We rode the new Penn Ave. bike lane
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Pittsburgh's newest bike lane is here, and we got a first-hand look.
Why it matters: The road redesign project ruffled feathers during its design process and is still garnering complaints after it was completed this month.
Yes, but: Cyclists are grateful for finally having some dedicated infrastructure for traveling through the fast-growing neighborhood.
Driving the news: I rode the entire inbound lane last week and Alexis, Chrissy and I observed how other cyclists, drivers and pedestrians interacted with the changes.
State of play: Most drivers we witnessed navigated the new redesign with ease, and vehicles were going noticeably slower than before.
- A tractor-trailer had some issues turning right onto Penn at 27th Street but made it onto the street after rolling over a couple of bollards.
Ryan's thought bubble: It was a relief to get to ride safely on Penn Avenue, instead of being relegated to the Spring Way alley, which is filled with broken glass and construction vehicles and forces cyclists to stop every block to check for cars.
- There still isn't an outbound lane for bikes, so it's really just a one-way relief.
Friction point: Some Strip District business owners sued to try to block the change, claiming the change would worsen access to the neighborhood's businesses, increase traffic, and create loading-zone issues for that stretch of road.
- Even after settling their lawsuit and agreeing to let the bike lane move forward, some are still upset with the rollout.
The bottom line: Any street changes are going to have a learning curve. It will just be a matter of time before drivers, cyclists and pedestrians adapt to the Penn Avenue redesign.