“I am a City of Pittsburgh resident and a frequent visitor to the Strip District. With this plan, the City of Pittsburgh is showing that they are willing to sacrifice a major, historic business district and tourist attraction for the appeasement of a couple of small but loud interest groups. That frequent accidents in this area necessitate these drastic changes is an entirely bad-faith argument as changing to this design will not change driver behavior, and it will make emergency response significantly worse. The City is filled with reckless drivers and illegal dirt bikes/ATVs ignoring traffic signals and speed limits. Instead of stopping them, they’d rather focus on hurting small businesses on a couple of blocks of the Strip under the guise of safety. There are so many meaningful ways this City can implement real, tangible public safety policies that do not come at the expense of small businesses and that benefit all City residents.”

“This change is terrible for the businesses, motorists, first responders, fire equipment,
all for a bike lane. Really?”

”

There are a few simple ways in which Penn Avenue could be improved, none of which include making it a single lane. Additional lighting and highlighting crosswalks would be the easiest way to reduce the concerns of night time accidents. As a visitor who walks to and from the Strip District multiple times a month, I have rarely, if ever, felt concerned with safety. However, walking to and from is preferred because of the congestion that already exists. It goes against common sense to reduce the traffic to one lane and increase congestion in that area.”

“The excuse that Bike Pittsburgh/DOMI wants to make Penn Ave one lane for safety is a false position. If the city council and Mayor’s office care about safety put a traffic light on 21st and Smallman, a very dangerous intersection. I live there and I see the near accidents every day. Spring brings major construction and will add hundreds of new apartments and townhomes, making every intersection and street important to transportation. Bike lanes are on Smallman, the river trail and Waterfront/railroad street is used by many bikers to and from the city. Common sense needed please!“

“The city has its development one block over at the Terminal Building. Why not let Penn Ave be something different. Bike lanes can be down Smallman as well. The proposed “improvements” will choke the life out of something that it so brilliantly unique to our City. Nobody else has “The Strip”. It’s part grocery store – part preservation of our ethnic heritage – part craziness (on purpose) – part celebration of small business grit and success.
Not everything has to be “improved” to make it attractive. Listen to the merchants – they are the ones who have made The Strip – well – The Strip. All their years of dedication to this area would be destroyed.”

“It is proven that the best way to make changes to complex systems to avoid unintended negative consequences is an incremental approach. The default position should be to start with least invasive/smallest scale change possible and measure the results. In this case, if pedestrian/ vehicular safety is the concern, adding stop signs, cross walks and more policing/enforcement of traffic laws would be the best place to start. Narrowing the road, creating curb bump outs and adding bike lane will restrict traffic and create back ups issues for anyone using Penn- ultimately making it more difficult for customers to access the Strip.
Based on accurate crash and accident data, this is an outsized solution to solve an almost non existent problem.
Taken in conjunction with plans for Liberty avenue, the proposed changes will suffocate the Penn Ave business district.”

“Bike rider here, it’s perfectly safe the way it is, stay in the right lane traffic moves slow. These is a terrible idea will make it worse for everyone.”

“Don't fix what isn't broken.
And never forget where you come from. We own the first historically restored building in The Strip, the No. 7 Engine Company, home of Bar Marco, a first class restaurant and good neighbor.
What you're planning to do will destroy the character of the Strip and drive people away who drive there to shop. Why would you wait a half hour to park when you could just go to a supermarket?
Because The Strip has personality and history that is unmatched in America. That's right, unmatched, where you can browse a dozen different ethnic markets in an 8 or 9 block stretch.
Please preserve our personality and our businesses.
Your plan for change is a huge step backwards.”

“As a passionate biker myself, I do not agree with the plans to make a portion of Penn Ave into a single lane.

I personally bike on Smallman where there is far less traffic and much safer as well as on the riverfront trail.

I drive that portion of Penn Avenue on a regular basis for my job. The strip district businesses rely heavily on having a 2nd lane for truck deliveries. The midwife center also relies on it for emergency vehicles.

I strongly feel that the bike lane would do more harm on that portion of Penn Ave than good. It would be much better to put a bike lane on Smallman or extend the already existing riverfront trail.

