hidden under fresh snow tomorrow morning.
reddan
2016-01-11 15:19:29
Dan, I completely avoided that route today because I was 100% sure that the walkway would be 100% icy. Guess I was wrong.
stefb
2016-01-11 17:18:34
I'm happy to report that it was ice-free as of 4:30.
reddan
2016-01-11 17:24:03
Saturday I wiped out on black ice on the bike. The Suzuki, that is, not the Redline. It happens fast. Both bike and I are OK. Today, In sub-20 cold, I was noticing all the spots with leaky water supply pipes. Must have been four of them in my travels. The big breaks get lots of attention, but the smaller ones create a steady flow of water to the surface and then typically leave an icy patch a hundred feet long along whatever stretch of road is downhill from there.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-11 20:10:08
1/12/16 7H45 There was an inch of powder on EFT/Jail Trail (but DPW had taken a brush truck to the middle, yay City of Pgh!), be advised and aware of the ice under the usual areas, the tracks of the riders who came in to town before me indicate that someone ate it right before the Flyover. Probably worse out there now, looks like its still snowing and the temp is projected to drop substantially. Plan accordingly. Almost forgot, the intersection of Second and Bates at the bottom, watch that plate and also they are draining water out of that void they've made, so there was some ice right in front of the curb cut to get on the sidewalk to the wood ramp.
ka_jun
2016-01-12 13:32:27
1/12/16 16H45 Downtown roads are shit (compacted snow, ice, slush), EFT/Jail Trail trailhead PNC is fine thanks to their awesome facilities mgmt, Golden Triangle/First Street Garage/Jail/next to Second Ave Parking lot are shitty (3 inches of snow, lots of tracks, spots of ice under the snow), Flyover to wood ramp has a pair of tire tracks that are compacted so faster there, Second Ave sidewalk has a pair of tire tracks that are icy but fast, sidewalk up Bates is shit, secondary streets compacted snow. Sunset was pretty on the way home.
ka_jun
2016-01-12 18:06:43
2016-01-12 leaving Oakland to Second Ave T via EFT at 5:25 PM Mostly seconding J Z's report with more words and the passage of a windy hour. Boundary Street to Hollow Trail OK, Hollow Trail a bit icy but passable. Connector to bike lanes a mess, but roads in Greenfield have a LOT of ice that's hard to see in the dark. Second Ave Tunnel fine, EFT parking lot totally iced. Trail fine until Bloomfield Bridge save for a plate almost all the way across the trail on the east facing hill over Bates. From the bridge the trail is rutted and full of loosely packed pedestrian paths to the jail; you could run faster than I was staying balanced on my bike. Jail to T fine. This was all on 16" X 1.35" Schwalbe Marathons. Tomorrow I'm bringing my mountain bike!
benstiglitz
2016-01-12 18:20:11
Thanks for the reports. Tonight after 630pm, inbound and outbound ELB bike lanes not touched. Very slushy and rutted out slush from cars going in and out while using curbside parking. My fat bike always feels sketchy on that slushy stiff.
stefb
2016-01-12 22:09:04
1/13/16 8H15 On top of the severe temperature, roads are in bad shape. Tertiary roads in Oakland are compacted snow/ice. Sidewalk down Bates is compacted snow/ice. Second Ave sidewalk to the wood ramp has those two tire tracks that now have wavy/crusty ice on the bottom. Wood ramp / EFT/Jail Trail are unplowed and half compacted/slow going to the flyover. There was a large dump truck and a couple of those golf carts moving around when I was transiting. Mad respect to the outbound rider on a HealthyRide just going for it. Unplowed semi-compacted mess next to Second Ave parking lot, I would bypass the trail and go through the lot. Trail next to the First Ave parking garage is garbage. PNC is fine. Shared use sidewalk between PNC & Smithfield street bridge is semi-compacted, not pleasant. Smithfield into Downtown is compacted snow/ice that gradually clears up the further in to town you go. I am running studded tires, I wouldn't advise riding in this unless you have solid handling skills.
ka_jun
2016-01-13 09:25:56
JZ, that's a great report, thanks!
mattjackets
2016-01-13 16:26:13
The north shore trail is covered in snow. Easy to navigate on a fat bike. Even easier on the rail road access between millvale park and the 62nd street bridge due to packed down snow from RR vehicle drivers I assume. Highland park pedestrian bridge had piles of deeper snow every few feet. Slower going on the fat bike, but I did see the tracks from someone who rode through on a bike with skinnier tires.
stefb
2016-01-13 20:32:50
.
ka_jun
2016-01-13 21:34:43
1/13/16 17H00 Downtown to Oakland. Downtown roads are mixed bag, some clear spots, more compacted ice that is melting and refreezing, slush on Blvd of the Allies to PNC-EFT/Jail Trail trailhead, clear to the bollards, some hardpacked snow, then clear next to the First Ave garage (hell must have frozen over, this is the first time I've ever seen this section done), you're better off riding on the access road to the Second Ave parking lot and through the lot b/c the trail from the Jail towards Oakland is all still garbage so expect a lot of fishtailing until the wood ramp (we probably have another day or two for DPW to address it, plow/salt trucks are still treating secondary roads by me in Oakland, though it wouldn't hurt to tweet/311 a request for a plow/brush truck to do a pass on EFT/Jail Trail). Second Avenue sidewalk is icy so be careful...Port Authority buses haul ass right next to the sidewalk. Bates sucks, ice until the off ramp, then transitions to hardpack snow that gives, pretty much the whole way up. I was crawling up it in a low gear with the rear giving out. Likely will be a few more days of slower commutes. @mattjackets, no problem.
ka_jun
2016-01-13 21:39:51
1/14/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Secondary roads in Oakland are much better, higher temps and salt being laid down has addressed a lot of yesterday's ice issues. Sidewalk down Bates is still compacted snow/ice. Second Ave sidewalk to the wood ramp still has those two tire tracks that have wavy/crusty ice on the bottom. Wood ramp is compacted snow, EFT/Jail Trail is faster and plowed to the flyover/dirt ramp that descends to Second Ave. EFT/Jail Trail from flyover is unplowed to Jail...slow going, bypass using Second Ave lot. First Street garage to PNC is clear, with the notable exception of right next to the Golden Triangle bollards (that abandoned stripped rig is still there and looking more depressing every day). Ft. Pitt to Smithfield shared use sidewalk has half of it shoveled and salted, roads Downtown are better. Ride on.
ka_jun
2016-01-14 10:18:08
All it would have taken in this latest snow event was one pass of a plow or shovel or broom vehicle. This stuff was super easy to remove. I did four driveways by hand with a push broom in a matter of minutes. Thursday morning, they are nearly bare. Anyplace that got zero clearing have already had at least one softening-refreezing cycle, which leads to the compacted ice that's difficult to walk/ride on and harder to remove.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-14 10:47:45
1/14/16 16H45 Downtown to Oakland. Downtown roads are pretty clear, some of that mounded slush in the middle of some streets but nothing major. PNC-EFT/Jail Trail trailhead, clear to next to the Jail where the wall starts (then a long segment of ice until the overpass), you’re better off riding on the access road to the Second Ave parking lot (which is dry and clear) and through the lot b/c the trail from the Jail towards Oakland is all still garbage (except for under the overpass), from the end of the Second Avenue parking lot, it's pretty much clear to a little bit of slush (most of it has melted off), the wood ramp is clear, Second Ave sidewalk is completely clear (what a difference 8 hours makes), Bates is mostly clear with a bit of slush that should be gone by tomorrow, secondary roads in Oakland are clear. Tomorrow's commute should be a fast one.
ka_jun
2016-01-14 18:41:29
Smooth, thin sheet ice on right side at bottom of Ft Duquesne walkway on North Shore. Hard to spot until too late...ask me how I know.
reddan
2016-01-15 08:54:12
Biked in. Shoulders on Babcock Blvd generally OK, and one more day above freezing should take care of the remaining crap. Penn Ave bike lane from 16th to 11th still has a lot of frozen slop. Mainly OK but just enough ice to need to pay attention in a couple spots. One pass of a rotary sidewalk sweeper on Tuesday or Wednesday would have avoided all this. This was the easy snowfall to deal with. If they couldn't clean this one properly, they don't care.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-15 09:05:35
"Penn Ave bike lane from 16th to 11th still has a lot of frozen slop." I bailed the cycletrack in this stretch and hung out with the cars for a few blocks for this reason: the cyclist ahead of me nearly bit it around 15th St. She rode with one leg down for much of 5 blocks. We shouldn't have to do this.
rustyred
2016-01-15 09:23:20
1/14/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Secondary roads in Oakland are pretty clear. Sidewalk down Bates has one section right off Blvd of the Allies that is a thin ice sheet, be aware. Second Ave sidewalk to the wood ramp is clear. Wood ramp is clear but may be slick, EFT/Jail Trail is faster but has small sections of thin ice, be wary. The Birmingham bridge flyover/dirt ramp that descends to Second Ave. still has ice that is thicker and rutted. EFT/Jail Trail from flyover is mostly clear with sections of ice in the usual low lying areas. Usual section next to Second Ave parking lot is ice, bypass using Second Ave lot, which is clear and dry. Under the overpass is clear, but the usual section next to the wall is solid ice, why ride that? First Street garage to PNC is clear. Ft. Pitt to Smithfield shared use sidewalk/path is clear, roads Downtown are better.
ka_jun
2016-01-15 10:31:08
Anyone have any knowledge about South Side trail/HMB; Chateau; North Side Trail; Ft. Pitt Bridge sidewalk? Planning to go for a lunch ride.
