PEDAL PUSHERS
New bike-sharing initiative makes for an easy, healthy ride
It’s summer, time to get back on a bicycle for a ride around the city and the suburbs. If you don’t have a bike — or if you haven’t ridden yours since the Wright Brothers went airborne — Pittsburgh Bike Share’s Healthy Ride program can provide one at any of its 50 rental stations in Pittsburgh.
I visited the station at 42nd and Butler streets in Lawrenceville. It’s adjacent to a public parking lot and across the street from Dijlah Restaurant.
Erin Potts, director of marketing and outreach for Pittsburgh Bike Share, met me. She provided background on the program, demonstrated how to rent one of its 500 bicycles and said it has had more than 20,000 riders since May 31.
You must be 18 or older to rent a bike. It costs $2 to rent one for 30 minutes, but money-saving memberships are available: unlimited 30minute rides for $12 a month and unlimited 60-minute rides for $20 a month. Bikes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bikes can be rented from one station and returned to another station.
The sturdy metal bikes weigh 37 pounds, have seven gears and a pair of hand brakes. Seats are adjustable. The U-shaped design from the seat post to the handlebars makes it easy to get on and off. There are fenders for the front and back wheels. The front fender has a rider-powered headlight. A red light is positioned behind the seat.
Riders must register to rent a bike. They can register for a bike at solar-powered kiosks at each of the 50 rental stations in the city. They also can use a mobile app or call customer service at 412-535-5189 to register.
The largest bike stations — Market Square and Consol Energy Center — each have 37 bikes. Those stations also provide easy access to the paved Three Rivers Heritage Trail, which borders each of the three rivers.
The touch-screen keyboard I was using to register went blank as I started to enter my name. No problem. Ms. Potts called the customer service number posted on the kiosk, 412-535-5189, described the problem to Jeremy and handed me the phone.
Jeremy took my information, apologized for the glitch and talked me through the sign-up process. After signing up at the kiosk, you enter a phone number and a pin number on the back of the bike to unlock the front wheel from its stand. Then it was time to ride. I crossed Butler Street and headed along 43rd Street to a concrete pad the size of a box truck where four weathered green plastic chairs faced the Allegheny River. Single-, fourand eight-person sculls, all heading
upstream, skimmed the water.
I turned onto the crushed limestone trail that begins at 43rd Street. It’s bordered by a vegetation-covered chain link fence that separates the trail from the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute and other buildings.
The trail continues under the 40th Street Bridge, passes by two dog parks enclosed by more vegetation-choked chain link fences, and narrows in width before it ends along a single set of railroad tracks.
Because Butler Street was busy with four-wheeled traffic, I rode on side streets where I was joined at times by other cyclists, some of whom haven’t learned to wear a helmet.
I met Deirdre Kane and Jennifer Hayes as they were returning their bikes at the 42nd Street station. They like the Healthy Ride program. Ms. Kane said she uses the rental bikes “all the time” and would like another docking station near 52nd Street in Lawrenceville.
Kryn Hoyer-Winfield, who also returned a bike to the 42nd Street station, said he rents bikes “a few times a week” from the Lawrenceville, Downtown, North Side and Oakland stations.
He uses them for commuting and occasional social events. Most of his trips are between 30 and 60 minutes. He’d also like the program to open more stations. Any problems? “I had a kiosk with a stubborn touch-screen, but the bikes have been pretty reliable,” he said. “My wife had an issue with logging [on] once … it was resolved quickly over the phone. Great customer service. I learned … to use the punch pad on the back of the bikes and avoid the kiosk altogether, which is great.”
Mr. Hoyer-Winfield said the bike share program works for him “because I'm cheap and a little lazy. Cheap in the sense that it costs less than the bus; lazy in the sense that I have a bike, but I have a flat tire that I need to replace.
“I think there are a lot of people who don't bike because they are just a little lazy: i.e., getting the bike out of the house/apartment, under-inflated tires, locking it up at work, etc. This program eliminates most of the little things that stop you from just jumping on a bike.”
“[Although] the bikes aren’t fast, they are very stable and great for less-experienced bikers,” he said. “My wife feels much more comfortable on one than the used road bike I fixed up for her.”
There are many health benefits associated with cycling, said James Sferra, orthopedic surgeon and director of the Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery at Allegheny Health Network.
“It’s an excellent way to tone and build muscles in the lower half of the body and is a great low-impact exercise for people with joint conditions or injuries to the legs or hips,” he said.
“Biking also can strengthen your body’s immune response and improve cardiovascular fitness, reducing the risk of heart disease. Even short trips on a bike can be great stress relievers and improve mental health. They also burn calories,” he said.
“Maintaining a healthy weight is an important part of an overall healthy lifestyle,” Dr. Sferra added. “Jumping on a bike for a quick ride will burn calories and boost your metabolism to help you continue burning them throughout the day.”
The Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield are title sponsors of Healthy Ride.
“Our support of Healthy Ride is an extension of our commitment to improving the health of those living in and around Pittsburgh,” said Dan Onorato, executive vice president of Highmark.
“Obesity is a major health problem in Pennsylvania, with 30 percent of adults being obese. This can often lead to higher health care costs,” he said.
“Healthy Ride makes it easy for Pittsburghers to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives. By making access to physical exercise easier, we are helping them to take a step toward living a healthier life.”
Kelly Housen DeAngelis, a Highmark spokeswoman, said more than 200 employees from Highmark and Allegheny Health Network registered to take part in a mass ride on Healthy Bikes that was held Sunday to show their support for “healthy, active communities, Healthy Ride and OpenStreetsPGH.”
In addition to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, a segment of the Great Allegheny Passage (www.atatrail.org), other popular nearby trails built on former railroad rights of way include:
The Armstrong Trail from Rosston to East Brady (www.armstrongrailstotrails. the Butler Freeport Community Trail (www.butlerfreeporttrail.org); Montour Trail from near Coraopolis to Clairton (www.montourtrail.org); and Steel Valley Trail (www.steelvalleytrail.org).
Information on Healthy Ride: www.pghbikeshare.org; www.healthyridepgh.com; www.healthyridepgh.com/stations.