“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.”

“Vote him out”

“This would be detrimental to the Strip District.”

“Attempts by DOMI in the past have made the roads worse: the intersections of Beechwood, Dallas and Beacon in Squirrel Hill. The Strip district has ALWAYS been a congested, chaotic mess, which requires diligence by ALL parties: pedestrians, motorists and deliverers. The concept of constantly engineering safety is ridiculous!”

“The added congestion to an already small area is not worth a couple bicycles. I work in other areas of the city where the bike lanes are put in maybe 1 bicyclist out of 10 actually use it. What a waste of taxpayers money”

“We live in swisshelm park section of the Cory and have enjoyed going to the strip a few times a month – at least! The bike lane proposal is absurd and will devastate the local businesses that are the heart of the strip. People say they want more “shop local”. By keeping the strip without bike lanes you will do that. And go ask a bus driver how many people they see using the lanes where they exist. Not many. Bike trails are great. Rails to trails is great. But not this.”

“It is already too congested with vehicles loading unloading in one lane, it will make it worse”

“I can count on one hand the number of bicyclists I've seen using bike lanes in the city of Pittsburgh in the last three years. No need for bike lanes.”

“This plan is absolutely ridiculous. Has anyone given thought to where delivery trucks will go? Penn avenue will be a nightmare. Imagine one lane, and people trying to parallel park all along the street, holding up traffic. One lane means you can't get around someone trying to parallel park. Everyone parallel parks on Penn avenue. This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. Another useless and ill planned brainchild of the Gainey administration.”

“Formerly from Lyndora/Butler, PA: resident of Los Angeles, CA.
I've seen our city and Burbank, CA. propose similar lane consolidation to one lane for traffic (each direction and bike lanes. Each proposal has been vehemently rejected by the affected business owners and residents.
Therefore, my support for this PETITION for my (HOMETOWN as I worked for PNB, now PNC, in the late 60s. before my 1970 move to California.”

“This is one of the first places we take our friends from out of state when they visit the area and one of the main reasons we come into Pittsburgh throughout the year.”

“The DOMI proposal will destroy businesses in the Strip. No, please no!”

“This proposal would kill the strip district business. Not only would it have a negative impact on the economy, it would be dangerous for the cyclists, pedestrians and the drivers. This is the craziest thing yet. Where does the mayor get these ideas??”

“This plan will make traveling through the Strip District much more difficult and will significantly back up traffic. So many things are happening in the city now that residents do not want, please listen to the business owners in the strip, and the commuters that travel through it daily.”

“The flow of traffic is essential to businesses and access to the strip. By restricting the flow of traffic, you and inhibiting the accessibility of businesses.”

“Update and use EXISTING BIKE PATH along the river trail. It has been there for years.
What taxes do bikers pay? No gasoline, no parking fees, no car inspection, no car insurance, no tolls, so, they do not contribute anything to pay for upkeep of roads, no snow removal, no civil services.
I wish someone would conduct a study of the number of bikes versus the number of cars. Then the percentage of car versus bike should be used to calculate WHO SHOULD HAVE PRIORITY on road and lane. That would be the fairest measure for who deserves public road.
Plus another factor is the weather and topography that drops bike usage but not cars, bus, other vehicles.”

“I shop in the strip district at least once a week.”

“While I understand the need to improve infrastructure this is NOT the way to do it. Cars cannot go everywhere so we cannot continue to make changes for bikes to go everywhere. Since there is now a proposed cut to public transit this puts a dent in the number of visitors that can use that method to visit The Strip. That will cut into the profits of all of the businesses there.

It is also dangerous to have a bike lane on the inside of the lane and cars crossing intersections cannot see them.

We need to sometimes leave things alone. Not all change is good or productive.”