Pittsburgh Art Commission approves portion of pedestrian wayfinding project

Pittsburgh’s Art Commission on Wednesday approved part of a major pedestrian wayfinding project, but will continue reviewing a portion of the project that has concerned some commissioners.

The wayfinding project aims to encourage both locals and tourists to explore neighborhoods and visit local landmarks, said Kathryn Schlesinger, senior mobility project manager with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

The project will bring more than 50 kiosks and 110 directional signs to busy portions of the city. Nearly half of them will be located in Downtown, about a quarter of them will be in Oakland and the rest will be on the North Shore or North Side, according to Schlesinger.

Commissioners have voiced concerns about whether so many signs could create an eyesore.

“You have to have enough of them so people don’t get lost and get confused,” city Mobility and Infrastructure Director Kim Lucas said, explaining that reducing the number of signs could make the initiative less effective.

Chris Watts, vice president of district development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, said the organization carefully considered whether signs and kiosks were in the way of pedestrians, causing unnecessary clutter or posing other issues.

Commissioners said they were comfortable with signs placed on existing poles, which account for about two-thirds of the signs.

“The other third, I thought, were questionable,” Commission Chair Andrew Moss said.

Commissioners voted to approve signs on existing poles, while holding off on approval for signs that would require new poles, as well as the kiosks.

“We will strive to have a further review as timely as we can, hopefully next month,” Moss said.

Watts offered to provide further information to commissioners about how they decided where kiosks and signs would go and which could not be affixed to existing poles.

“There were a number of signs that were within 10 feet of a light or traffic pole,” Commissioner Vivian Loftness said, explaining that she would like to explore whether those signs could be placed on existing poles.

She also suggested commissioners examine whether any of the new poles proposed in the project would become obstacles for pedestrians, create safety issues or hinder views of landmarks people like to see and photograph.