Browns Hill Road crowned worst sidewalk
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Browns Hill Road sidewalk near the Browns Hill shopping center in Squirrel Hill. Photo: Chrissy Suttles/Axios
Browns Hill Road was voted the worst sidewalk in Pittsburgh due to its narrow pavement, steep hill and forced interaction with traffic, Axios readers say.
Why it matters: Pedestrian advocates and city officials are tracking sidewalk conditions to make streets safer and are recruiting more volunteers to gather data on sidewalks at places like Browns Hill Road.
Catch up quick: Over 100 readers voted in Axios Pittsburgh's poll asking which of eight terrible sidewalks was the worst in the region.
- Sidewalks were selected that are necessary for connection between neighborhoods, but also lack concrete, offer little to no buffer from traffic or force users to cross the street.
By the numbers: Browns Hill Road's sidewalk was picked as the worst with 33 votes (28% of the vote), narrowly defeating the Bigelow Boulevard sidewalk with 32 votes (27%).
- Liberty Avenue in the Strip received 16 votes (13%) and Ohio River Boulevard between Emsworth and the McKees Rocks Bridge got 13 votes (11%).
Zoom in: The half-mile stretch of Browns Hill Road sidewalk forces users to cross a wide four-lane street at least once, has narrow sidewalks next to fast-moving vehicles, is just gravel in one section, and is the only pedestrian connection between Squirrel Hill and Homestead.
- Bigelow Boulevard lacks concrete for many stretches, is very uneven when it does have pavement, and only has a short traffic barrier separating pedestrians from traffic.
What they're saying: "Browns Hill Road has so many branches and is so narrow that you need to stick your head into oncoming traffic, and people are always going twice the speed limit there," James Frye wrote on Instagram.
- "Brownshill road is straight up terrifying lol," said Instagram user sapsquatch.
How to get involved: The Pittsburgh Walks pedestrian advocacy group has over 200 volunteers and is always looking for more to help provide in-depth detail on sidewalks like Browns Hill Road and Bigelow Boulevard so the city knows how best to fix them.
- Sign up here.