I finish up work Downtown at about 12:30 every night and, between the drunk drivers and riding an unlit trail alone, I'm a little freaked out to ride home to Shadyside by myself. Anyone know someone making the same trip at around the same time?
ah, I'm a few hours too late...I used to commute at 3am every morning, saturdays at 2:30.
I still do saturdays (from arlington to the strip), but my schedule changed and now I don't work until 6:30 most days. I know how you feel, I used to have to use E Carson. Good luck!
do you ride thru oakland or bloomfield to get to shadyside?
i'm not a night time commuter, i'm just curious what you think
When I had an earlier shift (getting off at 9 or 10 pm) I'd ride the jail trail and then head through Schenley, coming out of the park at Neville. But any tips for the safest late night routes home are appreciated, too. I feel like I should probably avoid the jail trail and unlit park trails.
If I were riding out of Downtown at that time (which I do sometimes, but not regularly), I would go through Bloomfield.
I rode the jail trail a few times at about 2am, I was terrified, but in retrospect, these were the most startling moments I've had on it:
-people sitting and talking in benches on the downtown end (seemed odd to me at 2am on a weeknight)
-Bunnies and stray cats crossing your path
-the shock of seeing another bike out at that time
-A (presumably) drunk person sitting on the bench near the eastern end of the trail, was equally as startled to see someone else out at that time as I was
I saw more people talking and sitting and small animals than anything else, just make sure you've got a good light, and be careful not to run anything over.
If you can't find a route home you feel safe about, perhaps you could find a PAT bus route with a bike rack for the ride home?
I know that my problem was that the buses stopped running a few hours before I left for work, or started running too late for me. But considering your time/area, it may be possible for you!
A few weeks ago I came across a guy passed out drunk in some bushes along the northside trail at about 11pm on a Friday. He was still breathing so I kept going.
@moriahbee: check out the 71A bus schedule here. It departs downtown past the end of your shift and ends up in Shadyside, with a bike rack on front of the bus. They're easy to use if you can lift your bike ~ shoulder height.
