City Begins Bike Route Plan

The city of Pittsburgh is looking to hire a consultant to build a “Comprehensive Network of Bicycle routes.” The goal is to have the plan completed by 2010. Stephen Patchen is the Bicycle, Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Pittsburgh. He says the bike routes the city has now are not adequate. He says most of them were created 10 years ago and the city’s traffic patterns have changed greatly since then. Patchen says more people are riding bikes for recreation and as an alternative to automobiles. He says the consultant will be charged with drawing up the network and planning for signage to help cyclists move from one part of town to the other. Patchen says the public will be asked for input through various public engagement efforts. At this point there is no funding in place to implement any plan and Patchen says identifying funding sources will be part of the consultant’s job. He says the city hopes to be able to have the plan implemented some time in 2011. The designer of the plan will be asked to draw up a system that will not only deal with the number of bikers on the road today but also prepare the city for a future jump in biking. Patchen says the city wants to solidify its position as a bike friendly city and encourage more people to use their bikes every day.