20 Years of Advocacy, Community & Education

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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.

We’ve Transformed Our Streets

Six scenes of how streets have changed over the years

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.

Check out the Before/After images with sliders here!

Join Us for a Full Season of Events in 2022!

May 16-20th – Bike Anywhere Week
May 29 – OpenStreetsPGH (Downtown to Southside)
June 26 – OpenStreetsPGH (Downtown, Strip District, Lawrenceville)
July 30 – OpenStreetsPGH (East End)
August 28th – UPMC Health Plan PedalPGH – Registration NOW OPEN!
September 24th – 20th Anniversary Birthday Party at the Pittsburgh Opera
October 15 – WMNBikePGH Summit
November – Business Awards Night (Date TBA)
December – Annual Members Meeting (Date TBA)

Plus group rides, pop-ups, bike light giveaways, member social events, and more! Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest info delivered straight to your inbox.