“For a century this Pittsburgh landmark has served and drawn commerce and visitors to our city, with memories, provenance, and earning acclaim as a hub of interest nationally and internationally. Cutting into the heart of the city is as sensible as a cardiac surgeon doing bypass surgery only to change (not improve) a working organ not in need in a major surgical intervention.”

“The city's mobility priorities are deleterious to private property owners.

I have found that the Pittsburgh's DOMI is more concerned with obtaining grants than a viable city and DOMI's staff uses the department to build their resumes at all costs.”

“I work in east liberty and routinely eat, shop, and visit the strip district. Not only will this plan make things unimaginably more difficult to navigate than they already are, but it doesn’t pass even the most basic common sense tests of “should we even do this?”

Genuinely I don’t understand how an idea this bad ever gains any traction at all. Mayor, if you want any semblance of support from me in the voting booth, DO NOT SUPPORT THIS NONSENSE!”

“One of the things that I and all of my visitors from other parts of the nation love about Pittsburgh is that we have unique local businesses in our shopping areas, whether Strip District, or along Penn and Liberty. In so many areas of the US and Canada, local shops have been replaced by the same big chain stores with no character or local flavor.

The Strip is a great destination for both residents of Pittsburgh and other parts of Allegheny County, and for tourists and visitors. It would be a shame to make access more difficult by eliminating lanes and would not make things safer as the frustration level in drivers go up, so do the risk of accidents.”

“It’s absolutely insane what the mayor is doing to this wonderful community. The current administration has ruined downtown and they will ruin the strip district. What makes this place so charming is the historical culture and the small family owned business that have been the backbone of this community. There has never been an accident in the 8 years I’ve lived here on Penn Ave. The plans to change to one line is an evil plan to drive out small business. Eventually, the strip will become like southside – yet another area that has been ruined. Fix downtown and make this area a place people want to live again.”

“It will make it much more difficult for customers & employees to get to & from our location. Loading & unloading will be more expensive. With only one travel lane when any vehicle stops or double parks traffic comes to a halt. That includes buses, trucks and cars.”

“Traffic is already bad enough, why reduce to a 1 lane road? I’ve also heard a Trader Joe’s is opening in the strip (seems odd given that there are plenty of grocery options here), but would increase traffic even further.

Also, having more paid parking lots (at insanely high rates) isn’t a solution to increased traffic either. I’m not sure what the purpose of the single lane road is, but if it is pedestrian safety I think there are more innovative options in 2025 than reducing lanes.”

“Restricting Penn Ave to a single lane in The Strip will make an already congested, over-developed mess into an untenable disaster. Right now, the *only* easily navigable part of The Strip is Penn Ave. Restricting it to one lane will make restocking the businesses along it unnecessarily difficult, cause massive backups in already over-trafficked areas (like the intersection of 21st & Smallman), and turn a historically rich and culturally relevant neighborhood into a parking lot. The Strip is already losing its identity to rising property costs and an influx of outside wealth. Breaking it up further with this stupid idea is a death sentence.”

“The project would create a bottle neck for anyone coming in or going out. It could be a huge safety issue costing hundreds of lives, if their we a fire, flooding, or any emergency, because first responders can’t get in, people can’t get out. Huge occupancy of renters in the high rise complexes. Plus regular traffic and deliveries.”

“Moving Penn Avenue to one lane will disrupt the deliveries to our wonderful Strip District merchants. We only have four streets to start with – Liberty Avenue, Penn Avenue, Smallman street and Railroad Street. We can’t afford to lose any of our merchants on Penn Avenue because of lane restrictions or visitors due to a lack of parking. That is also in short supply with our growing neighborhood. Maybe bikers and pedestrians could consider using the Alley Ways. I think they could be upgraded with plantings and even be an option for restaurant outdoor spaces. Just a thought. Glad to discuss these issues further.”

There are no shortages of places for people to safely bike and walk around the strip with the current layout. Bike lanes are clearly marked that allow bikes and vehicles to comfortably share the road and sidewalks are plentiful for pedestrians . Additionally, there are many side streets, where traffic is extremely light, that anyone who takes the time to learn the city, can easily navigate on their bicycles. The small businesses, which have been the heart and soul of the strip, would drastically suffer. Parking is already at a minimum and receiving truck loads is extremely challenging as it is.