BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

You mean Hamerschlag Drive, which takes you up to frew st?

If that is the name of that little curvy road, then yes. I am not big on names.

FWIW, I think you are talking about Hamerschlag Drive. Google Maps shows it as open. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4429325,-79.9453301,18z

"The road under the new CMU building allowing access from Boundary Street to Flagstaff Hill opened up last week. This allows one to ride from Panther Hollow to the park again without illegally crossing the tracks. It had been closed for well over a year while the new building was being constructed." To be honest that is a horrible substitute for safely crossing the tracks that are rarely used, slowly travelled and have huge line of sight. Crossing the tracks allows cyclists/walkers/runners to enjoy the wonderful pond that was fixed up by residents and the park that is beautiful up through there. Riding all the way up to CMU and then what? Might as well just continue to Shadyside at that point and forget the park.

To be honest that is a horrible substitute for safely crossing the tracks that are rarely used, slowly traveled and have huge line of sight.

It appears that riders aren't being harassed anymore for crossing the tracks. But there are advantages to the CMU route. You don't have to deal with trail riding, sometimes pretty rough, if you're on a road bike. And the route through CMU takes you up to the Schenley Drive bike path and a pretty quiet route into Oakland or Squirrel Hill.

I'm glad this road is open again. But I have to admit I'm a track-crossing partisan. The panther hollow trail is so shady and pleasant! And drivers can be sometimes aggressive on Boundary, I've found, as you're climbing up out of the hollow. And then there was that one time I crashed on the Boundary RR crossing and messed up my wrist for like a month. Anyway, more options is better. I do avoid the trail when it's wet and muddy, so I will keep the Hamerschlag route in mind.

I'm surprised that there have never been sharrows on boundry street. Seems like this should have happened years ago. Curious to see if this is addressed in the proposed bike plan....

To clarify, Junction Hollow is the north south valley separated from the park by the rail road tracks. This is why the trail is called the Junction Hollow Trail. Panther Hollow is the east west valley inside the park. What confuses things is that the neighborhood sometimes referred to as Panther Hollow is actually in Junction Hollow.

> "What confuses things is that the neighborhood sometimes referred to as Panther Hollow is actually in Junction Hollow." Pitt's parking lot in the neighborhood (at Boundary and Joncaire) is also named PH, for Panther Hollow, which probably doesn't help, either.

I checked it out today. It's a little nicer than continuing up Neville before looping back to Craig/Forbes. It would be more attractive still if drivers actually looked when backing up on Frew Street (or if they were forced to back in). I'll probably use it with the train some time. It doesn't even remotely compare with the scenery of the path up through Schenley Park (along the lower Panther Hollow Trail), or the directness/speed of Bates/Blvd/The Real Panther Hollow.

The pavement leading up to be tracks has deteriorated, as has the pavement right before the ramp to enter the CMU parking garage. Just be careful.

Yep, the level crossing is in terrible shape; I always try to get as close to perpendicular to it as possible, which means taking up a lot of the street especially when going down toward Junction Hollow. Also, if you are going down, be careful when you emerge from the CMU building (the understory of the Mehrabian Collaborative Innovation Center) to take a left onto Boundary. Traffic coming up Boundary will not see you until the last moment. Also, be aware when you go through the 2nd of 3 understories (the one under Facilities Management, where a bunch of carts plug in on the south side of the road) that there are two quite assertive speed bumps.

Both Central Catholic and Carnegie Mellon have major construction projects along Neville/Boundary. As these conclude bike and pedestrian amenities will be added to the street. These will include (in my understanding) a sidewalk and a climbing lane on the east side of the street. I believe that planning is under way for realignment, widening and traffic calming measures at the railway crossing but I don't know the current status. Bicycle interests are represented. There are others on this board more directly involved who might be able to contribute better information.

That is encouraging.