ka_jun
2016-01-15 10:40:54
I rode from Cosco @ the Waterfront to town this morning. It was pretty dicey all the way to the sports complex. I took the road from there. The Hot metal Bridge was pretty caked snow/ice. City of Pgh sent out a salt truck this AM. It stops at the Baldwin line. So it won't be good from that line to Cosco. Let's hope today's warm weather helps clear things. I may go home a different way this afternoon. In the future, I'd take my snowblower to the Waterfront if it would fit in my car or someone volunteered at p/u truck or SUV.
durishange
2016-01-15 10:51:44
@durishange thanks for the info, helps to know what is out there to plan.
ka_jun
2016-01-15 12:17:18
Does anyone have an "in" with a hotel or somesuch that they know where the rotary sweeper is kept, and can slip someone a twenty to take it out at 2 a.m. to make a pass down Penn from Stanwix to 16th and back on the Alleg River trail down to Point State Park, some night that it snows? I'm curious to know how long it would take. Two hours? Thinking out loud on the keyboard, I wonder how many we'd need and what routes would be needed most. a) Wyndham hotel, Liberty/Penn at Commonwealth, up Penn to 16th, 16th sidewalk, Spring Way to 24th, 24th to river trail, river trail to park, the ramp up to street/fountain level, back out of the park to Commonwealth, return to hotel. b) Firstside (parking garage by Golden Triangle Bike Rental), Eliza Furnace Trail out to Hot Metal Bridge, return to Firstside on a second pass. c) Starting at the parking garage in South Side Works near REI, proceed to Hot Metal Bridge, do the ramps up to EFT, U turn, return to bridge, bridge to Second Ave ramp, to sidewalk, U turn, back over bridge, switchbacks. Then the Eliza Furnace Trail to Swinburne lot, continuing down the sidewalk to the chute, then the chute, then up the Saline St lane and up the Junction Hollow Trail to Boundary St. Reverse, return to SSW. d) Also starting where (c) starts, do just the SSide Trail to the Duquesne Incline, return to SSW on a second pass. e) Some path through Oakland, doing the bike lanes past Phipps. I've probably missed a few, but those sound like they ought to keep someone (five someones) busy for a while. Comments? Should I take this to another thread?
stuinmccandless
2016-01-15 14:43:48
Jan 15th, 3pm. -SS trail from Baldwin line to Hot Metal was mostly wet with some slushy foot prints. This will be total ice if the temperature drops due to so many thin puddles. -The Hot Metal bridge was salted and clear except for some light slush on the SS ramp. -Trail through Panther Hollow was also just wet
marko82
2016-01-15 15:48:50
13H15 Trail behind Convention Center going towards Strip clear, took Railroad/Spruce Way/Railroad, that was clear. 40th Street Bridge sidewalk on the far side is clear. Trail through Millvale Riverfront park is slushy/icy, River Front Drive is clear, though. Flying bridge across from Herr's Island is icy/slushy/sketch. River Ave is clear, trail looks like it varies between fairly clear to icy/slushy depending on how much tree cover/shade there is. 16th Street Bridge sidewalk is clear, Penn Ave bike lanes are good inbound at 16th, closer into Downtown there are a couple of slushy/icy sections.
ka_jun
2016-01-15 16:27:04
1/14/16 16H45 EFT/Jail Trail clear. Just in time for the projected incoming weather.
ka_jun
2016-01-15 23:41:14
A somewhat OT report from elsewhere: I'm on my way back from Finland, where I spent the last week. This is a bicycling country, even in the dead of winter. The number of people riding during commuting time was maybe at least what you'd see in Pittsburgh on a nice summer day. Even with snow falling and piling up. Now that sounds pretty great, except that winter in Finland is very different from winter in Pittsburgh. For starters, it's way colder. I think the mean temp was maybe 0°F; the warmest day was maybe around 20°F. Roads are packed snow: they plow but do not salt. I saw rigs with big brushes (at the airport). If you think about it, salting wouldn't work: you'd probably end up with ice everywhere. On the whole their winters are probably better suited for biking than ours. It's weird (to me). My impression is that bikes are pretty ordinary (i.e. no complicated winter rigs). I did see one bike with what looked like a snow scraper or brush attached at the back of the front wheel (though actually the snow is very dry and hardly sticks). It was also obvious why good snow tires would come from Finland...
ahlir
2016-01-17 05:53:57
That seems to back up what I've been saying for years: Don't salt. Just move the snow out of the way as soon as possible after it comes down.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-17 14:46:12
1/19/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. EFT/Jail Trail is clear. I'm seeing some salt piles and layered scatter on secondary roads, watch that. Headwind on the way in was substantial. Dress accordingly.
ka_jun
2016-01-19 09:53:44
I have been collecting small salt piles I find near my house, drying it in the basement next to the furnace, and will use it on various places I shovel for people. Have never bought salt. Sometimes would carry some around in my pannier to put down on places I rode regularly that needed it.
helen-s
2016-01-19 12:24:02
Anyone know what the conditions are like on the trail from Hot Metal-Sandcastle and Waterfront-McKeesport? Last time I was through was on Friday and there was slush everywhere - not sure if this was washed away by the rain on Friday night or turned to ice over the weekend.
bree33
2016-01-19 12:50:31
I went from Hot Metal to Glenwood bridges on Saturday. Other than some light snow patches prior to getting to the Hays eagle's viewpoint. Before that, there were one or two puddles that stretched across the width of the trail, so I suppose these are frozen by now. In general, it was fine.
chrishent
2016-01-19 13:15:13
I really like that @helenS gets his salt supply from the piles you see lying around. I've thought about doing that; glad to hear it works. I have respect for anybody riding in this cold. I've been taking the car when it gets to single digits.
jonawebb
2016-01-19 13:26:24
One of my Facebook friends is a plow driver. On any given day, he might lay down 15 to 20 tons of salt. Wouldn't surprise me there are 10-pound piles scattered about. Sure, I'd scoop them up. Next snowfall, they're just going to dump more down.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-19 15:39:04
I understood that a pile of salt will be dropped at an intersection just so that it's there for the next time (as opposed to salting each and every time there's a snowfall). Makes sense, sort of. Maybe. Riding today was quite pleasant, except for the wind. Streets were dry, except for a couple of spots that seemed to have water welling up from under the pavement. On a side note: Ran into Aaron the Bumper Bike guy, sans bike, in East Liberty. (He flagged me down.) He now has a polished speech to give, including an explanation of the bumper and a declaration that bikes are a good thing for society. He also mentioned that you could find him on YouTube. I asked him where the bike was; he said there had been an accident. Just now, he needed some cash to get a cab home. I gave him a few bucks anyway and told him to take care of himself.
ahlir
2016-01-19 15:59:46
Anyone know what the conditions are like on the trail from Hot Metal-Sandcastle and Waterfront-McKeesport? Last time I was through was on Friday and there was slush everywhere
Rode today during all the way from HMB to McKeesport. Trail is in excellent condition.
mikhail
2016-01-19 23:08:08
Delightful, but leave soon. And don't rush.
byogman
2016-01-20 16:54:44
Downtown streets somewhat ok (as of 25 minutes ago). Left turn onto trail gathering snow pretty quickly. Shallow (but quickly deepening) powder on EFT, Bates, BOA, and Panther Hollow sidewalks. Idiot with city of Pittsburgh vehicle blocking most of northern sidewalk on BOA, didn't take kindly to the fact that I objected to this. Went into the standard moronic homophobic tirade must of us have probably heard a time or... well, sky's the limit. He didn't leave. It clearly wasn't worth it. Wished him a nice day while peddling off, which annoyed him more.
byogman
2016-01-20 16:59:00
Hope everyone's home safe. In my little hamlet of squirrel hill, road-going, sidewalk going, going in general is quite slow and conditions poor. Given how steady the snow has been, I imagine it's the same more or less anywhere by now.
byogman
2016-01-20 18:25:28
1/21 0130: Butler St in the 30s-40s mostly clear, a bit gritty due to salt, but wet. It's about 20? and not going to get much colder, but that's still at the low end of effectiveness for salt, so watch for icing in the morning, especially on the less-used bits...
epanastrophe
2016-01-21 01:38:20
1/21/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Secondary streets were ok. Bates sidewalk shoveled 1/5 of the way down from Blvd of the Allies, rest is well on its way to the mashed down compacted snow we know and love. New wood ramp at Second & Bates has been removed effective yesterday, now there is a plate there, use caution. Second Ave sidewalk compacted snow. EFT/Jail Trail plowed/brushed from wood ramp to Flyover. Flyover to First Street garage is untreated, about an inch of powder that is getting compacted...Second Ave parking lot is clear (because, you know, those cars sitting there for 8 hrs need to have a clear place to sit); First Street garage to PNC clear. Grant Street MUP to Smithfield clear. Downtown was ok. I'm thinking Monday is going to suck hardcore.
ka_jun
2016-01-21 08:56:21
https://twitter.com/Redinthe412/status/690172647624179712 (you can see some nasty skid marks in this photo) Chose to ride with the cars on Penn Ave, some woman gives me crap. Ped: "Hey, there's a bike lane." (points to untreated cycletrack) Me: "Hey, it's not plowed." Ped: "Maybe you should...." (clearly, she has no legitimate retort.)
rustyred
2016-01-21 09:07:51
Chances are non-zero I will make an appearance on one wheel downtown today. If I do, I'll check out the Penn Ave lane.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-21 09:42:41
We should seriously consider building a bike powered snow plow.....it looks like the City will never plow the cycle lanes.
