20 Years of Advocacy, Community & Education

Here’s to 20 Years of BikePGH

So many things that we take for granted today, such as bike lanes, speed humps, bike racks, and high-vis crosswalks were just a dream 20 years ago. With thousands of bike racks all over town, it’s hard to believe that when we pushed to install the first 12 of them, there were two days of debate in City Council. Twenty years ago, we were told that speed humps were “illegal” until our advocacy straightened it out.

Today, putting your bike on the front of any bus is a normal way that Pittsburghers get around, but 20 years ago it simply didn’t exist. When we started in 2002, Bicycling Magazine had recently ranked Pittsburgh “the worst city in the US to ride a bike.”

Since our founding, we’ve helped push for over 90 more miles of on-street bike infrastructure, bringing us to the top of lists for number of bike commuters. The odds were definitely stacked against our vision of a Pittsburgh that was safe for biking and walking, and while we have a long way to go, sometimes we need to reflect on where we came from. 

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We’ve Transformed Our Streets

For 20 years, we’ve been pushing for changes to our streets to make it safer for people who walk, bike and roll. From ushering in the first bike lanes since the ’70s to traffic calming measures, our work has transformed how Pittsburghers get around town and how our streets should serve residents.

It’s difficult to remember a time when these interventions didn’t exist. Take a trip down memory lane to remember what Pittsburgh looked like before and after dedicated advocacy for safe streets.

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Thank you for celebrating 20 years of advocacy, community, and education with us on Sept 24th at Bitz Opera Factory!

Since 2002 we’ve been pushing for changes to our streets to make it safer for people who walk, bike and roll. Well, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: We’re just getting started!

We could have NEVER done this without your support. What we can accomplish when we come together and advocate for change with a collective voice is truly transformative. Thank you SO MUCH!