Bike Pittsburgh Message Board » Community » Commuting in Pittsburgh » Public Hearing on Bike Parking Ordnance Sept 1!

Public Hearing on Bike Parking Ordnance Sept 1!

12 Next »Started 1 year ago by caitlin 59 posts Latest reply from erok

caitlin

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Posted 1 year ago

So you may already know about this if you see the bike-pgh home page and follow along, but I wanted to make a thread for the message board-only type folk....

This is an important meeting to attend if you have ever ridden to a new business (or old one!) and struggled to find a spot to securely lock your bike. It is held during the work day, but you can still send testimony to City Planning about it--just visit the bike-pgh home page and send one in.

Tuesday, Sept 1, 2:00 pm
John P. Robin Civic Building, 1st Floor
200 Ross Street, Pittsburgh PA
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

thanks caitlin.
caitlin

bossanova

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Posted 1 year ago

ive nearly left several places this month alone because i couldnt find a damn bike lock up place. then again i kinda dont like parking on stop signs... other signs are okay but stop signs... no.
StuInMcCandless

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Posted 1 year ago

As I am between jobs at the moment, I will try to get to this.

caitlin, my preference is to find a "No Bicycle Riding In Parking Lot" sign and tie up there. *snicker*

Seriously, though, this ties in with what we've been trying to get across to Port Authority: That they (city, PAT, employers, whoever, wherever) need to provide A LOT more bike parking in the city. Like an order of magnitude more.
caitlin

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Posted 1 year ago

if you want to know, there is a sign like that on the north side, i think across from max's, in the parking lot of the church. it also says something like NO PLAYING
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

Never again:
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

i didn't set this shot up. it's pretty commonplace on the weekends, and there were more bikes around back, seemingly employee's bikes
netviln

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Posted 1 year ago

Not that I dont think the place with the mediocre german style beer should have bike parking, but there are 3 parking garages within maybe 300 yards that all have parking.

I do wish REI would get rid of that new rack they got tho, that thing is terrible.
Lyle

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Posted 1 year ago

I wasn't anticipating an explosive meeting.
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

it won't be explosive
caitlin

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Posted 1 year ago

meetings like this are fun you should come.
caitlin

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Posted 1 year ago

put some photos up of all the bikes at three rivers arts fest without racks.
rsprake

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Posted 1 year ago

It's amazing to me that any new business along these trails of ours wouldn't think to install a bike rack or two.

I have on that I took outside of Bettis Grill. At least 12 bikes locked up to various metal, no racks.
StuInMcCandless

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Posted 1 year ago

Can we come up with a solid number of the number of bike tie-ups we would need, Downtown and elsewhere in the city? SWAG for starters: 1,000 for Downtown, maybe 250 each in SSideFlats, Forbes/Craig area, Forbes/Atwood area, 21st/Penn area, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Forbes/Murray, and a few more areas. Maybe double that. Maybe 250 in PtStPk alone.

Do we have reliable estimates?

I'd also like to see security addressed as part of this. I'd like not to have to haul around a boat anchor chain everyplace I go.
Lyle

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Posted 1 year ago

it was a joke. never explain...

on-topic -- I was disappointed to see the city had removed the bike rack from the steps of the city-county building a few months back. It was one of my favorites: covered and in plain view of a security camera.
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

yeah, they took that out for some event, then never put it back.
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

stu, you should read the proposed draft if you haven't yet.

this isn't supposed to be an all encompassing neighborhood rack program. it is merely writing the page to the zoning code so that new and renovated buildings would need to install racks. there's recommendations on where they should be placed as well
Lyle

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Posted 1 year ago

I didn't see how extensive a renovation must be to trigger this provision. Maybe it's in another part of the zoning code.
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

i believe, and i could be wrong, but if it's a change in use. for instance, if it goes from an office to a retail establishment.
dwillen

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Posted 1 year ago

Erok,

RE: your photo in front of BST3... It still looks exactly like that, every single day.. only with a bike rack full of bikes in the background. The rack fills up by 9am, and people still lock to the trees. I don't even bother, and lock up 8 blocks away.

The folks here didn't even reply to my request for additional parking. *shrug*
caitlin

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Posted 1 year ago

out of curiosity, who wil enforce this in city planning, stephen? is he full time not a contract paid employee who can enforce? becauase the urban forester in planning is techinically contracted and grant funded, so she can;t enforce/cite people, and it sucks in some situations. i mean all plans for buildings go through there, but some things just don't happen (ie the new tree pits in bakery square are not up to city code...)

just wonderin'
Swalfoort

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Posted 1 year ago

Steel Plaza needs a bike rack too. 12 bikes parked there on Friday afternoon, all attached to trees/furniture along Grant between Sixth and Seventh.
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

@caitlin

i believe that planning would need to approve any plans, and then BBI would be there to enforce.
caitlin

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Posted 1 year ago

oh, the BBI. I'll with hold my jokes.

