September 24, 2002

 

Mr. Chuck Imbrogno
Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 2500
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

 Dear Chuck:

 Thank you for the opportunity for the Sustainable Pittsburgh Urban Cycling Committee to learn about the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and Port Authority of Allegheny County's Eastern Corridor Transit Study.  We appreciate your having targeted the cycling community as an important constituency for envisioning transit and mobility linkages and support your efforts.

The following are suggestions related to enhancing cycling options:

  • Continue to integrate bike/pedestrian trails and cycling facilities with transit (e.g., bike racks at transfer stations, bike racks on buses and trains, etc.).  New infrastructure should accommodate separate facility for bicycle/pedestrian use.
  • When making investments, use those investments to leverage cycling interests (e.g., trail right-of-way along potential Allegheny Valley commuter rail).
  • When developing the Transportation System Management Alternative engage groups such as Sustainable Pittsburgh with intent to provide input and raise resources necessary to implement bicycle/pedestrian investments that are feasible.
  • Use transit investment to leverage Transit Oriented Development (and joint municipal planning) to enhance investments in bicycle/pedestrian improvements in communities in which the investment is located or directly benefits.  Make this a condition for communities to be eligible for local transit investments.
  • Develop opportunities to run bicycle/pedestrian facilities parallel and intersecting to transit and provide choice of cycling or walking to destinations.
  • Retrofit busways to accommodate a dedicated bike lane or shared use.  Include sufficient width in new busways for the same.
  • Include in the transit study pedestrian/bicycle scenarios based upon the completion of the northern sections of the Mon-Fayette Expressway and the possibility that it will remain unfinished.
  • Include review of the City of Pittsburgh Bike Plan in the transit study to ensure integration with current proposals and a unified system.
  • Develop analysis and recommendations for bike lanes from Downtown, thru Oakland, and to the east.
  • Modify your public open house input meetings to include a pre-determined and advertised time for facilitated discussion of plans and findings.

Also, as discussed in the meeting, we would appreciate a copy of the abbreviated "Purpose and Needs Statement" when available.  We will gladly recommend persons with bicycle/pedestrian interests for your Focus Groups where you provide the lists for review.  Finally, the Urban Cycling Committee would be interested in a briefing on your two other transit studies (Regional and Airport Corridor).

We support the idea that new investments in transit need to be significant, rather than modest incremental improvements and should specifically include bicycle/pedestrian accommodations.  Making transit a truly attractive and competitive alternative to an automobile trip requires major investments in frequency, reliability and user-amenities.  But over the long term, this investment more than pays off -- in economic development, environmental benefits and social equity.

Sincerely,

Marshall Cohen
John Stephen

Co-Chairs SP Urban Cycling Committee

*Sampling of SP Urban Cycling Committee member organizations:
 

Bike Pittsburgh
Community Design Center of Pittsburgh
Friends of the Riverfront
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
Western PA Field Institute
Western PA Wheelmen

cc.        Jim Hassinger, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
            Paul Skoutelas, Port Authority of Allegheny County
            David Wohlwill, Port Authority of Allegheny County
            SP Advisory Board