I am in the process of drafting a “letter to the editor” about my experiences with 29th and Liberty and dug up a few articles about the intersection.

In addition to my own documentation of the intersection we have from 2009, a news story that my coworkers are featured in.

“We’re waiting for PennDOT approval for a full-scale light system in there. I believe that will take about six more weeks,” O’Connor said at the time.
Team 4: Neighbors Say Strip District Corner Still Unsafe After Deaths

The rest are from 2006 when there were two people killed within a month or two of one another.

A car hit a woman at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 29th Street in the Strip District during Thursday’s rush hour, Channel 4 Action News reported.
Woman Hit By Two Vehicles In Strip

“I’m so afraid. Every day, when I cross, it’s so scary. I feel like you are going to get hit because you have to dodge the traffic,” student Laurie Garside said.
How Safe Is Liberty Avenue For Pedestrians?

Transportation officials have published a report on dangerous roads, and a major thoroughfare in Pittsburgh is at the top of the list.
Report Names Pittsburgh’s Most Dangerous Roads

According to investigators, Cassandra Gatewood, 43, of McKeesport, was charged with vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and fleeing an accident scene.
Police: Suspect In Strip District Pedestrian Death Was DUI

Since all of this and despite repeated appeals from our office and the Pittsburgh Ballet the best response we have from the city is “None of the signal warrants are met at this location; therefore a traffic signal cannot be installed.”

The Steel Valley Trail is a recently completed section of the Great Allegheny Passage that starts at The Waterfront and ends in McKeesport. I’ve been on it myself a few times already. A couple weeks ago Monica and I met Alan and Heather at The Waterfront and went for a nice slow ride to McKeesport and back ending at Rock Bottom for beers. I sometimes dwell on so much of the bad stuff on this blog that I forget about mentioning the good. This is good.

From the McKeesport end one could connect with the Great Allegheny Passage and end up in Washington DC or the Montour and Pandhandle Trails and end up in Wheeling West Virginia.

All of this just a few miles from my house! Now, riding to The Waterfront isn’t the greatest trip ever and there are no bike racks anywhere you would want them but I will save that for another post.

Instead of installing lanes and sharrows to get to the promised “additional 25 miles of on-street paving markings and 5 miles of shared lane markings” I feel like we are taking them away. Liberty Ave through the Bloomfield business district has been paved for months and yet the sharrows have yet to make a come back. In Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s recent campaign for office, he promised to install 100 miles of protected bikeways in the city and within his first month in office he was already installing the city’s first protected cycle track. You’re one of the youngest mayors in the country and have a city council who seems ready to support more cycling, yet you do what it takes to only maintain the status quo. If you want Pittsburgh to remain most livable city and continue to attract and retain young people and professionals, you’re going to have to continue working at it.

The woman I was involved in the accident with Monday night claimed she couldn’t see me after she pulled out in front of me and we collided. She also told the insurance agent that she did not see me wearing any reflective clothing, nor any lights on my bike.

In addition to the reflective clothing lit up in these photos, the light on my handlebars blinks and is visible from a block away. My question is, how can you miss me?

For good measure, here is me from the side.

Update: I heard back from the insurance company and the bottom line is that when in an accident, insist on a police report and get some witnesses. I was compensated, but not fully.

Last night, Monday October 17 at around 6:30pm I was involved in a collision with a car. I was riding outbound on Liberty Ave where it meets Aiken. I just finished waiting at the red light at Liberty and Baum and was following two cars who had created a gap in front of me. I was in the middle of the right lane, had a bright blinking front light and reflective clothing on and couldn’t have been going faster than 15mph when I noticed a car with their left turn signal on, waiting to turn left on to Center Ave. This very same situation occurs every day on my way home, but tonight was different. As I was entering the intersection the driver decided to make her turn and there was little time for me to react and I skidded in to her passenger side front door. My rear wheel is ruined and my knee is a little sore, but outside of that I am ok.

I ride through this intersection every evening and the situation is always the same. I have one or two vehicles in front of me, a couple in back, a turning lane to my left, and an awkward intersection with more turning vehicles ahead of me. There is always a driver making a left on to Center just like there was last night. I saw her, I felt it was safe, but when it was too late she made her turn.

View Larger Map

She said she didn’t see me. I don’t think she was seeing much of anything last night given the dark and rainy conditions. This was her second accident this week, she totaled her other car.

There was a police officer on Center Ave and I was able to wave him down to help with the exchange of information. Of all days to forget my wallet. We exchanged information and I called Monica to come pick me up. To my knowledge the officer did not file a report and I should have known not to trust that the card he handed me at the very least had his name on it. The officer did let the woman know that I had the right of way and that she was at fault.

