In his column ”Don’t mess with the Strip” (March 15, TribLive), Joseph Sabino Mistick paints a romantic picture of the Strip District, a neighborhood that has grown and evolved over time, especially in the past decade. He’s right about one thing — the Strip is a treasure. But treasures need care, and right now, Penn Avenue is not safe for the very people who make this neighborhood thrive: shoppers, visitors, workers and residents.
Penn Avenue, in its current form, is failing. According to city crash data, the street is the site of numerous crashes, serious injuries and near misses. Drivers are often seen going the wrong way. It’s even included in the city’s High Injury Network, which are the very streets that Mayor Ed Gainey is working to improve as part of his Vision Zero commitment. People walking, biking and even driving are put at risk daily because of outdated infrastructure that encourages speeding and aggressive driving over safety. One of the main factors allowing for such high speeds is simple: Penn Avenue goes from a single lane to two lanes at 31st Street.
Penn Avenue is a place where people shop, eat and socialize. But right now, the section between 31st and 22nd — where the changes are proposed — operates less like a neighborhood street and more like an arterial. Through talking to the affected businesses and using traffic engineering best practices, the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) is proposing a fix that will make Penn Avenue safer and more welcoming to everyone — including those in cars, but also for the pedestrians who fuel the Strip’s economy as well as the residents who ride bicycles and depend on safe routes to get where they need to go.
The reality is that this change won’t “choke” traffic or “impede access” — between Liberty Avenue and the river there are currently up to 14 lanes dedicated to moving or parking motor vehicles. It’s about creating a safer, more predictable and more livable street. Additionally, through discussions with the affected businesses, DOMI is working to accommodate their individual needs with a loading zone revamp.
One of the most misleading parts of this debate is that this project will somehow destroy the Strip. What’s missing from the conversation is a key fact: This redesign only affects the eastern section of Penn Avenue by continuing the single inbound lane from 31st Street to 22nd Street — not the heart of the Strip. After discussions with businesses, they chose to leave the existing street configuration untouched below 22nd Street. If this were really about “saving the Strip,” then why are we debating changes to a section of road that’s outside its core?
It’s also important to recognize that the Strip isn’t just a destination — it’s a neighborhood. More people are living in the Strip than ever before (and growing), and these residents have made it clear that they want to safely walk and bike to work or to the shops on Penn. We all know that if people don’t feel safe walking and biking, they will simply drive more, further exacerbating parking, traffic and safety issues.
Pittsburgh’s Strip District is still evolving, just as it has for decades. The idea that it should remain frozen in time, untouched by improvements that make it safer and more functional, ignores the very spirit of adaptation that has always defined this neighborhood.
We all want to preserve the Strip. The city’s proposal is recognizing the reality of the moment and trying to make sure the Strip is a safe and accessible destination for generations to come. The question isn’t whether we should make Penn Avenue safe at the expense of businesses. It’s whether we’ll embrace a future where Pittsburgh’s most beloved places are designed for people — not just cars.
Scott Bricker is executive director of BikePGH, whose mission is to make biking and walking commonplace for all Pittsburghers in order to improve our quality of life and reduce the harmful effects of car dependence in our communities.