Turns out i am not going to make this in person, but I will be sure to send on the testimony in written form... can i still do that?
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

i don't see why not
erok

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Posted 1 year ago

UNANIMOUSLY PASSED!!!

now it needs to go to council

http://bike-pgh.org/2009/09/01/planning-commission-unanimously-passes-bike-parking-ordinance/
salty

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Posted 1 year ago

Excellent work!

Maybe I should wait for it to fully pass to say this, but I love the little "trojan horse" aspect that lets developers "cheat the system" - by building more bike parking. I expect to get a good laugh at an angry letter to the editor about that someday!

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Some testified that the ordinance can make it easier for development because many older building in the city are so densely packed that they physically cannot include the required automobile parking without obtaining a variance, thus making them difficult or unable to be developed. Installing bicycle parking spaces in lieu of automobile parking spaces can actually make it easier, and cheaper for a developer.
gimpPAC

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Posted 1 year ago

Woo! Great that it passed unanimously. I will send my councilperson an extra note reminding them to support passage of this ordinance when it gets to that stage of the game.

Really, if this meeting is any indication, I just don't see too many people opposing this law except wackos with nothing better to do. It's a modest proposal that will make a world of a difference.
rsprake

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Posted 1 year ago

Well done.
Lou F.

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Posted 1 year ago

It was really incredible to be at this hearing and see the support for the ordinance and then watch it pass unanimously!

Some of the panel members were as enthusiastic as the community members.
scott@eastendbrewing

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Posted 1 year ago

Nicely done, and very encouraging too! Maybe the future of bike parking in Pittsburgh will look very different someday...
erok

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Posted 10 months ago

hey, this will be going to council soon. the date still isn't set.

anyway, feel free to email council about it using this handy dandy form:

http://bike-pgh.org/2009/10/action-alert-contact-your-councilperson-and-tell-them-to-vote-for-more-bike-parking/
bjanaszek

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Posted 10 months ago

If you live/work in District 7, tell Councilman Dowd (or his staff) directly at the Council to Go session on 28 October at Morning Glory in Morningside.
erok

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Posted 10 months ago

have you been to one of those? what a good idea
ieverhart

frequenter

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Posted 8 months ago

Looks like a council vote is forthcoming:

http://wduqnews.blogspot.com/2009/12/bike-parking-vote-expected-this-week.html
erok

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Posted 7 months ago

so this is coming up to city council on feb 9. i'll post more details soon.

in the meantime, kqv has a poll about it today. go on there and vote yes!

http://www.kqv.com/
erok

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Posted 7 months ago

ha ha. we went from 70% against and 30% for to just about 50/50 in about an hour. it went from 505 votes to 983 votes in that time
erok

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Posted 7 months ago

and the cyclists take the lead. only 10 minutes left to cast your vote!
dwillen

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Posted 7 months ago

I thought the thing was broken, but I guess it cuts you off after you vote 8 times. Odd.
StuInMcCandless

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Posted 7 months ago

Looks like the online version went 58/42 yes. Haven't had the radio on to find out the phone-in version's results.
erok

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Posted 7 months ago

yeah, heard it on the radio. the phone in had about 100 votes, 30% yes 70% no.

the online had about 1300 votes; 57% yes, 43% no.

i heard the dj mention it. it kinda ruled in a weird way.
edmonds59

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Posted 7 months ago

Wow, you mean people who are probably listening in their cars are more retrograde and are opposed to it, and people who get their information from the internet are more progressive, and for it? There's a stunner.
erok

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Posted 7 months ago

man, way to be a bummer ;)

hearing the slight disappointment in the dj's voice when he had to announce that people voted in favor of it was good enough for me. plus, the trib gets to post the results today
edmonds59

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Posted 7 months ago

Uggh, as amusing as it might be, I don't think I have the stomach to visit the cesspool that is the Trib to see how they carry this.
StuInMcCandless

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Posted 7 months ago

Being a long-time listener of KQV (since the '80s), it's no secret that the phone poll response usually has a right-wing skew, especially on the telephone side, with the online side a little less so. The Trib does little more than print the numbers.

Side note (you may know this already, but...): Prior to KQV going to an all-news format in 1975, they had a DJ who went by the name of Jeff Christy. He now goes by the name of Rush Limbaugh.

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