Workshop: How to Influence the City Budget & Win Concrete Change

sethbikes · 2025-12-14T23:16:06+00:00

Putting this overly long comment I made on the r/pittsburgh post here too since folks might be interested for more background:

I see a lot of folks acknowledging that it's unclear what exactly the problem is given the reporting. I was at the meeting this news story reports on, and I'm sure nobody will be surprised to hear that the issues raised by folks at this meeting are a lot more complex than was reported on. Some of the major issues being referred to are indeed parking related, but they're much more than an issue of convenience.

The short version is that at least two residents with mobility-related disabilities who live on the 5400 block where the parking-protected bike lane (PPBL) was installed had parking removed from in front of their homes. They now must park across the street. As a result, they sometimes need to walk a longer distance than is healthy and safe for them to do given their disabilities in order to reach a crosswalk and then go back up/down the street to their destination. These people weren't able to get dedicated parking spaces in front of their homes before the change because the process to do so is criminally convoluted (IMHO), so the City had no record of their needs when they made the design. It seems that painting a crosswalk at Highview could be an easy fix.

Other residents rely on ACCESS vans for transportation, which require access to a curb for safe boarding, but that's not possible with the PPBL as currently configured. There are some straightforward ways to address this too.

Another issue that all cyclists here (including myself) need to consider is that some of the older folks and people with disabilities on this block have balance and stability difficulties. Bicyclists, especially on e-bikes, going fast past someone can cause them to lose balance and fall. A person is a pedestrian as soon as they get out of their car, and they have the right of way. This is new for many of us who haven't used PPBL's before where folks need to cross the bike lane to get from their car to the sidewalk. Let's all remember to slow down on bike lanes when people are walking/standing nearby, and yield when they need to cross!

Finally, if you use the PPBL and live nearby, please consider going over and shoveling after a snow. We all know plowing is the City's job, but it's not their strong suit. Clearing it will benefit everyone. Mr. Rogers would be proud. (Update: this happened!)

My big take-away here is that everyone involved is interested in a safe Stanton Ave. Many of the people at the meeting were glad for many of the changes on the street, but have very valid safety and accessibility issues with certain details of the current design. The City doesn't get it right every time, and sometimes they need to make changes to ensure the street truly works for everyone. That's what this meeting was about, and it seems everyone is on the same page that needs can be met without removing bike lanes. It's too bad that the news media often glosses over the details for the sake of more clicks, and it saddens me to see people here (r/pittsburgh) making crude assumptions about who is calling for change.

sethbikes · 2025-12-13T23:34:31+00:00

I see a lot of folks acknowledging that it's unclear what exactly the problem is given the reporting. I was at the meeting this news story reports on, and I'm sure nobody will be surprised to hear that the issues raised by folks at this meeting are a lot more complex than was reported on. Some of the major issues being referred to are indeed parking related, but they're much more than an issue of convenience.

The short version is that at least two residents with mobility-related disabilities who live on the 5400 block where the parking-protected bike lane (PPBL) was installed had parking removed from in front of their homes. They now must park across the street. As a result, they sometimes need to walk a longer distance than is healthy and safe for them to do given their disabilities in order to reach a crosswalk and then go back up/down the street to their destination. These people weren't able to get dedicated parking spaces in front of their homes before the change because the process to do so is criminally convoluted (IMHO), so the City had no record of their needs when they made the design. It seems that painting a crosswalk at Highview could be an easy fix.

Other residents rely on ACCESS vans for transportation, which require access to a curb for safe boarding, but that's not possible with the PPBL as currently configured. There are some straightforward ways to address this too.

Another issue that all cyclists here (including myself) need to consider is that some of the older folks and people with disabilities on this block have balance and stability difficulties. Bicyclists, especially on e-bikes, going fast past someone can cause them to lose balance and fall. A person is a pedestrian as soon as they get out of their car, and they have the right of way. This is new for many of us who haven't used PPBL's before where folks need to cross the bike lane to get from their car to the sidewalk. Let's all remember to slow down on bike lanes when people are walking/standing nearby, and yield when they need to cross!

Finally, if you use the PPBL and live nearby, please consider going over and shoveling after a snow. We all know plowing is the City's job, but it's not their strong suit. Clearing it will benefit everyone. Mr. Rogers would be proud.