jason-pgh
2016-01-21 10:06:31
We should build up one of these with an adjustable plow blade, maybe with high-torque low-speed e-assist, and a set of studded tires. Or maybe a tandem version...
reddan
2016-01-21 10:29:23
40th St climbing lane also untreated as of 10am. Better yet, lots of gravel under snow. Millvale Ave bridge & climbing lane also untreated as of midnight, also with a bunch of gravel, but I didn't look at it on my way back in this morning.
epanastrophe
2016-01-21 10:39:14
The protected bike lanes on Schenley Drive, next to Phipps, had been plowed this morning as of 9:15 a.m. - not sure by who. Seconding JZ that Jail Trail was in not-terrible shape, though it had not been plowed. The stretch from the 2d Ave parking lot to Hot Metal has been subject to construction traffic, which I actually found to be helpful. Or at least, it hadn't iced over yet - not sure what I'll find in the evening. As for the rest of the trail to downtown, it was an inch or two of powder, getting slightly compacted, but no rutting or icing that I could tell.
lenticular-truss
2016-01-21 11:03:58
Correction: To be clear, on the jail trail the construction traffic went from the parking lot at the east end to the Birmingham Bridge, then stops.
lenticular-truss
2016-01-21 11:18:34
13:35 Unicycled Penn Ave bike lane from 9th to 6th. Spotty snow, here and there a bit of packed snow, but easily rideable.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-21 14:43:53
1/22/16 9H15 Oakland to Downtown. Pretty standard commute. EFT/Jail Trail was clear at the time. Currently 16H15 and it's started coming down, though it hasn't built up yet.
ka_jun
2016-01-22 16:19:08
It's icky out there. From Oakland to Squirrel Hill the streets were accumulating slush (about an hour ago). It was ok but it felt like it would start to freeze and get all slippy sometime real soon. I would hesitate to head out at this point. But then I'm a wimp. And I got a flat (but close enough to home to just walk). Sigh.
ahlir
2016-01-22 18:18:05
it's gross out, but the Allegheny Cemetery roads are plowed and clear and wonderful to ride and walk on!
emma
2016-01-23 13:59:21
(I should clarify: It's BEAUTIFUL out, but the roads are gross!)
emma
2016-01-23 13:59:55
At about 4 p.m., the Penn Ave bike lanes were crap. As the sun set, about 5:30, THEY WERE PLOWED! Hallelujah!!
stuinmccandless
2016-01-23 18:58:49
cyclist on Schenley Drive near CMU at sunset Saturday
paulheckbert
2016-01-24 00:08:22
Anyone have an up to date report on EFT/Jail Trail for tomorrow's commute? I saw what looked like DPW plowing Greenfield Rd last night, which seemed weird since the demo of the Greenfield Bridge.
ka_jun
2016-01-24 11:17:51
Holy fucking shit. The trails were plowed. Panther hollow was clear and even the saline bike lanes were plowed. The EFT was plowed. The small stretch between the trailhead on the greenfield side and the HMB was packed down with snow but the rest of the trail was pretty clear, except some slushy sections near the jail. I would still use the parking lot to the parking garage to bypass that trail when not riding a fat bike. I am guessing that it was only taken care of because vehicles use panther hollow now as a shortcut, and because there is construction on the EFT. South side trail from 18th street to the HMB was snow covered, as was the trail out to the waterfront. Someone did clear a small path from the poles by the convex mirror to the end of the area where people watch Eagles. Very thick snow kept me to 4mph with great effort on a fat bike at 6-7psi on most of the trail to the waterfront around 2-3pm today. The fence that separates the trail from the sandcastle parking lot and road have gates intermittently that are unlocked. When I saw some vehicle tire tracks in their parking lot and driveway, I cut over there to ride on the packed down snow rather than the footprints.
stefb
2016-01-24 19:03:48
Seriously?!?! Wow, unexpected. Thanks for the update, apparently won't need to deploy the fatbike tomorrow.
ka_jun
2016-01-24 21:23:10
Ft. Duquesne bridge is untreated and unplowed, plus packed down from pedestrian traffic. Probably best to avoid. Clemente bridge lanes were unplowed as of 3 pm today and the ensuing 6th St bike lane was useless. The eastbound entry onto the Penn Ave cycle track from Stanwix is useless, since they did not remove the bollards for cleaning. This also appears to apply to all eastbound entry points for this cycle track. North Shore trail is plowed and clear, at least between Heinz Field and the Clemente bridge. The Allegheny river trail on the corresponding downtown side was plowed but not cleared. Point State Park is clear, except along the river shores. The West Ohio St bike lanes through Allegheny Commons are clear.
chrishent
2016-01-24 21:50:52
The Schenley drive lanes were untouched this afternoon.
jonawebb
2016-01-24 21:59:21
J Z, you do not need the fat bike. I was very disappointed that I was on that bike on those trails today.
stefb
2016-01-24 22:08:50
The North Shore Trail, from the Casino northward, had not had snow removed as of yesterday afternoon. The roads in the Industrial Park were good but sidewalks on Beaver Avenue were a mixed bag. The bike lanes on the Clemente Bridge had not been touched. The sidewalks on the bridge, however, had been cleared. The sidewalks on the Smithfield Bridge were clear. The South Shore Trail was not clear. When I was in Minneapolis this past summer, a local cyclist told me that the bike paths, etc. are cleared in winter. Apparently, they did not always do so. The cyclists and runners began using the street and the drivers complained. So, the trails began to be cleaned. Imagine that, drivers advocating for maintenance of trails! I'm going to drive to work today and am taking a shovel. The place where I normally tie up the bike was completely un-shoveled and not likely to be done unless I do it.
fultonco
2016-01-25 05:26:05
1/25/16 8H30 Oakland to Downtown. Secondary roads in Oakland are pretty clear, plowed, but with a thin sheen of snow/ice, . Sidewalk down Bates is mixed bag, top near Blvd of the Allies is done, but the sections that aren't are tripod worthy. Second Ave sidewalk to the wood ramp was hike-a-bike level for me, I couldn't ride that section on 26 inch studded tires @30psi. Wood ramp is compacted snow and will be slick, EFT/Jail Trail is plowed all the way to PNC, that said, there are some slick icy spots and I was sharing the trail with a lot of heavy construction equipment and pick-ups that were moving around, they were very cool about letting me pass safely, though. Ft. Pitt to Smithfield shared use sidewalk/path is clear, roads Downtown are pretty good, some slush that was wet, nothing major.
ka_jun
2016-01-25 09:22:09
Does anyone have a contact over at DPW? @stefb makes a good point, I wonder whether EFT/Jail Trail is being cleared b/c of the construction, or due to better application of public policy and the snow clearing plans that I am hearing about from the Mayor's office?
ka_jun
2016-01-25 09:52:51
Please put in 311 tickets for the bridge walkways that were not cleared, we need this on the city's radar. Bigelow/Bayard/Ohara bike lanes were mostly impassable this morning due to piles of snow. Completely unplowed. Reported to 311. https://twitter.com/Pedal412/status/691629389537218560
benzo
2016-01-25 10:31:12
Penn Ave bike lanes were clear pretty much the whole way from 16th to Stanwix as of 8:30 this morning. Only a few slushy spots.
willb
2016-01-25 10:39:33
At about 10a, 40th St bike lane was about 3/4 plowed, but Liberty and Millvale Ave were untouched, as was Bayard. Side streets ranged from mostly fine (Howley between 40th and Main) to two-track did-they-even-bother? (Winthrop between Craig and Dithridge).
epanastrophe
2016-01-25 10:55:00
Businesses along Penn Ave between 9th and 7th Streets are dumping snow in the bike lane. The video below was taken a bit after 10 this morning. Video The Benedum has figured out how to do this without blocking the bike lane. (Not ideal, but pretty decent.) The rest of them need to do likewise.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-25 11:13:09
I tweeted about a guy doing this to @pgh311 this weekend -- they responded, asking for address. So I think they probably care about this and are doing some enforcement.
jonawebb
2016-01-25 11:16:45
Has anybody had any luck with the county/state on getting them to take care of bridge sidewalks? Was a PITA crossing the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge on the sidewalk this morning. Will probably take the road on the way back
sgtjonson
2016-01-25 11:18:40
If I had to guess, I'd say the snow clearance on the jail trail might have just due to the construction vehicle traffic. There was a ridge of snow down the middle of the path, and the wheel tracks on either side were evident. I suppose it's possible that a plow might have taken a first crack, and then truck traffic did the rest. I did appreciate the fact that, when I was heading toward an oncoming pick-up truck, the driver was very accommodating and pulled over to let me pass. It was better than nothing at all this morning, although I think I probably would have preferred mountain-bike tires - my 700x35s got a little squirrelly in parts. Hoping for even better conditions this evening after the melt.
lenticular-truss
2016-01-25 11:50:00
Oh, and Schenley Drive bike lanes were being plowed this morning as I was passing around 8:45 a.m.
lenticular-truss
2016-01-25 11:50:43
The city has been plowing the trail for a while now, AFAIK. They plow all the way down to Baldwin on the SS trail.
sgtjonson
2016-01-25 12:02:32
As of 1pm, the Hot Metal bridge bike/walk way and ramps have not been touched. It is a combination of hard packed snow and mashed potatoes.
