The 2017 Bike to Work Day morning commute stats are in!

Since the Penn Ave Bike Lanes were installed, on Bike to Work Day (2015, 2016) we’ve been counting bikes and cars at the intersection of Penn Ave and 10th St to capture a snapshot of the protected bike lanes. While the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership maintains live bicycle counts at three locations within the bike lane, we also wanted to count cars to see what is the make up of travelers on Penn Ave. It’s safe to say that we were admittedly surprised at the initial results.

The count is now in its third year, and the results are about the same as the previous two years.

A full one quarter of all traffic along Penn Ave during the morning commute, 7:30am to 9:30am, were people on bicycles.

We counted 198 bikes and 591 motor vehicles during this period.

During the peak of the morning commute, 8:00am to 9:00am, the percent of people riding bicycles raised to roughly one third of all vehicles, or 121 bikes to 296 motor vehicles.

Penn Ave is arguably the most studied City street, with the bike lanes benefiting more than just people on bikes. Intersections, 16th and Penn for example, move much smoother now that opposing traffic isn’t blocking the way. Pedestrians also have an easier and more pleasant experience.

Previous to the bike lanes, the City would station several police officers along Penn Ave between 16th and 12th Streets, every single morning, in order to help people cross. This is no longer necessary. We look forward to the day when the lanes extend into the eastern neighborhoods and to Point State Park.

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