Business owners, residents respond to scaled-back Penn Avenue project in Strip District

PITTSBURGH — A long-debated plan to add bike lanes along Penn Avenue in the Strip District is moving forward with a scaled-back design.

The new plan will paint one lane between 22nd and 31st streets for biking, while keeping parking on both sides of the street. The original plan included a physical barrier separating bike traffic from cars, leaving only one lane for vehicles.

Businesses along Penn Avenue say it’s a major improvement over the city’s original proposal because, without the physical barriers, emergency vehicles can use the painted bike lane if needed.

“If I have a customer who has a heart attack, they’re not going to be able to get the response time; it could be really bad,” said business owner Joe Coen.

However, after a hearing before a judge, the city agreed to remove the barriers and move forward with a painted bike lane instead.

“We look forward to seeing the effects of that new plan on Penn Avenue to protect our most valuable users,” said Julie Walsh with Bike Pittsburgh.

And while the new plan is not what the organization originally proposed, Walsh says Bike Pittsburgh is excited the project is moving forward.

“It will still maintain those pedestrian improvements for people walking and that’s really the main goal of that project is. It’s a pedestrian safety project first and foremost.”

The plan also includes space near intersections where cars will not be able to park to allow better visibility for pedestrians using the crosswalk.

Despite Coen’s happiness with the judge’s ruling, Cohen says many business owners have felt left out of the city’s planning process.

“We really want to work with the city,” he said. “Up to now, we really felt like we weren’t being heard.”

A city spokesperson told Channel 11 that over the last two years, Pittsburgh has held multiple public meetings to gather feedback from residents and business owners both for and against the plan.,

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