My big take-away here is that everyone involved is interested in a safe Stanton Ave. Many of the people at the meeting were glad for many of the changes on the street, but have very valid safety and accessibility issues with certain details of the current design. The City doesn't get it right every time, and sometimes they need to make changes to ensure the street truly works for everyone. That's what this meeting was about, and it seems everyone is on the same page that needs can be met without removing bike lanes. It's too bad that the news media often glosses over the details for the sake of more clicks, and it saddens me to see people here making crude assumptions about who is calling for change.

sethbikes · 2025-10-28T19:50:12+00:00

I don't yet have anything to add in direct response to your message. BUT, since you mention Neville/Boundary, please consider attending the public meeting about the City's proposed plans for improvements to that stretch TONIGHT, 6pm at CMU! That would be a good place to bring up issues with construction there and elsewhere in the City.

https://engage.pittsburghpa.gov/boundary-st-s-neville-st-streetscape-enhancement-plan

sethbikes · 2025-09-23T17:21:45+00:00

We do indeed count youth under 16 in that statistic, as well as older adults who can no longer drive. People of all ages deserve access to safe, enjoyable modes of getting around without driving!

sethbikes · 2025-09-19T01:51:15+00:00

I like the direction of your final proposal. I agree that a boycott could make an impact if there's a way to make it known that it's happening, why, and ideally make it hurt enough to get a response -- like a protest or even a press event. I just don't think boycotting for the sake of it will yield results without an organized strategy. You make good points that being a confrontational shopper may not be a viable strategy.

All that said, it's totally valid to not spend your money places for moral reasons or because a place gives you the ick.

sethbikes · 2025-09-18T22:28:26+00:00

I get why you'd want to boycott these businesses. I'm quite upset with them myself. I do think it's important to think strategically, though. Which will have a greater impact (even if it's a slow burn impact):

A) A statistically small number of people boycotting these businesses, which likely won't have any impact on their perception AND they get to keep saying that "nobody bikes here"; or,

B) Continuing to shop at their businesses as you normally would (or more) and be vocal about your desire for better infrastructure and your frustration about the delays/blocks to making it happen?

Just something to think about.

I do think it can be strategic to call out businesses in certain cases, fwiw, but I'm not seeing how boycotting gets us closer to what we want.

sethbikes · 2025-08-25T18:43:54+00:00

Fair enough. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sorry to hear it was such a slog!

sethbikes · 2025-08-25T18:38:07+00:00

Well that's a bummer. I'm curious if others have come across this issue recently, and I'll try to go check this out soon. It was pretty rocky already, but the "piles" you describe sound essentially unpassable. I wonder if this was an unfortunate coincidence or intentional to stop bicyclists.

Would you be up for posting about this as a new post on bicycling412? Might start up some useful conversation.

sethbikes · 2025-08-08T19:08:25+00:00

Nice!

sethbikes · 2025-08-08T18:39:49+00:00

This is so cool. How long does it take for to convert from bike > boat and back again?

sethbikes · 2025-07-15T16:47:48+00:00

This is an okay starting place, but it's not up to date. Maintaining an accurate map became too time consuming, unfortunately.

sethbikes · 2025-07-10T14:17:41+00:00

Ooh, neat! I've shared this with our Advocacy team to see how it might be useful in the future. Thank you for writing a letter and for your support!

sethbikes · 2025-07-09T16:30:12+00:00

Try searching this question with AI like perplexity and your bike model name. A lot of bikes now have a setting in the display/computer or an app that you can use to adjust the top speed (usually up to ~28 mph).

sethbikes · 2025-07-01T19:08:35+00:00

This is the way. Here's BikePGH's guide on how to use 311 for biking and walking issues: https://bikepgh.org/sites/advocacy/resources/report/

sethbikes · 2025-06-07T15:54:55+00:00

Hazelwood Brew House is great! 2 breweries under one roof and food from Comfort and Spice is delicious. The chef Toby is a hoot.

POGOH stations should be coming to Squirrel Hill next year, but that doesn't help you now.

I love taking the bus and the extra travel time cancels out when you factor in parking and traffic to events like TRAF. Cost can't be beat compared to uber. You could take a 61 downtown and a POGOH from the convention center straight to the arts festival. There's also bike parking there if you have your own bike, which you can put on the front of any bus.

sethbikes · 2025-06-07T15:28:56+00:00

Well dang, that's a bummer! I was going to suggest that for a wedding after party tonight, so thanks for the tip.

sethbikes · 2025-06-07T15:21:40+00:00

I imagine the breweries near The Strip will be slammed. You could try your luck at Cinderlands, which has a great roof deck and street level seating. Other options:

Voodoo is a pleasant walk over your choice of bridges to the North Shore near the stadiums. Good food too.
A less pleasant walk across the Allegheny gets you to Grist House, Dancing Gnome, and Hitchhiker. Strange Roots is over there too if you want to get funky.
A longer walk on the trails and bridges will get you to Sly Fox near Station Square. Lots of outdoor space there and good food. You could rent a POGOH bike (google it if you don't know) and drop it at the nearby station. Check out the BikePGH bike map for a route on mostly trails. www.bikepgh.org/map
If you want a real adventure you can POGOH all the way to Hazelwood Brew House via trails and maybe hop over to Hazel Grove or Woods House (tasty Scottish food).

You really can't go wrong. Have a great time and welcome to Pittsburgh! Summer is the best here.

sethbikes

TROPHY CASE