On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 17:45:59 -0700, Bluetail wrote:
>
> Brett Simmers wrote:
>> Does anyone in Pittsburgh know if it's legal/OK/accepted/whatever to
>> ride on roads like 5th ave and Forbes ave around CMU?
>
> Of course you can ride on 5th & Forbes!! i live in Squirrel Hill, ride
> these & other roads frequently, & try to minimize driver hostility by
> being visible, predictable, etc. You have every right to be on the
> road--whether or not there are 'bike lane' markings--but all of us have
> responsibilities, too.
What Bluetail said. That, and riding on sidewalks is officially
discouraged, according to the Pgh. bike trail map hanging up in the
office. Not only that, but riding on sidewalks is *dangerous*, partly due
to the pedestrian/bicycle speed differential, but also partly due to the
fact that cars do not look for and do not expect bicycles to be coming
down the cutouts into the crosswalks.
I've not ridden 5th or Forbes. I've only done some riding around
Squirrel Hill (Hobart/Beacon, on my test ride before buying the bike) up
in that area. Mostly, when I ride into town, I do it through North Park
to Babcock, Duncan, Thompson Run, Siebert, back to Babcock, up Cemetery
Lane, onto Perrysville, and then down the back side of Riverview Park to
Beaver Ave (I work in the Cardello Bldg., near Heinz Field). I also rode
on Smallman, Penn, and Butler Street during last year's Pedal 'n' Party,
and I took the lane when there was a line of parked cars.
I'm troubled by bike-pgh's agitation for bike lanes, though.
They're pushing for one on Liberty in Millvale, and I'm not at all keen on
the idea that car drivers are going to expect bicyclists to cozy up in the
door zone.
As for riding on 5th to get to Beechwood, you might consider a parallel
(and thus quieter) street for as much of your route as you can. IIRC,
Bayard runs parallel to 5th for quite a ways, but it's been too long since
I used to go running that way for me to remember.
You have a right to take the entire lane if you feel it is necessary to
do so for your safety. DO NOT RIDE IN THE DOOR ZONE. Riders have been
killed that way.
What I'll often do is take the lane to pass parked cars, and then if
there's a big gap in the parked cars coming up, I'll move over and let a
bunch of cars pass before I take the lane for the next batch of parked
cars. Most of my experience with this is on Perrysville up above
Riverview Park, on the ride home, heading up towards the bridge over 279.
I'm grinding uphill at this point, and I've not had problems with irate
drivers there.
--
Chris BeHanna
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