Getting balance on bike lanes

I like bikes. Safety, too. But the proposed lane in front of my Downtown building was all wrong, and it took a lot of effort to convince the city.

The Peduto administration’s recent announcement that it will no longer seek to install a permanent bike lane on Fort Pitt Boulevard in Downtown Pittsburgh is welcome news for me as the owner of a historic five-story office building on the street. You might wonder: Why would I, a bicyclist and a progressivethinking person, spend 18 months fighting a bike lane?

When the city announced in late 2015 its plan to install a bike lane on Fort Pitt Boulevard, which would permanently eliminate car and truck parking, and even stopping, on the street, I carefully considered the pros and cons before taking a position. As a bicyclist and motorcyclist, I am wary riding on streets alongside cars and trucks whose drivers use one hand to hold a cellphone to their head. I understand how protective bike lanes can enhance safety and encourage bicycle commuting and ridership.

A steady stream of trucks regularly park at the metered spaces on my block to deliver to my building and my neighbors’ office supplies, building materials, heavy equipment and water cooler jugs. They pick up trash and recycle paper. My building has no rear loading entrance. The only access is through the front doors. My building therefore depends on the metered on-street parking out front. I wondered, if the bike lane was installed, where would those trucks, and my law firm’s clients, who are often seriously injured, park? The nearby surface lots are often filled by monthly leaseholders. The men and women driving the trucks told me there was no other suitable parking nearby.

So, I realized as much as a bike lane might bring safety to Downtown bicyclists, it would put my building out of business. I also saw closeby alternative routes for the bike lane: Riverlife had announced construction of a ramp to enable bicyclists to access the paved, vehiclefree, Monongahela River trail, just a hundred or so feet to the south. First Avenue, a quiet street that runs behind my building, and the broad Boulevard of the Allies, two blocks to the north, also seemed viable choices for a bike lane.

I never saw myself as a community activist, but I raised my hand and spoke at three city-run public meetings about how the permanent loss of on-street parking on my block would cripple my building. As I listened to the city Planning Department’s bike & pedestrian coordinator, Kristin Saunders, field questions and comments from the audience, comprised mostly of bicyclists, my heart pounded because it appeared whichever interest group had the most people in the room would carry the day.

Ms. Saunders showed PowerPoint slides entitled “GAP to the Point.” At the first two public meetings, she said the bike lane was needed to complete the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail to Point State Park. But, after the Riverlife ramp was announced, the city’s story changed. At a third public meeting, Ms. Saunders announced that although the Mon River trail was soon to be bike-accessible, a bike lane was also needed on my street. She said First Avenue and Boulevard of the Allies were not viable alternatives.

In November 2016, I was heartened to get an e-mail from Ms. Saunders telling me she wanted to learn about my building’s needs. A few days later, as my tenants and I stood on the sidewalk in front of our building and shared with her our concerns about the bike lane and our needs for on-street parking, it became obvious to me there was nothing we could say to sway her.

Realizing my concerns about the bike lane were apparently having no impact, I sent e-mails to every city councilperson and the mayor’s chief of staff, Kevin Acklin. I carefully and politely worded e-mails to make my case. I attached to each a photo of an office supply deliveryman with his truck that would never again be able to park on my block. Most council members were receptive. There was no direct response, though, from the mayor’s office.

At the third public meeting on the bike lane, I again expressed my concerns about the bike lane. Ms. Saunders, who was running the meeting, had no answers and said she would get back to me. Councilman Daniel Lavelle, whose district includes Downtown, met with me and about 20 others opposed to the bike lane on our street. He shared our concerns with the mayor. At two city council meetings, I spoke against the bike lane and in support of a Bike Infrastructure Advisory Board, proposed by Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith. She apparently thought more public input and oversight were needed on the bike lanes.

In mid-February of this year, Mayor Peduto was quoted in this newspaper on the status of the Fort Pitt Boulevard bike lane, but his words seemed ambiguous. I again wrote to Mr. Acklin, seeking clarification. Again, no direct response ever came to me. I arranged to meet with Bike Pittsburgh officials. We had a long, productive, cordial meeting in my office. We ended up appreciating and respecting one another’s positions. I offered to support their efforts to get a bike lane elsewhere and told them I would try to get others on my block to help out, too. They were appreciative and told me they did not want to see a bike lane hurt my building.

I did not seek or enjoy this 18-month fight. I thought I would lose. I’m not a bank. I’m not a big developer. How could I possibly win if my city is determined to put a bike lane on my street? But, I had to try and perhaps through my efforts, those of other concerned citizens, and city council members, we eventually prevailed.

What did I learn? I learned you can fight city hall. Maybe you can win. It may consume hundreds of hours of your time. It will probably not be fun nor easy. Like me, you’ll probably also fear taking on a powerful organization. This fight was particularly difficult for me to undertake because I had supported the head of that organization when he ran for mayor four years ago. I appreciated Bill Peduto’s work in my neighborhood when he was my councilman. I still believe he wants the best for our city. If he is re-elected, though, I respectfully hope he and his administration will handle initiatives like bike lanes in a different, more inclusive way from the beginning.