Pittsburgh Takes Steps Toward Bike-Friendliness

Pittsburgh, which has been selected for next year's Netroots Nation convention on the grounds that it is one of America's more sustainable cities, has recently announced that it has hired Pennsylvania's first bike coordinator.

"Cyclists today lauded a pledge by Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Councilman Patrick Dowd to make the city more friendly to bicyclists and walkers, and they urged officials to get moving on adding more bike lanes, improving links to public transportation and encouraging motorists to respect their two-wheeled fellow travelers."

While Mayor Ravenstahl and Councilman Dowd have many ideas for the new position, there is not money available for many of their suggestions. Furthermore, Pittsburgh, a city built on a peninsula in a river valley, is made less bike-able by the steep hills that surround the downtown area, and the occasionally harrying bridge- and tunnel-crossings.