BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Yeah. It feels to me like Peduto is saying, look what we did without the mayor's help. But all they've done is install a few signs that directs you between two parks. I like the signs and when I was learning my route to work I did use them, but signs don't make a street bike friendly. Reynolds also changes once school is back in with the aggressive school bus drivers and parents rushing to drop their kids off.

Here is my comment from yesterday's story.

"Still a lot of challenges to making this a truly safe and viable bike route. First of all getting to Reynolds takes some effort as the left turn to Kensington from South Braddock can be frightening and the Hawthorne trail through Frick park is an icy, muddy mess in the winter which at times is completely impassable for weeks at a time. Reynolds itself is a great route but drivers use it as an alternative to Penn as well so that needs to be discouraged. Cross streets make it good candidate for a "neighborhood greenway." I like the Fifth and Beechwood bike specific light, I can't count the number of times I've been left crossed or had a drivers blow the red or yellow at ridiculous speeds. Another challenge is the parking in Mellon Park. Drivers frequently block the entrance to and from the paths and also drive and park on the paths themselves making it a challenge to just get through the park."

I like reynolds. However, I don't think it's a great through street if you're going from regent square / park place, food co-op to bloomfield, highland park, lawrenceville, strip district, etc...

From regent square, unless you want to cut through a trail through the woods (which I don't on my road bike or at night or when it's raining), you're going to have to hit penn anyway to get to reynolds (or go out of your way by crossing penn to meade, turning left on homewood, crossing penn again, and going a few blocks to reynolds, which willl ultimately dump you on to 5th ave. Reynolds also has steeper hills than the other options.

There are connections through mellon park to bk square and further down, but those take you through a busy park with indirect winding paths and lots of pedestrians. Ultimately, I need to get back on to penn or highland and it's just way faster to hop on to penn or to get on 5th and go down to shady ave to connect to e. liberty.

E.liberty blvd is great, but it takes me way out of my way if I'm trying to go to lawrenceville, bloomfield, or other points west.

According to the PG map, I can turn left from Negley Run Blvd on to Meadow St/Bridge St to get to Highland Park. Anybody ever try this?

We need to get the city to pave and light the Kensington trail

I only figured out about the Kensington trail recently, when I had to find a safer way than Penn to get from Edgewood to Shadyside. I think it could be better marked. But I would keep in mind a lot of people use it for walking through the park and making it even more of a bike thoroughfare by paving it might not be appreciated.

Paving would go a long way because then they could keep it plowed and salted in the winter as they do the paths around the bowling greens. Once it snows and thaws a few times the path is unusable.

Meadow st bridge is about 150 feet above

negley run. You can turn right on

collins then right on meadow.

I have mixed feeling about paving any part of Frick, especially if it ultimately sends more cyclists down to S Braddock, which is another hellhole of egregious driving.

Perhaps the school & neighbors would consent to improving the sometimes-creepy but useful shortcut that connects S. Richland Lane to Ben Hur Street?

But you still have to get across Braddock without a light which is terrible. If Peduto and the city wants people to use Reynolds they're going to have to address getting there in some way. I don't see how expanding the single track trail behind the school is any easier or safer than using Kensington.

@Steevo - I was trying to be funny. I guess I failed.

@rsprake: excellent point.

I thought there were some rules about pavement/development in frick that went along with the bequest to the city, but I could be mistaken

[edit] A pedestrian-activated stop light would be great there.

A well-marked and well-lit ped crosswalk went in near the tennis courts a few years ago after a neighbor and her dog were killed by a speeding car. However, I have had cars speed up and pass me there when I have braked to let pedestrians + kids/dogs cross in front of my car. It is terrifying: I lay on my horn and hope that one party or the other pays attention in time.

Kensington to Reynolds is my commute route. Crossing and riding on Braddock can be a bit of a challenge.

The sidewalk on Braddock is pretty nice and wide. If we had a little less sidewalk and a little more road surface, I think there would be enough for a bike lane. Only in 1 direction though...

-100,000 bazillion for paving anything in Frick.

The only trouble I have on Reynolds is the circle. Particularly people blowing through the yield sign and nearly flattening me. I wish there was something in this area to the effect of "vehicles in circle have right of way".

FWIW there is one newly paved trail in Frick in addition to the trails in the upper section of the park.

Even if at Kensington we could designate "the box" as no parking so if your traveling towards Penn you could at least pull over and get out of the way to use the crosswalk.

I like the idea of a pedestrian activated light at Kensington St. Hell, maybe it could turn red to stop traffic for a bit even when there aren't any pedestrians to cross. I live right on Braddock and I can't tell you how many people I see doing 50mph+ in the section between Forbes and Shadyside Academy.

rsprake: I really like the idea of a no parking area near the crosswalk so you have space to pull over and wait to cross. Maybe a 20' long box in the parking lane adjacent to the crosswalk. Paint it green with a big ole bike icon in the middle. I see lots of people crossing there to get into the park. This is something that would benefit pedestrians and cyclists by way of increased visibility.

I too commute this route, I go east end, Forbes, braddock, kensington. Drivers going both directions have been very kind lately, I've had cars stop and wave me through during rush hour. At first i was leery, thinking it was just a ploy to run my ass over, but I think the recent tragedies have made most the locals more aware of us. It only takes one asshole though. +1 pedestrian activated light

Yeah, I tried the Reynolds/Kensington route for a while when I lived in Wilkinsburg near Regent Square and was going to Oakland, but it always took me absolutely forever to get across Braddock safely. My hugely-preferred alternate was to cross Penn at the light at Trenton, cut behind the Lifecare hospital (on some semi-illegal "no thru traffic" road) to Meade, then cut over to Thomas, turn left onto Linden to cross Penn again, and then take one of a couple possible routes from Linden to Mellon Park.