BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I usually use the pedestrian bridge anyway. It is pretty tight running by Mad Mex and such, but a short run. Plus the State Store is by the ped bridge incase I need a refill. :)

Excellent implementation of traffic calming measures.

Yuck. I live right on South Highland in Shadyside. Thats inconvenient, but I'm glad they are updating things. All of S. Highland needs to be repaved, really. Oh, and here is a link

I wonder if the grafitti/artwork is going to go away (there is a painting of a penny farthing along the sidewalk). Probably. During busy traffic hours I take the whole lane on highland. It is so busy with traffic parking and pulling to of the parking lot across from mad mex. i would rather deal with that than trying to make a left out of the trek parking lot onto highland.

"The new design, which incorporates bridge supports dating to 1875, is designed to improve clearance over Ellsworth Avenue and provide more of a vista for pedestrians and vehicles." I assume it's for structural reasons as well. At least I hope. With all the debilitated infrastructure, it'd be a shame if they did this just for aesthetic purposes.

This is not a dig at the bridge project, but just to put things in contrast, the bridge work is $3.5M, but the state doesn't want to cough up $5.7M to keep Amtrak service running to Harrisburg.

Stu, we are all about the automobile in the US. I don't think that will change unless gas is $10 a gallon.

To be fair it's $5.7M/year. And while the service to Harrisburg is great the service to Pittsburgh really sucks. Once a day, arriving like at 11:30, slow and expensive (and you can't take a bike from Philly). MegaBus is much better in almost every way.

Why didn't they put a curb cut in for the parking lot side of the pedestrian bridge? It's annoying to have to go around to the sidewalks and those huge bollard/planters get in the way too

learn to hop a curb?

With the amount of stuff I carry, I imagine that'd be a surefire way to get a pinchflat.

@gg I don’t think that will change unless gas is $10 a gallon. How much longer will we have super cheap gas? I expect it to be $20 in a couple of decades (in 2013 dollars)

@Pierce not if you do it right and you keep your tires properly inflated.

Closing Monday http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/bridge-linking-shadyside-east-liberty-to-close-for-6-months-677062/

jonawebb wrote:To be fair it’s $5.7M/year. And while the service to Harrisburg is great the service to Pittsburgh really sucks. Once a day, arriving like at 11:30, slow and expensive (and you can’t take a bike from Philly). MegaBus is much better in almost every way.

Except you can't take a bike on megabus per their official policy which is according to their FAQ "Unfortunately megabus.com buses are unable to carry bicycles." I know some people have success, but you never know if you're going to get a driver that sucks and prevents you or your bike from boarding.

Got a flat on the bridge last night when I hit one of the 13,912 pot holes that have taken it over. Anyone have a recommended route from Squirrel Hill to Penn Ave in Friendship? I make the commute from around Allderdice to the Glass Lofts quite often. Thinking Negley will be my best bet now. I now go Shady -> Alder -> Highland -> Baum -> Friendship Ave. I would take Ellsworth but making a left at the light at Shady + Ellsworth is hairy.

There's a public meeting on this tonight: A public meeting on the $2.9 million project is scheduled for 7 p.m. today at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave., Shadyside. Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/bridge-linking-shadyside-east-liberty-to-close-for-6-months-677062/#ixzz2M7UMrn00 @benzo, BTW on the Amtrak issue -- you can't take a bike with you from the Philly station either. The only transit way back from Philly with a bike is Greyhound, I think. @elmo, Negley is the most direct and nice for the climb but if you want to avoid it you could go Wilkins->Fifth->Aiken.

@elmo you could also do Beechwood->East Liberty Blvd->Negley if you're in no rush.