marko82
2016-01-25 16:07:12
Just wondering why we need to 311 trials, bike lanes, and bridges? They are equivalent to main roads for traffic that isnt vehicular. And really, when I 311 the fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge, they tell me it is the responsibility of point state park, and I heard it isn't their responsibility either.
stefb
2016-01-25 16:14:06
@buffalo I just got a voicemail back from PennDOT as well. They say they do the McKeesport-Duquese Bridge, but not the sidewalks. I'm recalling the déjà vu of government's passing the responsibility from one to another in an endless loop
sgtjonson
2016-01-25 16:29:07
There is a city parks maintenance division called "State Park" who I am virtually certain handles the Ft. Duquesne ped bridge as well as many parks in the North Shore/CBD area. Ft. Pitt is state responsibility I think; I couldn't tell you why, but that's where the confusion is I believe. I will contact them regarding Ft. Duquesne.
mjacobpgh
2016-01-25 19:06:21
The Penn Ave lane from 9th to 7th was just as bad at 7:45 p.m. as it was this morning.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-25 21:36:20
1/26/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Secondary roads in Oakland are clear. Sidewalk down Bates is mostly clear, with two sections of slushy slop on top of compacted snow. Second Ave sidewalk to the wood ramp is slushy & rideable, mostly melting off, should be good to go by tonight's commute home. Wood ramp is snow covered, EFT/Jail Trail is clear all the way to PNC. Ft. Pitt to Smithfield shared use sidewalk/path is clear, roads Downtown are clear.
ka_jun
2016-01-26 09:00:11
Oakland - Bayard / Bigelow / Ohara bike lanes were mostly fine this morning. Lots of snow piles on the ohara section though, often requiring going outside of the bike lane. Friendship ave bike lanes were mostly clear this morning. S. Millvale ave bike lanes by West Penn Hospital were impassable. S. Millvale ave bridge still has a lot of snow in the bike lanes. Didn't see the bike lanes going uphill. Last night they were mostly impassable.
benzo
2016-01-26 09:37:31
Wet tar strips and wet reflective stripes are slippy.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-26 11:25:00
BTW
Just wondering why we need to 311 trials, bike lanes, and bridges? They are equivalent to main roads for traffic that isnt vehicular.
We have to 311 them because they aren't getting plowed, regularly, yet. Listen, you are a P.A., right? So if you had a patient who wasn't taking care of himself, wasn't doing physical therapy or whatever, you would keep reminding him over and over that he has to do it or he's not going to get better. You wouldn't just give up, right? Same with Pittsburgh. Right now, bike lane maintenance is not healthy. We have to keep reminding the city, over and over again, until it is.
jonawebb
2016-01-26 11:46:48
Here's a question, apparently, there is a formal plan regarding the treatment/plowing of sidewalks/bike lanes that has been developed by the City. Has anyone @bikepgh or anyone else seen it or have access to it?
ka_jun
2016-01-26 12:04:30
Be careful in the morning everyone, there is a lot of snow melting on either side of a lot of the bike lanes that may refreeze overnight.
mattjackets
2016-01-26 14:57:51
1/26/16 Friend of mine rode South Side Trail (assuming from HMB) to Smithfield Street Bridge and reports that it’s mostly clear, a few bits of snow and some puddles apparently.
ka_jun
2016-01-26 15:18:52
I always use this chart from the National Weather Service to get an idea of temperature and wind conditions for the hours prior to when I expect to be riding. Worth bookmarking. Note that it's pinpointed to a spot near my house, so you can back out to the map, zoom in a bit, then fiddle with the lat and lon parameters to generate a link you can bookmark that's closer to where you reside.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-26 15:44:32
Jon, I don't believe those are comparable scenarios. I don't have to remind someone to eat food or wipe their asses.
stefb
2016-01-26 20:18:09
Actually Stef, your analogy is apt, but I'm with Jon on that. There is a period after kids start taking care of their own bathroom needs when they do need to be given reminders and best practices tips for proper butt cleaning. I think we're at that point with the city.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-27 03:10:19
The city are adults. And no one has to call and 311 the main roads in town for mainentance. These aren't rarely used trails by cyclists. They're equivalent to the highways.
stefb
2016-01-27 04:59:09
Stef is right; the bike lanes should be treated like major routes. Motorists don't have to 311 to get Fifth Ave plowed. The city has a snow removal plan, or it claims to, but I wasn't able to find it on the City of Pittsburgh web site. I don't know if it includes the bike lanes. It should. I think it would be a good idea to have a meeting with the city on this issue and also what's going on with drivers cutting through Schenley Park. We need to know more about what's going on.
jonawebb
2016-01-27 08:36:17
Huge ice slick at Penn and 14th. I think a hydrant was opened overnight.
rustyred
2016-01-27 08:54:03
1/27/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Only thing of note is at the intersection of Bates and Second Ave at the "micro-chute", the construction workers are digging up the road and there is large machinery moving. They've removed a slab of the road and left maybe 1 1/2 ft to pass, so you'll probably have to dismount. EFT/Jail Trail has a couple of patches of ice, but nothing to worry about if you're aware.
ka_jun
2016-01-27 09:11:26
Does anyone have a report on the Fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge? I avoided if this morning.
stefb
2016-01-27 09:37:37
Also a big problem I have with the Penn Ave bike lanes not being plowed is that there is a no left turn onto fort Duquesne Blvd off of the Clemente bridge. So if I am coming off of that bridge and try to go outbound, I can't use the Penn ave bike lanes to go in that direction. I either have to make an illegal left, which I have done before, or go to Liberty, and I find Liberty the least pleasant option.
stefb
2016-01-27 09:42:34
Allegheny County is reporting a collision involving a car and semi in front of the Warhol on the North Shore, with hydraulic (and probably other) fluids on the pavement. Avoid Sandusky and Gen'l Robinson for a bit, and beware slick spots later in case of incomplete cleanup. https://twitter.com/Allegheny_Co/status/692365834010923009
epanastrophe
2016-01-27 10:20:32
From the Allegheny County Twitter account: "PGH: Swinburne St. closed from Greenfield Avenue to Parkview Avenue - can ran into pole, shearing the pole in half. Live wires down on road."
jonawebb
2016-01-27 16:54:20
Thanks for the updates.
stefb
2016-01-27 20:50:01
I have with the Penn Ave bike lanes not being plowed is that there is a no left turn onto fort Duquesne Blvd off of the Clemente bridge.
In these cases where you can't really do a left, I tend to do a copenhagen left (aka a hook turn), where I go straight and stop at the front of the traffic queue waiting at the light that will proceed straight in the direction I want to go. Unfortunately, it takes longer than a standard left turn and just feels a little wonky. I use this sometimes when turning left on 5th ave in oakland and previously used this a lot on center ave by the busway entrance before they put in a left turn arrow.
benzo
2016-01-28 10:09:40
@RustyRed, lol I ran right into that this morning...I clean forgot about the warning. But no worries. Ice tires and newly installed brake pads did the trick. I was suuuuuper loud stopping though.
gimppac
2016-01-28 10:32:27
The snow piles and ices slicks at the cycletrack intersections present another issue: To avoid a snow pile I had to enter the cycletrackat 10th as a salmon then I and another cyclist had to brake suddenly to avoid a crash... (a bus was obscuring my line of sight) So, to the guy on the fattie with the bright green helmet: sorry, (again) my bad. I'm glad we didn't wind up eating pavement. http://imgur.com/i5JimK7 http://imgur.com/XDZfhSV
rustyred
2016-01-28 10:47:04
I rode in from the Waterfront (Cinema parking lot). For the most part it was clear sailing all the way. There was some areas where it looked like a shovel path through the Baldwin area. For the most part it was easy to navigate to the Pittsburgh Line. From the Pgh Line, the trail was clear. I went down Ft. Duquesne Blvd to the Point to the Convention Center. There was a pile in front of the handicap/walkway ramp.
durishange
2016-01-28 11:14:13
What is the best current way to get back from Duquesne to Squirrel Hill after 9pm? I'm doing a climate discussion at a showing of Merchants of Doubt at 7 and it will probably be 9:30 by the time I'm headed home. Assuming that the jail trail will be shut down.
neilmd
2016-01-28 13:42:07
I would probably just take Forbes into Oakland, then your preferred route up from there. Depends on day, of course, but my experience is that traffic off the Parkway is (relatively) light at that time of night. Ordinarily when coming from Uptown I cut up Jumonville and take the sidewalks along Fifth to Craft (then back down to Forbes), but I don't think I'd want to assume they're clean and rideable this time of year...
epanastrophe
2016-01-28 15:28:16
The only thing I'd add is that, unless there's someone acting like they're going to run me over in the left lane, I'd hang there and merge into the right lane later than usual since what traffic there is coming off the parkway might be moving very, very fast.
byogman
2016-01-28 15:34:03
Item 1: Lots of melt today, so watch for frozen meltwater tonight. Item 2: Sixth Street bike lane looks clear, but there is a gigantic frozen ice/snow pile 18" high, smack in the middle of it. Anyone want to make wagers that it was put there by the damned pizza shop to ensure there would not be any bike traffic in the bike lane so they could park their cars there?
