What tips /advice would you give a driver who is new to Pittsburgh? (buy, contractor)

[PGH423]

"Opposing traffic has extended green." Those intersections are an accident waiting to happen.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Pughnose

Pittsburgh Left: Illegal but widespread. If you are at a red light and an opposing driver is signalling an unprotected left turn, be prepared for them to gun it and turn left in front of you. Usually people aren't that aggressive about it, but I see it often enough -- and very occasionally a second person will follow the first, even as opposing traffic enters the intersection. I think there was a whole thread about this a while back.

People attempt to do this in every city. The "Pittsburgh Left" is that the left-turning driver expects you to let them go as a courtesy.

Originally Posted by Pughnose

Pedestrians: People jaywalk here, against "don't walk" signals, against red lights, mid-block, with the blithe obliviousness displayed in other cities only by the most mentally ill of street people. Parents with strollers, elderly with walkers, cops, I've seen them all trot out into the road, sometimes in the teeth of traffic, occasionally without even looking. Try not to run anybody over, even if they really seem to want you to.

To be fair, Pittsburgh drivers will also make right and even left turns directly into crosswalks while the walk sign is flashing and people are in the intersection, so the bad behavior goes both ways here.

[stremba]

Don't always assume that just because you are on a street and your destination is on the same street that you can simply drive directly down the street to get there. A map is not always your friend; there are many cases of "broken streets" in Pittsburgh, where a street is interrupted by a large hill, the street becomes a stairway, and you have to navigate around the hill on other streets to get to the other half.


Conversely, and this happens especially when crossing over a line separating one local jurisdiction from another, don't assume that if your destination is on one street and you are on another, that you need to turn somewhere. Streets and roads often change names without any apparent rhyme or reason. This sometimes occurs when crossing a political boundary, but sometimes that's not even the case. A good example is if you drive on Fifth Avenue through Shadyside and into Homewood, somewhere past the intersection of Penn Ave and Fifth, the street you're on suddenly becomes Washington Blvd. instead of Fifth Avenue. I'm not sure exactly where that occurs, but it certainly does.

[PghYinzer]

Another fun part of Pittsburgh driving, we have some streets that are not quite two full lanes but definitely wider than one lane, and sometimes they allow parking in one lane and sometimes they don't. I believe this is a carry over from when there used to be a center streetcar line, with a driving lane on each side. Now that the streetcar tracks are gone each lane ends up being 1.5 lanes. Brookline Blvd and West Liberty used to be like this, but since they have been rebuilt they have either been widened or narrowed to correct this issue.

[svband76]

The hills, turns, etc are what makes this city unique and great. The Pittsburgh Left is as revered as the cookie table.

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Red lights are ignored.

Be mindful of this!
A Yinzer is someone who will ride their brakes INTO a green light and then gun the gas to run through the light a full second after it turns red.

People here drive very cautiously and timidly, and then will unexpectedly make an extremely aggressive and dangerous maneuver. It is very important to drive defensively and be very aware at all times.

It is also important for drivers new to Pgh to have a GPS and a good map.
For whatever reason, there is largely only 'one way' to get somewhere from where you're at. This City is nothing but choke points and bottle necks - many parallel roads do not connect. It can be quite difficult to find a detour, and it is very easy to get lost.

[PghYinzer]

Also, always remember that getting lost can be fun. You will definitely discover something new and it usually comes with a view in this town.

[fleetiebelle]

Pittsburgh drivers are really bad at merging. Be prepared for cars coming to a complete stop at the end of acceleration ramps, and other drivers to not let you in or not know what to do if you try to let them in (which is a seamless process almost everywhere else.)

[Salmonburgher]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

No signage is common throughout Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is one of the easiest cities in the US to get lost in for newbies. Nothing is marked except for the one way streets.

This.

The lack of signage is frustrating, or, it can be.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Pittsburgh drivers are really bad at merging. Be prepared for cars coming to a complete stop at the end of acceleration ramps, and other drivers to not let you in or not know what to do if you try to let them in (which is a seamless process almost everywhere else.)

Exactly! And there are on ramps so short and with such terrible visibility that they have actual stop signs. No wonder people don't know how to merge.