120 miles of safe travel ways to be included in master plan for biking in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — A master plan for biking in Pittsburgh is expected to be released by city officials in the coming weeks.

The plan will propose adding 120 miles of safe, connected bicycle travel ways -- including both protected and unprotected bike lanes, "neighborways" and additional trails, according to Pittsburgh's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. The plan will bring the total to 160 miles of bikeways.

"Neighborways" are small streets in residential areas where the city will use strategies to have less vehicle traffic, Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE reported.

"I know the city wants to be pretty aggressive in making, especially, a lot of connections around town," Eric Boerer, BikePGH advocacy director, said. "There's a lot of missing gaps. You might be in a bike lane and, all of a sudden, it ends and then you're back in front of cars."

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Officials said heading into 2020, people can expect the city to have at least 15 more miles of bicycle safe spaces -- not just bike lanes.

The master plan is meant to make biking safer in the city, modernize the biking landscape, relieve congestion and reduce emissions, according to officials.

A draft of the plan will be released in the coming weeks, with the final plan expected to be completed by early 2020.

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