stuinmccandless
2016-01-28 15:35:42
Yale and I biked the GAP from Hot Metal Bridge to the Whitaker bridge (that's the trail bridge over the RR tracks after the Waterfront) today - there is a bare asphalt track all the way. Before the Eagles it was plowed, full trail width. At the Eagles someone (two foot wide plow?) had nicely cleared a path. Past Sandcastle was pretty good. We took the road behind the Waterfront businesses, as the crushed limestone trail would doubtless be a soft, wet mess. After the Pump House, the trail was good all the way to the Whitaker Bridge, at which point it turned quite icy, with no bare asphalt. Beyond there, we saw footprints, but no bike tracks. Pump House Parking lot is still closed. Ron Baraff of Rivers of Steel (that owns the Pump House & lot) is waiting until construction of that parking lot is done in the Spring probably, to re-open that lot. In the meantime you can park at the Ladle Car parking lot, near TGI Fridays.
paulheckbert
2016-01-28 18:03:51
I have to say that Forbes isn't a whole ton of fun at night, but recent events also compel me to report in that I made it safe and sound. There is something fucked up about the infrastructure of a city if one construction project can make getting from downtown to Oakland feel semi life threatening... It so happens I have a meeting with the mayor at 10 tomorrow morning, and while climate is my main agenda, I'm sure cycling will come up...
neilmd
2016-01-28 23:05:31
1/29/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Traffic pattern change at the intersection of Bates and Second Ave at the “micro-chute”, the construction workers are digging up the road and if you are taking the sidewalk down (as I do when morning rush hour traffic is backed up to Blvd of the Allies), they've rerouted back to the original sidewalk that they had blocked off. There is light powder and sporadic accumulation in some areas, nothing to be concerned about but be aware of the places where water accumulates, as the snow on top of the ice may be an issue. Smithfield Downtown has a new steel plate in the right hand lane inbound around the intersection w/ Forbes.
ka_jun
2016-01-29 09:15:28
It looks like construction is nearing completion on EFT. The small branch of the y coming out of the parking lot is now open, but there is still some paving to do between Hot Metal and Bates. As far as I can tell the trail closing signs are gone, so it looks to me like the 9pm closure is over (though I don't know for sure).
neilmd
2016-02-08 05:37:51
Monday morning, and the Nat'l Weather Svc has already had a "hazardous weather outlook" (i.e., a "heads-up") posted about a long-running snow event. There won't be a whole lot of snow, but rather on-and-off snow over about three days, beginning Monday night. It is going to need more than one pass with a plow. Frankly, a plow probably isn't the tool of choice for 1 to 2-inch snowfalls, but I'll take it. Nor is salt the answer. Salt is great for melting ice, but not when you're just getting more precipitation of whatever form on top of it, and we're getting lots of that, followed by several very cold days. What you get with salt when you have a lot of precip followed by a cold snap is a nice base of ice. No, what's needed is constant attention, a pass on the bike lanes and paved paths at least once every 24 hours, preferably 12, every day until it's over. Edit, 7:35 a.m.: It's now a "winter weather advisory", a step up from a HWO, giving specifics on snow amount, snow type, timing and duration. Verbatim excerpt: "Period of most intense snow: Early Tuesday morning ... Snow ending: Snow will gradually taper down through late Tuesday." If I was deploying equipment and manpower, I would see to it that the trails got one pass early Tuesday morning and another overnight into Wednesday. Then probably one more cleanup run on Thursday. The difference between that, predictable 24 to 72 hours out, and what actually does take place, looking back on Friday morning, is what we need to ask the city to address.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-08 07:34:29
@neilmd: Yale and I spoke with a Eliza Furnace Trail worker about a week ago and he said that they were done with the digging, electrical-pipe-laying, and reburial phase of the work, and the repaving of the EFT will wait until Spring, when hot asphalt becomes available.
paulheckbert
2016-02-08 09:28:32
Liberty Avenue at 37th Street. Inbound bike lane is FULL of debris from a recent road construction emergency repair. Avoid the bike lane at all costs, especially if you are using brakes. 311'd.
jason-pgh
2016-02-08 09:59:14
Jake, they didn't even bother trying to lay down a nice transition to the plate in the bike lane going up hill the last time I rode it. At least it gives you more time to react going up hill at a slower speed.
stefb
2016-02-08 18:39:54
Got out the rainy riding gear and rode my bike into Oakland today from Morningside. Roads are kinda wet, slick in some places, especially around bends. Oakland bike lanes (Bayard) were in a 50/50 state. Wet, some areas of standing water, and in some places accumulating debris.
jason-pgh
2016-02-09 07:19:27
2/09/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. It was wet out. Hovering around 33F when I made my run in, no problems. New traffic patterns on Smithfield St. on the way in probably due to the demo of the old Saks building. Other than that, nothing of note. May be an issue on the way home if the temp drops. Brought the slow winter rig with the studded tires in today, it was overkill.
ka_jun
2016-02-09 09:52:57
I'm in Oakland now and the snow is starting to increase in size as well as volume. The roads still appear to be fine, but if you are biking home today I would advise extra caution.
jason-pgh
2016-02-09 10:10:15
Trail from Columbus to science center was pretty good around 6pm. Duquesne ped bridge looked salted on north shore side. Sheet of ice on point side. Jail trail has patches of snow that were starting to freeze. Puddles that look like they will turn to ice, but no issues getting to end.
katzenmiau
2016-02-09 19:11:28
Ok so how do I get ahold of the park to salt the fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge?
stefb
2016-02-09 21:53:08
North Point Breeze to Downtown via Shadyside, Liberty, Penn: Through Shadyside (via Howe, then Aiken) was a little bit slick in some places but nothing a bit of extra care couldn't handle. Liberty bike lanes had some windswept snow in them so there were parts I avoided but overall okay. That mass of gravel is still there so be careful! Penn through the Strip was fine, but the Penn Ave bike lane also had windswept snow. Nothing too bad, just needed to a be a bit extra cautious. Overall, roads are mostly wet with some patches where it's a bit slick or snowy, but I had no problems on my cyclocross bike with standard tires. Would love an update on EFT/Jail Trail and Panther Hollow before my ride home this evening if anyone rides that way!
kce
2016-02-10 08:13:54
Junction hollow and jail trails had been plowed, probably last night, and were decently rideable this morning. Some light dusting of snow in parts, a little more on the junction hollow trail, but nothing serious. No ice patches as far as I could tell. I counted about 15 tracks (including one fat bike, I think?) around 8:45 a.m. this morning. I ride 700x35 tires, which worked fine. Protected bike lanes on Saline and Schenley Dr. were also plowed and in ok shape. Note that the forecast calls for snow squalls this afternoon and evening, so these conditions could change.
lenticular-truss
2016-02-10 09:17:54
2/10/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Small patches/dusting of light snow. Secondary low traffic roads had some snow that might be slick, secondary high traffic roads (i.e. Bates was wet, but fine) Only thing of note was that the wood ramp transitioning from Second Ave to EFT/Jail Trail has about an inch of accumulation on it.
ka_jun
2016-02-10 09:19:32
2/11/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Pretty dry out there due to the temp. Bates on the street was fine (yesterday evening there was some patchy ice mid-way up) Wood ramp transitioning from Second Ave to EFT/Jail Trail still has about an inch of accumulation on it. Couple of icy patches in the usual places (i.e. Flyover on EFT/Jail Trail by Birmingham Bridge, next to the Jail). Downtown was fine.
ka_jun
2016-02-11 10:18:49
Junction hollow was slightly sketchier in parts, with a bit of icing and a little more packed (thin) snow from overnight, but not too terrible. Jail trail was mostly bare, with a few small icy patches as JZ says.
lenticular-truss
2016-02-11 11:11:07
Unrelated to weather: there is roadwork on Dallas approaching Hamilton. Elevated plates, no good transition. Also I noticed that there are pipes sitting on the road divider along ELBA on the Negley end, so that road maybe ripped up soon. Probably the bike lane.
stefb
2016-02-12 04:17:25
Bayard/bigelow/ohara to oakland was fine. No significant issues with ice / snow in the bike lanes.
benzo
2016-02-12 14:14:58
Penn Ave bike lanes were heavily salted on AM commute. There is a water main break at 35/Smallman which had ice on the street during the AM. Reported to both PWSA and the DPW Division but might be there until the break is fixed.
mjacobpgh
2016-02-12 16:57:54
Seems like that problem in the run was solved. Saw some patch work on the road. I did report the fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge to the park services, and it was heavily salted today.
stefb
2016-02-12 23:34:44
No change in what I saw on 2/11, other than the ice on the Bates sidewalk isn't there any more. HMB was fine with a dusting in the evening. Penn Ave bike lanes were fine.
ka_jun
2016-02-13 00:00:46
I am hearing that the jail trail and junction hollow are snowy and icy as of Saturday afternoon. If anyone has any updates about them being cleared, please let me know.
stefb
2016-02-14 10:15:41
I posted this on fb this morning: Morning bike commuter report: roads are wet. No ice on the ones I did take. Junction hollow is snow covered. I can see lots of vehicular tracks but it doesn't look plowed or salted. It still angers me that this is a cut through for cars, and the trail surface is crumbling. Jail trail has not been touched. No vehicles seemed to have driven over it this weekend, so no wide areas of packed down snow. Lots of frozen lumpy foot and bike tire tracks. I think I would have been frustrated on one of my other bikes. It is passable on skinnier tires, I imagine. I took the fat bike and kept the tires at 30psi. No problems. Watch the areas of trail that go under the overpasses. There is ice where it transitions from snow to bare trail and back again. Fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge seemed fine. This was as of 5am 2/15/16
stefb
2016-02-15 06:31:57
2/15/16 I didn't go into the office today, that said, when I was out at 9H15 there must have been freezing rain at some point. The sidewalks in front of the house were iced over, so was the car. Be careful out there.