I only rarely ride my bike this way, but the few times I've crossed the pedestrian bridge I've found it awkward to make the transition into the parking lot. Both times I went this way, after crossing over to the E. Liberty side I ride the sidewalk and then I end up transitioning back to the street at a very awkward intersection at the top of the garage ramp. Call me spoiled but if this is supposed to be a bike/ped bridge I don't think I should have to hop a curb or ride on the sidewalk. Maybe we can push for this minor improvement to be made to improve this bicycle detour route at the bridge meeting tonight.

@jona, Amtrak will take the bike (apparently) but it doesn't go on the same train and gets routed through DC... if they cut the route, I guess you just have to ride with the bicycle through DC. I hate to see it go, but the route really isn't worth the investment (and this is coming from someone who has taken the train from Johnstown to Pgh at least a dozen times and taken it the other way to Philly a handful of times. The way it has been run over the years, it's more of a novelty than transportation and that makes it an expensive novelty.

Yeah, the transition to the pedestrian bridge there sucks from the parking garage side.. They need to ramp it for bikes. It's not a huge deal, I hop the curb, but a lot of people are not comfortable doing that. It would have been nice for them to consider that cyclists don't want to ride 50ft of sidewalk to get to the bridge.

Accessing the bridge from the parking deck, I often forget about the curb cut right where the ramp comes up from the lower level in time to take that route, but if you go to the far corner (by the covered staircase, opposite the liquor store) there is a curb cut. Though you do have to make a couple tight turns. I'd prefer to have a curb cut in the corner right at the bridge but it basically works.

i'm more bothered by the awful intersection with the ramp up from the lower level of the garage than the transition from the bridge. i'm shocked that there aren't daily collisions. such an awful design.

@drewbacca, on the Amtrak site, neither train (Pennsylvanian or Northeast Regional) shows checked baggage as an option at the 30th Street station. I was thinking about using this as a way to get back from CtC, assuming I ride it and can somehow convince myself I can get there by Sunday morning, so I'd like to hear if you know the site is wrong for some reason.

If you plan a trip from Philadelphia to Washington on Amtrak's site, it will show that the Northeast Regional trip at 4:40 AM allows checked baggage, as does the Carolinian at 8:35 AM. None of the many other trains on that route do. On the bright side, either of those trains would get you to Washington in plenty of time to catch the Capitol Limited at 4:05 PM. :-) It seems like Amtrak might let you take the (more convenient) Pennsylvanian directly back, and arrange to get your baggage back to Pittsburgh the following day via Washington. The site says "If checked baggage is not offered on a train/bus in your itinerary, it may be accepted on another train/bus bound for the same destination (excluding firearms). Advance check-in is recommended. En-route transfers between stations will require at least two hours of scheduled layover time to avoid delays." Assuming you can trust Amtrak not to lose your stuff, and can be without it for a day, this might be the best option they offer.

Can we please take the Amtrak discussion over to our long-standing Amtrak thread? http://localhost/mb/topic/so-i-asked-amtrak-again

i drive over that bridge on my bus route its gonna be a mess but at least i get paid to sit in traffic im sure ill be behind on my pick up times

Actually Stu, I think it's a better fit in the ctc thread... but, point taken.

I'm pretty much happy with this disruption to everyone's routine no matter your mode.

quizbot wrote:

I’m pretty much happy with this disruption to everyone’s routine no matter your mode.

test

quizbot wrote:

quizbot wrote:

I’m pretty much happy with this disruption to everyone’s routine no matter your mode.

The detour signs are up! Take super-triple-extra care--when the city closed down Ellsworth to put in the pedestrian bridge, it seemed to me that the motorists in this corner of town completely lost their minds. Between detour-related road rage and detour-related confusion, even crossing the street felt sketchy sometimes. And that double red light on South Highland might as well not have existed.

joanne wrote: ...it seemed to me that the motorists in this corner of town completely lost their minds.

I sometimes wonder if Pittsburgh drivers have any to begin with.

^Ah, you've got me there.

Took the ped bridge last night - I didn't realize how well lit it is. Really not a large inconvenience for me. More traffic on Alder but they were behaving themselves.