Pittsburgh: A Bike Friendly City

Pittsburgh has never been among the most bike-friendly cities in the U.S., but things are starting to change. In 2010, Bicycling Magazine ranked Pittsburgh the #28 best bike-friendly city, and that ranking is a significant improvement over previous years.

Is Pittsburgh a bike-friendly city yet? Let's take a look.

Is Pittsburgh a bike-friendly city: Bike Paths
One area in which Pittsburgh has always done well is along the river. The South Side trail and the "Jail Trail" from Schenley Park to downtown are popular among recreational bicyclists and commuters. The newer North Shore trail is also gaining popularity, even if there have been some issues with the trail as it runs near the casino.

A big piece of the trail puzzle was finally put into place when talks heated up regarding construction of the final couple miles of the Great Allegheny Passage. This 135-mile trail connects Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, which connects with another trail that heads to Washington, D.C. For years, completion of the trail was held up by the refusal of the Sandcastle water park to allow the path to go through its property, but the trail is now expected to be completed in the near future.

Is Pittsburgh a bike-friendly city: Recent changes
Over the past few years, new bike lanes and sharrows have been established on high-traffic streets like Forbes, Liberty and Penn Avenues and on the Hot Metal and Birmingham Bridges connecting the South Side with Oakland. Lots of new bicycle racks have been installed downtown and around the city. City Council has passed several bike-friendly ordinances and a "bike czar" was appointed. New bike route signs are going up. This is all news Pittsburgh residents can cheer about.

Is Pittsburgh a bike-friendly city: Dealing with drivers
One big hurdle the city must clear to become a bike-friendly city is that its drivers have to get used to driving alongside bicyclists. This will take some time, as Pittsburgh drivers are unaccustomed to sharing the road. Sometimes they park right in the middle of bike lanes. I've heard stories about vehicle drivers zipping past cyclists and yelling, in all seriousness, "Get on the sidewalk!," proving that some drivers aren't even aware that cyclists have a right to the road as well.

The growing number of marked bike lanes should help in this regard, as should the growing public awareness thanks to the efforts of City Council, the mayor, and organizations such as Bike Pittsburgh.

Is Pittsburgh a bike-friendly city: Summary
So is Pittsburgh a bike-friendly city? If you're someone who only wants to bike on paved paths along the rivers, you might say yes. Pittsburgh has plenty of those. And the city has a rapidly-growing number of bicyclists on its streets.

But a large factor in whether a city is bike-friendly is how easy and comfortable it is to bike through the streets alongside vehicles, and in that regard, Pittsburgh has some catching up to do. But the city is undeniably making progress.

Is Pittsburgh bike-friendly? Not quite yet, but it's quickly getting there.

Sources
www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_676100.html
http://bike-pgh.org
www.atatrail.org