ka_jun
2016-02-15 09:29:12
There was ice on the roads but nothing so bad my snow/ice tires couldn't handle it easily. It was very thin.
jonawebb
2016-02-15 09:33:55
Bayard / Bigelow / Ohara bike lanes were a bit rough. 3/4 clear, but large sections that were hard to get through. S. Millvale Bridge is a mess. Avoided the bike lane due to way too much snow + slush. It's going to be above freezing today. This will likely melt off a lot of this stuff, so I'm not even going to bother 311'ing it. Yelled at by a pedestrian for crossing at the pedestrian scramble despite giving everyone a huge buffer and going pedestrian speed. "You have your own signal". Sucks that there is not an easy way to install bike boxes at this intersection to turn left from bigelow on to bigelow to stay on bigelow to get from the bigelow/ohara/parkman intersection to schenley plaza, which used to be my preferred route until the bike lanes made this more difficult to make the left turn.
benzo
2016-02-15 09:43:17
Polish Hill to Oakland, ~915: Definitely slipped a bit on my slight uphill start, but once rolling was fine, just a bit slow. it's maybe still snowing, but very lightly, and projected to turn to ice later, so watch out on the ride home... Ps, there's a couple substantial potholes in the Centre-Craig intersection to watch out for...
epanastrophe
2016-02-15 09:45:01
.
ka_jun
2016-02-15 21:28:39
2/15/16 15H30 At the time, secondary roads were wet but ok. Bates was wet but fine. Second Ave sidewalk had some accumulation, but nothing that couldn't be avoided. EFT/Jail Trail was untreated, but it was that wet compacted snow that while unpleasant, didn't slow you down too much. If it freezes, it's going to suck. Smithfield Bridge was clear to South Side, South Side trail was pretty clear to Birmingham Bridge, after that, it was that slushy snow until South Side works. HMB ramps were untreated and that slushy snow, some accumulation on HMB itself. Bates St sidewalk had some slush on it. Hopefully the temps stay above freezing to minimize the PITA quotient for tomorrow's run in. WTAE is reporting, "Potentially icy and snow covered roads being reported by PENNDOT."
ka_jun
2016-02-15 21:32:15
Lots of reports of accidents out there. Assuming by tomorrow morn everything with be frozen and slick. Be careful.
jonawebb
2016-02-15 21:34:53
Roads are slick, sidewalks and driveways worse. Bussed my bike back, but almost left it in Oakland because the ramps into the parking garage where I lock it were iced over (~2130h). Allegheny Co twitter had a long string of crash reports from all over; City was asking (~2030h) folks to stay off the roads if possible....
epanastrophe
2016-02-15 21:48:29
Definitely interesting out there. Slushy layers. Pay attention to your center of gravity and be safe!
neilmd
2016-02-16 08:46:46
This is just about a worst-case scenario, right now. Roads are wet, slush is everywhere, snowmelt turning to ice where there's enough snow, and it's getting colder and snowier. Be very careful, especially downhill.
jonawebb
2016-02-16 08:56:58
2/16/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Temp is hovering in the low/mid 30Fs, conditions can change quickly. Secondary roads were wet, but fine. Bates was okay on the way down. Second Ave sidewalk had some ice spots, but they were avoidable. Wood ramp is slick. EFT/Jail Trail is slush and fine up to the flyover, then there is a layer of ice that is wet. Rest of EFT/Jail trail has slush/standing water. There is a section inbound right before the Second Ave parking lot that is treacherous, compacted snow that is wet. Lots of standing water, you probably want to go through the parking lot. That section of Smithfield inbound is closed now. Downtown seemed ok at the time. Not worst case scenario out there. This is worst case scenario. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Halloween_blizzard
ka_jun
2016-02-16 09:43:13
Side streets through Shadyside were slick this morning. Liberty Ave bike lanes were questionable as was the Penn Ave bike lane. Taking the full lane I didn't have any issues but the edges of the roads are sketchy. Definitely be careful and take your time with turns!
kce
2016-02-16 09:53:25
2/16/16 16H30 Downtown to Oakland. EFT/Jail Trail had mostly melted off and drained. If nothing comes in tonight, could call for the fast bike tomorrow.
ka_jun
2016-02-17 00:10:33
Lots of black ice today, esp. on untreated sidewalks etc.
jonawebb
2016-02-17 07:05:55
I jogged in today because I needed to finally get N+1 (folder, yay) home. I used the 5th avenue bus lane and ran opposite traffic generally as much as possible after having made the mistake of using the panther hollow rd. sidewalk (which looked fine, of course) instead of the upper trail. Will be riding home through the Forbes interchange tonight on said folder rather than dealing with the slipperiness on the climb home.
byogman
2016-02-17 09:27:00
Took the river trail from Millvale to town this morning. A bit 'slippy in patches, but definitely manageable if you pay attention.
dberlin
2016-02-17 10:11:00
Melwood/Gold mostly merely wet, but slush/ice patches in a few places, especially between the speed bumps, where something seems to be draining into the roadway and puddling on the pavement.
epanastrophe
2016-02-17 10:25:05
2/17/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Sidewalks were icy. Secondary streets in Oakland had a thin sheen of ice. Bates St was okay going down. Second Ave sidewalk had a thin sheen of ice and some heavier ice that was avoidable. Wood ramp is slick. EFT/Jail Trail looks wet, but it's a thin sheen of ice with two notable sections that you should be aware of (i.e. Flyover by Birmingham Bridge & a small section prior to the Second Ave parking lot). The MUP between Grant St. & Smithfield was iced up w/ no salt laid down. Downtown was manageable, but had that thin ice in spots.
ka_jun
2016-02-17 11:57:10
Great report from JZ on the Oakland to downtown commute. If anyone has an update for the commute home via the EFT/jail trail...greatly appreciated!
mfriday
2016-02-17 12:45:49
a bit late, but the Panther Hollow trail was freshly salted when I went through around 1pm. Saline cycletrack and HMB were clear as well.
marko82
2016-02-17 17:20:11
2/17/16 16H45 Downtown to Oakland. Nothing worth noting. On EFT/Jail Trail there is still that ice patch under the Flyover/Birmingham Bridge. There were a couple of feeble flakes floating down, kinda.
ka_jun
2016-02-17 17:31:47
So is the jail trail just icy in that spot or is the whole thing a thin sheet of ice?
stefb
2016-02-17 17:33:27
When I went through it seemed dry and it was icy in just that spot. That said, it looks like it snowed a bit since then.
ka_jun
2016-02-17 20:32:46
I took river to the 31st street bridge as it was snowing this evening. The north shore trail looked like it was getting some accumulating snow. People were running on it. It didn't appear slick, but I stick to roads to play it safe.
stefb
2016-02-17 20:43:49
2/18/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Sidewalks were icy. Secondary streets in Oakland were mostly dry, but there were spots of ice. Bates St was okay going down/Bates St sidewalk looked like it had ice. Curb cut at intersection of Hodge St/Bates St has ice on it. Second Ave sidewalk had sections of ice and some heavier ice that was avoidable. Wood ramp is slick. EFT/Jail Trail has 1/2 inch of light powder on it, but be aware there are some sections of ice under the snow. Snow over ice on two notable sections that you should be aware of (i.e. Flyover by Birmingham Bridge & a small section prior to the Second Ave parking lot). Second Ave parking lot to First Avenue garage is clear & salted. First Ave garage is snow over ice to the bollards, PNC is clear. The MUP between Grant St. & Smithfield has salt on it. Downtown was pretty dry.
ka_jun
2016-02-18 10:26:30
2/18 at 9:45/10am: L-ville to Southside. Took Butler down to Penn and 11th, Grant, Ross, 2nd Ave, over 10th St Bridge to Muriel/Wharton. Penn Ave bike lane looked like it was hit with salt, but not really anything else. Some patches you could see a bit of snow and tire tracks...maybe a light layer of slush/ice in others. I had no issues with my ice tires though most of it might have merely been wet, not icy. I think I could have been ok without them too. Everything else was fairly clear. I will say, I'm regretting my lack of riding of late... oof....
gimppac
2016-02-18 10:43:29
Second JZ on the jail trail this morning - it was unplowed and unsalted, but just powder underneath for the most part. From Penndot traffic cameras, it looks like there's been some pretty good melting in the meantime. Junction hollow trail was well-salted, with a few smaller patches that were a little icy/snowy, but not too bad. Should be pretty good for home commute this afternoon, I expect.
lenticular-truss
2016-02-18 13:22:47
No problems coming in from McCandless mid-day. Snowpiles are melting, though, so watch it after the sun goes down. It's only melting because the sun angle is high enough. It's already below freezing and likely to stay there until Friday mid-morning, so anything downhill from a snowbank will be chancy.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-18 15:09:07
Junction hollow and jail trail to hot metal were well melted at 7pm thursday. Hot metal bridge was mostly clear, but some touches of ice remaining on the easten side of the bridge, but easy to avoid. A little ice on the sidewalk / patg on the hill from the chute to the jail trail
benzo
2016-02-18 20:04:37
2/18/16 16H45 Downtown to Oakland. EFT/Jail Trail to Wood ramp is clear with the exception of that stubborn ice patch under the Flyover/Birmingham Bridge.
ka_jun
2016-02-18 21:48:42
2/19/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Dry out there. Flyover by Birmingham Bridge has about a 150 ft stubborn section of snow/ice that refuses to melt. Took the fast utility commuter in, didn't regret it, felt like I was flying. Saw an abandoned hockey stick on EFT/Jail Trail. Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day to ride.
