Bicycles Only!! (Pittsburgh, Oakland: neighborhoods, taxes, live in)

[gg]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Maybe people need to stop ordering food during events that practically shut down the East End and/or stop whining if their food arrives a bit late?

Ahhh, poor baby. I mean need to think of oneself. I mean we shouldn't have such things in the city. No more Pirate games, Steeler Gams, Penguin Gams and certainly no events that would promote being healthy. I mean we need to drive our SUV's in pride. lol Go back to NOVA, please. You don't belong here. Most newbies don't. Please move away!!! We don't need you.

I wish da Burgh would evolve without the newcomers. They are going to kill this place. No more politeness and no more courtesy. Sad, but those NOVA and others are hurting our fiber.

[sparrowmint]

Originally Posted by ex-burgher

There are a number of parkways in Ottawa, Canada that are reserved for cyclists, skaters and runners on Sunday mornings.
Alcatel-Lucent Sunday Bikedays | Canada's Capital Region
However Pittsburgh's infrastructure is not good enough for this IMO

Right, but those are for short periods of time, on non-essential roads. There are numerous ways to get to all the places that those roads get to, and traffic is pretty light on Sundays in Ottawa. Really nothing like what the OP is suggesting. Of course, Ottawa also has a public transportation system that, for all its flaws in comparison to somewhere like Toronto, is world's ahead of Pittsburgh's.

[sparrowmint]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Ahhh, poor baby. I mean need to think of oneself. I mean we shouldn't have such things in the city. No more Pirate games, Steeler Gams, Penguin Gams and certainly no events that would promote being healthy. I mean we need to drive our SUV's in pride. lol Go back to NOVA, please. You don't belong here. Most newbies don't. Please move away!!! We don't need you.

I wish da Burgh would evolve without the newcomers. They are going to kill this place. No more politeness and no more courtesy. Sad, but those NOVA and others are hurting our fiber.

Yes, Pittsburgh doesn't need people who work hard for a living. Quality post. You define the phrase "First World Problems" with posts like these.

[gg]

I work weekends and ride a bike to work. Stop being such a baby. This is Pittsburgh and we are polite, but tough and friendly. I don't think you NOVA types would get it. In fact I am sure you won't, UNLESS you study what we are like instead of bringing your crap here. Believe me, we don't what your crap here. It destroys us as people. Please move back. We actually wave when people let us into a merge or at an intersection. We don't want you aggressive crap. We want to stay Pittsburgh. Thanks!

[szug-bot]

wow - is anyone watching the american girls gymnastics thingy? i swear that one mean looking girl was a good 10 feet off the ground on the vault routine.

i think the italian girls on the synchronized diving were cheated by being given a low score when the canadians before them (truly awful) got a ridiculously high one. even the NBC announcer questioned that.

mens swimming doing well, too.

wait, what were we talking about?

[ctoocheck]

There are some streets (particularly in the Netherlands where the modern idea was pioneered, as well as the UK, etc.) where cars are given lowest priority. The dutch name for these, "woonerf", is also used in English, particularly for smaller streets where the street space becomes a sort of public square rather than strictly a thoroughfare. Alleyways often act in the way. I also think a lot of the more narrow and/or low-traffic streets we have could easily become such streets. For example, Strawberry Way downtown, Bingham St in the SSide, Coral Way in Friendship, etc. etc.
The term "complete streets" can also be used to describe this, but more for larger streets that balance accommodating all abilities and modes of transport.

Bogota Columbia pioneered the Ciclovia idea, where they close down a street to cars for a Sunday a month or so.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

I work weekends and ride a bike to work. Stop being such a baby. This is Pittsburgh and we are polite, but tough and friendly. I don't think you NOVA types would get it. In fact I am sure you won't, UNLESS you study what we are like instead of bringing your crap here. Believe me, we don't what your crap here. It destroys us as people. Please move back. We actually wave when people let us into a merge or at an intersection. We don't want you aggressive crap. We want to stay Pittsburgh. Thanks!

He's not even from NOVA, he's from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and lived in NOVA for a year.

[PittsburghLlama]

I recently watched a short documentary-like feature on youtube (I'm at work, so it's blocked or I'd link it) regarding the amazing roads in the Netherlands. I recommend watching it, as their infrastructure is really somewhat of a dream.

From what I watched, it seemed that they have made these changes over the years due to the large number of casualties (mostly children) after a large boom in their economy, which lead to a large number of the population buying cars and driving them on roads meant for bikes. This lead to there not being enough room for both and the death of lots of little ones.

Eventually, there were rallys and protests that lead to change, and the end result is amazing. The roads there fit both cars and bikes and there is really no inconvenience for either. I would have trouble explaining exactly how different the roads are there, so please try to find the video in question. Either that, or check back around 4:00 and I'll add the link to this comment.

That said, I don't know many people who would allow their children to ride on Pittsburgh roads, haha. So without the seemingly necessary provocation (the death of children? haha), I'm almost certain that a change to that calibur will not happen here.

But, I am certainly not looking a gift horse in the mouth, and am definitely pleased with the changes that are happening. Perhaps I am wrong, and one day, cars and bikes will reach a harmonious understanding, high-fiving through car door windows and giving each other thumbs ups as we allow one another to pass at their right of way. "No, you go."

Fin

[mjost7]

Perhaps Pittsburgh could restrict traffic on some lanes (and not the entire road) during certain times of the days or days of the week.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by mjost7

Perhaps Pittsburgh could restrict traffic on some lanes (and not the entire road) during certain times of the days or days of the week.

I would love to see the parking lanes eliminated in Uptown, at least during rush hour, and reserved for Bikes. I only live 4 or 5 miles from Oakland, yet I currently would not feel safe biking to work.