Bus Rider Hit by Driver in Strip District
Crash
On August 19 at 8:00 AM, a bus rider got off the bus at the corner of Liberty Avenue and 25th Street. He ran across the street, unaware of traffic, and was hit by a driver. The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with authorities while the bus rider was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Context
Liberty Avenue and 25th Street are both owned by the City of Pittsburgh and maintained by the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI). Liberty Avenue’s configuration is somewhat unique as it is four lanes at only 9.5 feet wide each. Historically, it saw nearly 20,000 cars per day, but has seen steep declines in traffic since 2019, down to just over 10,000 in 2020. It is part of Pittsburgh’s High Injury Network.
Countermeasures
Liberty Avenue before and after HSIP improvements. From EngagePGH.
The Liberty Avenue Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is already in the works. This will reduce the number of lanes on Liberty Avenue from four to three, reduce conflicts from the existing configuration with multiple lanes of traffic per direction, and provide more space for bikes and pedestrians. This could include curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands, leading pedestrian intervals, and widened sidewalks at bus stops. These improvements will make pedestrians more visible to drivers, and make drivers more visible to them. It will remove the issue where one lane of traffic is stopped behind a transit vehicle, but the neighboring lane has not stopped.
Contact
Public outreach on the HSIP project has been going on since 2021, but these projects can sometimes get delayed or even scrapped by groups saying they didn’t get enough public outreach, or by a group with strong lobbying power like the Strip District Business Association expressing their disapproval at the last minute. It is important to let public officials know that there is support behind these improvements before powerful groups who claim to speak for the whole neighborhood say that there isn’t. You can contact Mayor Ed Gainey’s office on this website or at (412) 255-2626, and Councilman Bobby Wilson’s office on this website or at (412) 255-2135, and let them know that you support DOMI’s HSIP project for Liberty Avenue.