ka_jun
2016-02-19 08:47:52
Suggestion: Can we get a snow shovel and a lock for that one stubborn section? And a couple of volunteers who know the combination to clear that one spot after a snowfall? Especially in conditions where it thaws and refreezes regularly, like the past couple of days, the easiest way to prevent an ice pack from forming in the first place is to get it and keep it clear of snow, as early and often as possible.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-19 11:54:29
Wasn't there a time in the not so distant past, where HMB and a couple of other places had shovels locked up to the fence w/ combo locks just for that purpose?
ka_jun
2016-02-19 15:53:51
It's super nice outside. Go out and ride.
chrishent
2016-02-20 10:12:08
I'm not sure who to contact about it, but the new bike lanes on the Rankin Bridge were completely filled with gravel, salt, and other debris today. It was pretty much impossible to stay in the bike lanes on a road bike due to the threat of wiping out on a pile of pebbles. Otherwise, it was a beautiful day for a ride, and tomorrow should be nice, too!
jaysherman5000
2016-02-21 00:57:15
Eleanor is pretty salty. I had to indicate to a car coming down that I needed to pass on its right my left because the right side going up is all salt. it all worked out. beautiful day.
neilmd
2016-02-21 21:22:31
@Jay It's Allegheny County I believe, didn't think the inbound side was that bad this morning myself
sgtjonson
2016-02-22 10:01:45
Every time I used to ride Rankin bridge, the new bike lane (southbound) was always covered with debris from sand all the way up to grapefruit sized chunks of asphalt. The uncleared bike lanes make things worse since bicycles are "expected" to be only in the bike lanes but the bike lanes are not safe to ride in - so you have to take the travel lanes and then people get angry. (And I don't blame them. I don't think most motorists understand (or even necessarily notice) the debris making the bike lane unusable.) It's entirely a maintenance issue though. The space is really nice and wide and would be quite nice if it was cleaned regularly.
andyc
2016-02-22 10:47:24
Their new logo also sucks. At first I had to go back on my search engine because I thought I pulled up some other Allegheny County.
sgtjonson
2016-02-22 10:56:16
If somebody figures out the contact info to get stuff like this fixed I'll add it to the BikingPgh site so we don't have to keep looking it up. (Same for other places like parks etc.) Just send me the info or post it here.
jonawebb
2016-02-22 11:01:17
Just called Allegheny Public Works and put in a request 412-350-2513 They said calling is preferable to putting info in the contact form because somehow the form isn't automated, a webmaster has to route them and sometimes they go to the wrong people and then they have to be re-routed
sgtjonson
2016-02-22 12:42:33
Just got a call back from a county supervisor, who says he is also a cyclist. Apparently their street sweeper(s?) is undergoing weatherization/winter maintenance so it will be out of commission until mid-March. He is going to send people to come out and pick up any large items tomorrow though
sgtjonson
2016-02-22 13:39:49
I do recall the City 311 telling me last year that they couldn't run the sweeper while it's cold out, though 40th St did get (mostly) swept this morning. Hopefully they can find a broom or two somewhere in the garage...
epanastrophe
2016-02-22 13:41:35
I saw a street sweeper on penn ave in the strip district on saturday. (not neccesarily in the bike lanes). This was right after I saw a car going the wrong way on the one way section of penn between 30th and 31st street.
benzo
2016-02-22 14:45:03
Street sweepers were out this morning. In fact, I saw a street sweeper make a U turn on Grant St. during rush hour....traveling North in the Southbound lanes....then making a right on red across three lanes of traffic from the wrong side of the road. I really hope I got that on my camera. Seeing all the opposing traffic scramble out of the guy's way was scary.
mattjackets
2016-02-23 11:01:02
I followed the street sweeper up Fifth to a right on Grant, where it was cleaning the curb lane. This was around 10 a.m. I didn't stick around to see where it went after that, or how, but it was probably the same one.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-23 14:01:23
jonawebb
2016-02-24 15:17:42
The street sweepers need to hit the ELB bike lanes. And black street. Guess I need to request it again. I got stuck in two heavy downpours from those dark clouds. Couldn't outrun it on the jail trail. I left work on the north side and the line of dark clouds were nearly overhead. Some dude in a GPOA kit was doing about 25 past me on the jail trail and couldn't beat it either. There were massive tailwinds, and I admit I was going about 20-21 easily, but I warn people when I pass. I don't rely on others hearing my bike's drivetrain to know that I am passing, and I don't wear earphones on mixed use trails. The rain was warm. I was wearing shorts, no gloves, no jacket, and a light downhill long sleeve jersey and was totally fine. Not cold at all
stefb
2016-02-24 18:59:02
Jail Trail along the Second Ave parking lot was flooded this evening. Went through the lot instead. Same goes for a stretch right before the eagle viewing area on the GAP
chrishent
2016-02-24 20:49:27
Tomorrow morning's commute: wet roads & ~38 F. Could be close to black ice conditions except that the roads are warm from the last few days.
meaculpa
2016-02-24 21:14:08
Studs up...
neilmd
2016-02-24 21:20:02
Looking at Friday, temps in the 20's. Stud'd tires it is (aka the "boat anchors").
meaculpa
2016-02-24 22:34:05
Later Friday looks OK, if cold. But I may bus the bike in that morning. Slop and salt are not my friends, particularly in the suburbs. Critical Mass is still on, at this writing.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-25 07:34:20
2/25/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. There was a strong headwind inbound, some light snow/sleet. Nothing notable. Didn't ride yesterday, had an appointment. Briefly considered taking the fatbike w/ platform pedals down, but the suit/peacoat/dress shoes combo along with the rain made me rethink it, sadly. Riding the 68 wasn't as fun as the bike commute by a long shot. Sorry Port Authority, it's not you, it's me.
ka_jun
2016-02-25 10:50:05
Roads were dry when i rode in (Lawrenceville -> Oakland) this morning about 9:40, but the snow/sleet/whatever was rather sharp. Goggles would've helped... Forecast for this evening and tonight calls for winds gusting to 40--50mph, btw. Also, the river's already up and still rising; expect the Mon Wharf to be flooded by morning.
epanastrophe
2016-02-25 12:06:11
@stuinmccandless wrote "Critical Mass is still on, at this writing." Could you please post the time & place & plan somewhere? I don't see an announcement. Thanks. (There's a chance I'll turn out.)
paulheckbert
2016-02-25 13:51:12
CM is always the last Friday of the month, 6 p.m., at Dippy. Tires roll at 6:15. Here is the plan. From the Facebook post: Disregard the date on the attachment. It's this Friday. We have two reports of law-abiding, lane-taking cyclists getting pulled over on the North Side and threatened with tickets. Anyone up for a nice little ride down the length of North Avenue? Dippy to Craig to Baum to Gold to Herron to 28th to Penn to 16th to East Ohio to Cedar to North, to Allegheny Avenue to around past the Science Center, then back over the river on the Fort Duq Bridge, and go our separate ways from there. There is also this thread.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-25 21:37:06
2/26/16 anyone have a status update on EFT/Jail Trail? I'll post after I get to the office, but I'm hedging towards the fast utility beater. From the window, looks dry out there.
ka_jun
2016-02-26 07:27:58
In McCandless, packed snow from last night, frozen runoff, several places. I suspect any local street or paved surface in the area will be similar.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-26 07:39:37
2/26/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. South Oakland roads, EFT/Jail Trail dry and carve worthy. Some wind. Couple of hand sized patches of ice, I guess, near Second Ave parking lot...nothing really of concern if you're paying attention.
ka_jun
2016-02-26 09:17:00
0940 -- Lawrenceville to Oakland -- big patch of ice at the bottom of the 40th St Bike Lane at Butler, but roads otherwise seemed dry and clear.
epanastrophe
2016-02-26 10:08:44
The thread seems stuck. But lots of 'flakes' spotted on the river trails today. Please slow down and be courteous.
marko82
2016-02-28 17:32:23
Yeah, i posted and showed as the last poster but it didn't post.
dfiler
2016-02-28 18:44:20
From a post I just made on fb: To those of you who take Neville down to boundary to junction hollow trail, be cautious. I noticed a waterfall coming off of the hillside where there is construction next to the CMU parking garage. As a result, there are large rocks, mud, and debris from the rail road tracks down to where the road once narrowed. Oh and broken glass and debris in the ELB bike lanes between highland and negley going in that direction. Please help me 311 that for a street cleaning.
stefb
2016-02-29 06:16:17
2/29/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Almost got t-boned coming up from the wood ramp to get on EFT/Jail Trail didn't get the plate, mostly b/c I was so shocked that someone was hauling down EFT in a vehicle. Fast moving newer white pickup going inbound, drove down the dirt ramp under Birmingham Bridge, was right behind another rider with lights going inbound. There is also some type of machinery/vehicles and workers taking up about 3/4 of the trail slightly past the wood ramp, they are going down into the manhole for some reason.
ka_jun
2016-02-29 09:36:26
On Friday going into town just before midday there were six! trucks going the opposite way. This is getting way the hell out of hand.
byogman
2016-02-29 09:42:27
Neville/Boundary street was well swept when I went through around noon today.
marko82
2016-02-29 15:48:54
Wonder where The Tartan got their info. Every other site I've seen, including most PWSA posts about it, says it was a 20" main. At any rate, PWSA is now saying Forbes will probably be closed until Thursday evening: https://twitter.com/pgh2o/status/704419085820428289
epanastrophe
2016-02-29 17:07:21
They did not sweep ELB
stefb
2016-02-29 17:48:10
To be sort of fair, I have seen a sweeper the ELB next to the construction site in the last week or two (it was a company truck). When I passed by they were sweeping the parking strip between the sidewalk and the bike path. Oh well.
