Life on Two Wheels and Two Feet

   Brief Re-cap of Our Journey So Far In the first five chapters of this series, we have been virtually (and actually, in my case) traveling down a proposed Pittsburgh South Hills pedestrian/bicycle route.  The journey has taken us from Bethel Park to Route 51 at the base of the Southern side of Mount Washington.  The link below is a map of the entire route. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35143046 Final Obervations and Continuing into Pittsburgh One of the beautiful things about this proposal is that a lot of it already exists and can be walked or ridden.  Only the pedestrian path in Mount Lebanon and the Seldom Seen Greenway require development but they are both accessible, with caution and a recommendation to not travel alone.  Development of those two places and of the entire route are tall orders to be sure and worthy projects for consideration going forward.  To be upgraded for safety, the existing roadways we discussed would ideally need some imp...

   Brief Re-cap of Our Journey So Far Our proposed Pittsburgh South Hills pedestrian/bicycle route has been detailed thus far from Bethel Park to Beechview and the start of the Seldom Seen Greenway.  The link below is a map of the entire route.  To see previous descriptions, refer to "Chapters" I-IV of this series of blog posts. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35143046 Description of The Seldom Seen Greenway (may herein after be referred to as the SSG or the Greenway) The Seldom Seen Greenway is a recreational facility that, for some unknown reason, has not been maintained or improved over the years.  Back in 1985, the Greenway was dedicated with a plaque to Edward E. Smuts, who had passed away in the previous year (1984).  Mr. Smuts was an urban planner in the Pittsburgh and had a role in preserving wooded hillsides in our area.  The SSG was one of those green spaces protected by Mr. Smuts and others.  Online, there are a series of documents that ...

  Brief Re-cap of Our Journey So Far In the first 3 chapters, we have been exploring a potential route for non-motorized travel into the city from deep within the Southern suburbs and neighborhoods of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania).  In Part IV, our journey continues through the municipality of Mount Lebanon, the Borough of Dormont, and into the Pittsburgh City Neighborhood of Beechview..  The link below is a map of the entire route.   https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35143046 Route Description - The Poplar Trolley Stop in  Mount Lebanon to Tropical Park in Beechview Of course, you could take the trolley to get close to either of these two locations and avoid all of the muss, fuss, and slush but where is the fun in that? Pennsylvania Avenue, in Mount Lebanon, leading away from the Poplar Trolley Stop and toward the Uptown business district. The Northern end of the pedestrian pathway, discussed in Part III, continues onto the quiet and residential Pennsylvania Avenue. ...

  Brief Re-cap of Part II This is the third chaper in a series of blog posts that explore the creation of a safe passageway for pedestrians, bicyclists and other forms of non-motorized use, through the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  In Parts I and II a rationale for the proposal and a description of its course in the Municipality of Bethel Park were discussed.  In Part III, we ride through a portion of  Castle Shannon Borough and into Mount Lebanon.  The link below is a map of the entire route. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35143046 Description of the Route - Willow Avenue in Castle Shannon to Mount Lebanon Upon leaving the St. Johns Byzantine Catholic Church Cemetery grounds, the very busy Connor Road must be crossed to continue on Willow Avenue.  In the photo below, the nature of the crossing and the traffic pattern can be visualized.  As was stated at the end of Part II, if a crossing is to be created here, some significant safety featur...

Brief Re-cap of Part I  This is the second part in a series of blog posts that explore the creation of a safe route, for pedestrians, bicyclists and other forms of non-motorized use, in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  In Part I (Blog Post of 2/8/21), a brief introduction to the proposal is found and then the first part of the route, from Bethel Green to the entrance to Mollyhill Park, is detailed.  In this post (Part II), we will continue up the steps, into the park, and further along from the Port Authority's pedestrian path.  A link to a map of the entire route is below. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35143046 Description of the Route - Mollyhill Park in Bethel Park to Willow Avenue in Castle Shannon Close-up map of the route from Mollyhill Park to Connor Road. Mollyhill Park is located in Ward 5 of the Municipality of Bethel Park.  It is perched on a hillside and can be reached at its lowest point from a pedestrian pathway with stairs leading in...