“The entire fabric of the Strip District has changed over the years. There is little left of the history, culture, and flavor of Pittsburgh. It has become "Yuppie-ville." It is not a place for local Pittsburghers, but rather, it has become an upscale location for the upwardly mobile. If it is to retain ANY of its historic value the few ethnic businesses which are left must remain supported. Changing traffic flow on Penn Avenue will ultimately destroy them. You bet, such a change will absolutely frustrate visitors that will not return! It's already a hassle to find a reasonably priced place to park. Why can't anything good in the City of Pittsburgh just be left alone!?!”

“I work with The Midwife Center and I can only imagine how much stress this will cause pregnant families and people who are in labor trying to navigate a possible lesser known area of town for them with only one way access to the birth center.”

“We fear delivery trucks with our medical supplies and ambulances will have difficulty reaching our facility. If it is one lane then traffic must stop every time someone parallel parks. Clients in labor will have undue traffic.”

“The Strip District is historic and any changes to that area would be a shame. It has worked for many many years so why change something that is a Pittsburgh tradition.”

“This is one of a long list of horrible ideas from the current administration. It takes but simple logic to understand the negative impact this would have on residents, businesses and customers. What a shame that we have to fight against fixing things that aren't broken, while so many things in our city ARE broken. It appears that this administration is AGGRESSIVELY against business.”

“Please do not make traffic a bigger nightmare for drivers and pedestrians. One lane would seriously be an emergency nightmare.”

“This would create absolute chaos. As a pittsburgh native I’ve gone to the strip virtually every weekend to shop, eat or work. Cutting Penn ave to a single lane would be idiotic. There is already significant traffic and limited parking. I’ve seen EMS, police and fire vehicles stuck, unable to get through to get where they need to go and with the increase in delivery services trucks delivering goods and local food delivery employees need to be able to work without shutting down the street. This money can be better used in other areas. Traffic can be controlled with stop signs, traffic lights and speed bumps. I have plenty of relatives and friends who live in the strip as well and this would cause a major headache for all of them. Side note stop burns and scalo from commercializing the neighborhood.”

“There is no reason to change something that has been such a beautiful asset, and draw for tourists !!!! Is is special because it has been preserved in its original state. You need traffic cops here if people are irresponsibly crossing and getting hurt. Not change the entire flow for fools!!”

“I've been visiting the strip my entire life and its my favorite part about the city. The benefits of the proposed plan seem marginal. Sometimes in life, you have to accept things that arent perfect. The Penn Ave traffic flow might not be perfect, but neither is the proposal! I dont understand why anyone ever considered doing this, given the history of the strip. It is unthinkable to me that such a drastic change could occur and businesses we all love could blink out. I hope this proposal fails.”

“NO BIKE Lanes in Strip. That would be very dangerous for pedestrians & the bikers. Leave this GEM of Pittsburgh alone, it’s survival depends upon it.”

“I enjoy coming here so much! There is so much history and culture in the strip, I’d hate to see it go away/change!!”

“We like it just as is! Its a fun place & has a lot of interesting vendors You can shop all day then relax @ a restaurant The business of the area makes it what it is If you do this the vendors will most likely raise prices to make up for lost business as it’s being renovated”

“Pittsburgh is my home away from home. I try to make it down at least 6 weekends a year. No matter how many times I visit, the Strip remains one of my things to do on a Saturday or Sunday morning. It completes the trip for me. Please make the strip a Historic District. Then you can get grant money specifically for historic placss, and federal commercial historic tax credits for developers. It's a won for the businesses, the city, and tourism. Thank you”

“Do not hurt the Strip. It is the number one tourist attraction in the city. Do not be short sighted. Thank you.”

“Please leave Penn Ave. alone. You can make all of the changes you want to Smallman but leave Penn as it is. Smallman already has a bike lane. I can't even imagine the traffic especially on the weekends if you change this.

How will deliveries be made? A lot of times trucks have to double park to make a quick delivery. How will they do that if it goes to one lane?

I speak to tourists all day, everyday and The Strip seems to be the number one place for them to visit. Don't mess with it!

There is a lot of downside and not a whole lot of upside to this plan. I haven't spoken to one person in favor of these changes. You should listen to the people.”

“There is a bike lane on Smallman, which is only one block over from Penn. Let people use that bike lane. This overall plan is going to hurt the Strip, the businesses and keep people away from visiting this unique neighborhood.”

“I feel this would be a huge mistake. I have personally called 911 several times over the years for elderly pedestrians who have tripped on the sidewalk on a busy Saturday. Traffic is at a crawl on Saturdays and emergency responders have been delayed.

The other issue is so often traffic is backed up because people can’t parallel park well. Imagine trying to parallel park with a bike lane. This is dangerous to those on bikes.

I would love the mayor to spend a few hours on a busy Saturday and see how this would have a negative impact. As someone who rides a bike, I would say Smallman would be the better choice.”

“I am a Lawrenceville business owner, resident, and frequent customer of many of the shops along the Strip District section of Penn Ave. Bike lines in this city do nothing but create animus toward bicyclists. This is a working-class time with an elderly population. Bike lines are not only not needed, they are despised.”

“There are better ways to improve safety.

Furthermore, the statics are not given.

And does this include the period before traffic signals were set to reduce speeds to about 20 mph?”

“As far back as I can remember, the Strip has operated the way it is now. 1 lane will make me reconsider ever going down there to do my shopping. If a bike lane is necessary, I suggest making the bike lane on Smallman Street where the road is already wider than Penn Ave. That would allow for more automotive movement as well as giving room to every other vehicle to service where they need to. Penn Ave wouldn't be restricted, emergency vehicles could proceed when needed, & a steady flow of traffic could proceed, as has occurred since the beginning of time. I would hate to see bad planning on your part kill such a unique Pittsburgh tradition for everyone who lives, works & visits here. This is part of our uniqueness, history & tradition, & We Love it the way it is!”

“The Strip is the heart of Pittsburgh, and to be honest it’s hard enough getting around as-is with how many people visit day in and day out. There should be *more* infrastructure, not less”

“Leave the Strip alone. People go there because of the way it is, or was. If you want different, go to a mall.”

“The bike riders can follow traffic laws on Penn or ride on Smallman.”

“This place is a very unique and vibrant community. I can't imagine this place changing in these ways.”

“We were in a restaurant in the strip where an ambulance had to come take a man out. They blocked one lane for over 30 mins while they assessed him on the scene and then loaded him into a stretcher. If traffic is reduced to one lane we are ok with standstill traffic for that long? If a fire also happens to start at the same time the lane is blocked how can first responders to their jobs? In addition, the increase in idling from cars having to stop will reduce the air quality in the area vs continuous traffic flow. The new bike lane on smallman is one block over and already exist and could be expanded further down towards 32nd st. I’m all for updating but this plan is not well thought out and alternative seem to be better options.”