I filed a claim with her insurance and am waiting to hear back on the claim.

Apparently the city of Pittsburgh who claims to be “A Most Livable City” has never heard of traffic calming. If they had, the intersection at 29th and Liberty, where my office, a gym, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre among others, would have received some sort of treatment to help us navigate the highway known as Liberty Ave safely.

Since I have worked here I have witnessed four accidents during work hours and am forced to play chicken with speeding traffic. When I first contacted Pittsburgh’s non-emergency line, 311, about it this is the response I received.

None of the signal warrants are met at this location; therefore a traffic signal cannot be installed. However during evaluation, it was noticed that many of the crashes were at night. Because of this, lighting has been increased at the intersection by replacing a light pole and replacing the light with a higher wattage variety. The stop signs have been replaced to ensure reflectivity. The storage container was on the corner has be relocated to allow better visibility of oncoming traffic from southbound 29th street.

Apparently there are even more accidents happening outside of business hours in addition to the few I have witnessed and documented. Great that they addressed these issues, but none of them address the accidents that happen during the day, nor do they address pedestrian safety issues.

After my coworker was struck this morning I contacted them again and immediately received a response telling me there is nothing they can do and to contact my state representative. The Federal Highway Administration governs the installation of traffic signals and our intersection doesn’t qualify for one.

What about lowering the speed limit? What about a pedestrian signal? Nothing. They don’t care. I am afraid that just like on Braddock Ave outside of Frick Park, that it will take a death to address the issue.

This the city’s idea of traffic calming? It clearly isn’t working.

Updated with the bus route on 2010-05-26 because of a post on the Bike Pittsburgh forums regarding the same route.

route: 86b inbound

Below is the complaint I sent to PAT and to their CEO Stephen Bland.

I was traveling on my bicycle at around 15-20mph passing through the intersection at Penn and 31st. I was in the middle of the right lane preparing to clear the intersection and ride on the bike friendly section of Penn Ave. A bus approached from behind, honked their horn, started to change lanes and pass me. If it would have ended there I wouldn’t be sending this complaint.

Instead of completing the pass, the driver began to turn into the right lane while I was still in it. I could have reached out and touched the bus without extending my arm he was so close. For the next three blocks I kept my same speed and kept up with the bus. Not sure what the hurry was that he had to pass me like that and risk my life.

This isn’t the first complaint I have filed like this. A very similar incident occurred on Liberty Ave on May 21st of last year. I ride the bus regularly and I feel that incidents like this need reported and dealt with.

This is the second complaint I have submitted like this. In fact I searched my email and replied to Mr. Bland using the same email from last year and added my new complaint. He responded and said he would look into it.

This is what I was greeted with when I attempted to watch a march headed downtown. Shortly there after the peaceful gathering was ruled an “unlawful assembly” and the police used intimidation techniques including an LRAD to chase the demonstrators away.

These law enforcement officers were here to protect and to serve their fellow citizens, but instead they intimidated and arrested people who were simply expressing their discontent with the G20.

This was happening on the other side of the police line I was behind after the police confronted the march.

I don’t know what would have happened had they allowed the march to continue, but this show of police intimidation continued through the night as a result. What started as a peaceful march escalated to students being arrested in Oakland, again for unlawful assembly and refusal to disperse.

Once back in the office I felt nauseated and thought I was just dehydrated. After some discussion with co-workers I believe that my nasea was caused by the LRAD device. The voice is terrifyingly calm and devoid of any emotion. I hope I never hear it again.

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Later on that evening on my commute home I had a choice to make. I could either attempt to ride my normal route home which was blocked off by the police or ride through downtown. I chose to ride through downtown.

I headed towards downtown on Penn and talked with another cyclist on the way who was headed back to the South Hills. The detour required I cross the 16th street bridge and ride the trail to the 6th street bridge into downtown. The National Guard officers along the way were friendly and helpful.

Once downtown I was greeted with a ghost town.

I chatted with Ross for a few minutes at Liberty and Forbes where there was a line of busses held up because of the motorcades planning on leaving the city. He compared the police state in Pittsburgh to what it must be like in Iraq or Afghanistan.

A bus driver I talked with briefly said she had no idea how long she would be there. The busses on Boulevard of the Allies were stacked two across as far down as I could see.

The rest of my ride home was nice and calmly paced. Later that night I went to see Drugdealer at Howlers in Bloomfield, where only a couple hours earlier the protesters were being told to disperse by the police.

What I experienced that day was like nothing else I have ever experienced.