I used to ride this all the time. Terribly choked with traffic during rush hour. But better than Baum, which is a speedway.
2016-03-07 19:09:41
3
Centre Avenue between Aiken and Highland
I have recently been commuting using Centre avenue as well as using it for some training (if I can time the lights I can go all the way from Neville to Highland) but I have noticed cars are more aggressive on this road than others (Ellsworth, etc.) Specifically, most of my issues happen in three places:
1. Between Aiken and Negley - cars seem to think the Giant Eagle area is a good place to pass me, after I'm going about 23 mph, and very often give less than four feet.
2. Between Negley and Euclid - the road is very wide here (wide enough for a bike lane?????) so I take a lane position far enough from the cars and far enough into the lane to force cars to give me four feet, but they often speed up and pass with less than four feet in spite of having it.
3. Approaching Highland Avenue - Had a very scary incident here involving a truck where he passed me then cut in front and harassed me until he continued up Shady Avenue past Fifth (I turned left on fifth.)
I guess this post is part warning, part soap box, and part poll to see if other people have had this issue in the past.
I found this map a while ago on the PG of a bunch of bike crashed and Centre appears to have quite a few. (http://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/bikeAccidents/)
2016-03-06 22:00:11
BTW I've found it safer when there is a ton of traffic to take the lane in the block that includes Giant Eagle. Lights are poorly timed plus eveyone leaving Shadyside hospital plus Pat buses dropping off in front of GE and then needing to get into the left turn lane plus GE traffic plus cars zooming into left turn lane to get away from the traffic only to realize they are in the wrong lane.
I put on my patience hat and then use the 4 way walk signal to get the hell away from that intersection (I turn left onto negley) when the intersection is clear.
2016-03-13 14:49:35