I moved to Pittsburgh for work six years ago, and it was the Strip District that convinced me to stay. It’s a pleasant experience walking to work, walking to get groceries, walking to grab dinner. It’s definitely a massive improvement compared to getting stuck in traffic all day, every day around D.C. It convinced me to set my roots here, even if my industry has a job market that can more easily be pursued elsewhere.
The Strip District is something special, and that is something worth protecting and expanding. There are so few neighborhoods in Pittsburgh that cater to pedestrians at all, but the Strip can and should be one of them. Too bad it’s such an unnecessarily crash-prone mess. Frankly speaking, it’s heinous that anyone has to fear for their life, and it’s pretty annoying how crowded it can get on the sidewalks just to support two driving lanes.
I’m happy to hear about the city’s proposals to rightsize Penn Avenue. It’s an obvious improvement for everyone: resident, visitor, store owner, driver, pedestrian, cyclist. It’s a step in the right direction, and I hope it gets expedited.
Bruce Bland
Strip District