ahlir
2016-02-29 19:19:55
Still broken glass in ELB bike lane. With new potholes, too. Also be careful if you're taking Morewood from Forbes to fifth. Because of that water main break, the cars are stacking up at the light on morewood at fifth in the left lane. The left lane is left turn and straight only lane. The right lane is right turn only lane. Drivers are either confused, but more likely don't care, and are using the right lane to go straight. It isn't just a case of drivers going right around a left turning car in front of them. It is more like sitting in the right lane at a light with an assumption that the traffic to the left is only going to go left and not straight (there is no left turn arrow). So while I was in the correct lane to go straight on morewood, I had drivers to my right merge into me when the light turned green. Be safe.
stefb
2016-02-29 19:43:33
3/1/16 Wet out there right now, they're projecting below freezing temps for tomorrow's morning commute.
ka_jun
2016-03-01 22:59:30
Lots of wind tonight means lots of debris everywhere. Tomorrow may be trash day in Friendship--watch for bags and boxes blown into the road all over the place... Also, giant puddle on Friendship inbound just past Eveline (or maybe Winebiddle?).
epanastrophe
2016-03-02 01:44:50
Roads seemed fine this morning. Junction hollow and EFT were good between 5 and 6am. Lots of wind from the west, and especially next to the jail.
stefb
2016-03-02 07:18:31
Had to steer clear of a few downed branches and puddles that froze overnight from last night's storms on the North Side RiverWalk and Strip trail. Other than that, just windy.
rustyred
2016-03-02 08:54:10
3/2/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Roads were dry this morning, headwind on EFT/Jail Trail, small patchy ice between Jail and First Avenue Garage. Other than that, I encountered nothing of note.
ka_jun
2016-03-02 09:15:56
Put in 311 ticket to address sweet gum tree pods in bigelow blvd bike lanes in oakland between ohara and bayard. It's getting hard to navigate. I think the property owners swept them off the sidwalk in to the street. Need street sweeper.
benzo
2016-03-02 11:06:41
Careful on EFT. Construction dragged large rocks and pieces of concrete onto the trail. Hopefully they cleaned it. It was between the bridge that goes over bates and the hot metal bridge.
stefb
2016-03-02 18:12:26
A couple of things from today: 1) the recent high winds have littered the street with dead branches. It's sometimes hard to spot the bigger ones in the dark (even with a light). 2) It's cold enough that puddles at street corners are freezing over. Not great for maneuvering with cars in the mix.
ahlir
2016-03-02 19:25:49
Bayard inbound lane and bike lane are closed west of Melwood; PWSA is working in and just past the intersection of Craig. If they'll let you through or you can get past the work site, the bike lane appears open the rest of the way up toward Oakland, though the road appears to be officially closed at least to the alley between Craig and Dithridge. Outbound side is open entirely, though watch for trucks and other vehicles turning especially wide from Craig (mostly due to vehicles not stopping far enough back in the center lane). --- Unrelated: PWSA announced last night that Forbes Avenue between Morewood and Craig will remain closed the rest of this week and through the weekend: https://twitter.com/pgh2o/status/705145954224046080 Watch for backups, higher-than-usual traffic, and especially frustrated and aggressive drivers on side streets this weekend, especially Dithridge and Bayard, as well as the official Craig-Fifth-Morewood detour route.
epanastrophe
2016-03-03 10:19:12
So there is a newish parking lot on Neville (or is it boundary there?) just downhill from the rail road tracks. Construction vehicle drivers don't seem to look before tearing out of it, so be cautious.
stefb
2016-03-03 16:17:14
as of 5-6am: morningside to north side: My street had some ice, but all roads appeared to be just wet. Light slush in the right hand lane on Baum. Bike lanes in Bloomfield were fine. I rarely take the bike lane down Liberty, but it looked fine. Penn ave bike lanes were wet with small patches of light snow. 9th street bridge was wet and salted.
stefb
2016-03-04 06:03:52
Not too bad at 8AM. I stuck to treated roads. There's a new metal plate in the bike lane on Penn between 10th and 9th. *Super slippy n'at.* Also, a tractor trailer is blocking the bike lane at the Benedum. Bridges and overpasses were icky though. http://imgur.com/I6VfQLa
rustyred
2016-03-04 08:34:52
3/4/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. Roads were wet, but I think the warm temps & residual salt has kept accumulation down. Bates St. is clear on the street, Bates sidewalk has a section of light snow. Second Street sidewalk is fine. Wood ramp has 1 inch of wet snow on it. EFT/Jail Trail is wet but fine. MUP between Grant St & Smithfield is strangely clear to the first expansion joint, then untreated to Smithfield. Downtown is fine.
ka_jun
2016-03-04 09:07:33
Inbound Bayard has reopened, but there is still a metal plate, with square edges, at the near side of the Craig St intersection, and they only refilled the hole at the far side with dirt--it's not patched yet, so the bike lane just inbound of Craig is still blocked for about five feet. 40th St bike lane is still covered in gravel. The banana peel yesterday was funny, though.
epanastrophe
2016-03-04 10:07:08
EFT at 09:15 is in good condition with very light slash over Bates. Parking lot was full and there was a police officer at the entrance to the parking lot.
mikhail
2016-03-04 12:28:43
I love when banana peels are in the road. I giggle.
stefb
2016-03-05 06:43:54
Watch out for ice. Slipped on a patch turning into the Miracle Mile parking lot this morning.
jonawebb
2016-03-21 07:51:20
3/21/16 8H15 Oakland to Downtown. There was a little bit of ice on EFT/Jail Trail, Wood Ramp off Second is icy. Other than that, just be aware and you should be fine.
ka_jun
2016-03-21 08:12:56
Anyone got a few spare roofing shingles to go on that wooden ramp? Five minutes with a staple gun would improve matters greatly, I'd think.
stuinmccandless
2016-03-21 11:23:21
Lots of debris in and around the bike lanes throughout the city. Pretty large dip on the Bayard Bike lanes where they were doing construction last week. Debris on the uphill side of the bike lane forces you out to the edge of the lane. A couple blocks closer to Pitt, there are a lot of Sweet Gum seeds (pointy-ball like things) in the lane, again forcing you to swerve a bit. Schenley Protected bike lanes are also a bit of a mess once you pass Phipps. There was a cop in an unmarked car sitting in the lane for a few hours today. Also, on the Panther Hollow Road bridge, look out for lots of rock salt in the lane.
jason-pgh
2016-03-21 14:24:14
please add 311 tickets for the bayard bike lanes, i did this a couple weeks ago and they did some street sweeping to clean it up.
benzo
2016-03-21 14:25:31
My guess is the operator just needs to find a better place to park while they take their mid-shift break. Maybe send a photo to 311 if you see it there again?
epanastrophe
2016-03-21 22:34:52
For the record, this winter was quite temperate.
ka_jun
2016-03-23 10:17:03
12/29/16 8H15 Been out of town.  Secondary Oakland roads were wet, wasn't freezing up when I was out.  Bates St. sidewalk and outbound travel lane fine.  Second Ave. sidewalk to the wood ramp fine.  Wood ramp clear.  EFT/Jail Trail fine.  Trail is now open at trailhead/Grant St, Multiuse path between Grant St. and Smithfield fine.  Downtown was clear.
ka_jun
2016-12-29 12:29:57
Yale and I swept broken glass from the 40th St Bridge upstream sidewalk today. https://flic.kr/p/Qu3a35
paulheckbert
2016-12-29 20:33:28
There was talk of switching to a 2017 Riding Conditions Report thread. Is that going to happen?
edronline
2016-12-29 21:36:33
12/30/16 Secondary roads in Oakland are bad, Fifth/Forbes looks like it's been salted, Bigelow seemed okay. Going late into the office today, will report back on status of EFT/Jail Trail if I end up going in.  
ka_jun
2016-12-30 08:42:10
Jogged from Millvale to water steps. All clear on n shore trail. Tons of salt down between the stadiums makes a pretty color when mixed in with the goose poo
edronline
2016-12-30 12:48:51
EFT clear except for tiny bit of ice by jail.  As will get up into 50s soon all will be clear.
edronline
2016-12-31 12:13:56
Puddles on north shore trail between 16th and 31st bridges frozen over.  But they are easy to see and avoid. Worst by the back in only parking area. Think of them as helpful markers pointing out the poor drainage areas on the trail.
edronline
2017-01-04 21:39:27
@edronline same on EFT/Jail Trail.  frozen ice puddles in the usual places, no big deal.  I agree with the assessment that some work was done on that gravel patch under Liberty Bridge and it's an area riders should be cautious, when it's warm, it can get soft.
ka_jun
2017-01-05 09:19:09
(We briefly discussed at the end of the Fall thread moving to annual, rather than seasonal, threads.  Still any interest?) A couple weeksmonths ago I reported a potential water main break at Centre & Aliquippa: https://twitter.com/infinitebuffalo/status/777166023204212736 .  Nothing's been done about it, so of course that intersection is now iced over.  I did see a salt truck hit it this morning, though.
epanastrophe
2017-01-05 15:56:12
End of seasonal thread and move to yearly thread? Yes, let's do it.
paulheckbert
2017-01-05 17:25:14
Yes. Someone just bite the bullet and create it and put a terminal post on this one.
edronline
2017-01-05 17:55:39