The Case for Separated Bike Lanes: Streetfilms is Coming to Pittsburgh

I want to share a couple of their videos with you so you can see how quickly positive changes can be made when there is political will and the will of people.

Streetfilms made a video three years ago called the “Case for Separated Bike Lanes” which depicts the dangerous and chaotic nature of New York’s city streets and showcasing the successful implementation of beautiful, safe, green, and accessible bike infrastructure. Sounds boring, right?

Take a look at this video, compare the view of New York streets to that of other cities seen in the video: Paris, Boulder, CO, Copenhagen, and others. These cities have made creating safe space for bicycles a priority just as we are accustomed to having safe places to walk: sidewalks.

No one would imagine motor vehicles and walkers sharing the same space. Similarly it makes no sense for bicyclists to (be forced to) share the same space with either walkers or motorized vehicles.

Notice how cars and trucks were constantly taking over the space allotted for bicycles? How a little paint on the road made no difference and provided no safe space to travel by bicycle — but how a curb, a concrete barrier, a buffered zone, a row of trees made a world of difference!

NOW, look at the amazing change just three short years later. New York is a biking mecca. Kids can ride safely, parents can ride with their kids, people can commute to work without risking their lives.

Pedestrians, then bikes, then parked vehicles, then motorized vehicles motorizing.

Photo by Neal Patel of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

All we need is a little determination to make bicycling, the incredibly cheap and healthy mode of transportation accessible to all.

We can do it here in Pittsburgh and we can do it everywhere.

We should do it here in Pittsburgh, and we should do it everywhere.

Because we need safe and accessible transportation choices for all.