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To: City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) & Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak

Petition against S Dallas Ave, Forbes Ave & Beechwood Blvd Safe Connections Project as designed

At a public meeting held on October 12, 2022, Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) presented its plans to change traffic patterns, restrict turns, and add pedestrian crosswalks & bicycle infrastructure in the area of Forbes Avenue, S. Dallas Avenue, Beechwood Boulevard, and Beacon Street in Squirrel Hill. The plan has been designed as a “Quick-Build” to be implemented before the Fern Hollow Bridge re-opens at the end of 2022.

Challenges with the current plans include:

1. Fails to solve some of the most dangerous existing conditions.
2. Further complicates already complicated intersections, increasing the likelihood for additional danger to all users.
3. Prioritizes commuter traffic at the expense of local residents’ ability to navigate the neighborhood safely and conveniently.
4. Removes street parking from the front of more than a dozen homes, negatively impacting safety and convenience for those residents and their guests.
5. Fails to provide safer pedestrian crossings to the existing PRT bus stops on Forbes.
6. Increases travel times for popular local routes.

Why is this important?

By signing the following, I am petitioning the City and DOMI to:

1. Meet with residents who live within the project area to draw on their experiences and collaborate on solutions to improve pedestrian, cyclist, and motorist routes without compromising safety, removing existing on-street parking, or creating new-unsafe conditions for any mode of transportation.
2. Conduct a traffic study of the project area after the Fern Hollow Bridge reopens to develop plans with current/relevant data. (Current plans utilize a traffic study conducted prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Fern Hollow Bridge Collapse).

Updates

2023-09-01 13:32:51 -0400

MORE INTERSECTION CHANGES ARE COMING: DOMI is going to restrict S. Dallas between Forbes and Beechwood to 1 South-bound driving lane.
The work will be done with paint and flex posts within the next week or so. This is being done based on DOMI’s observations rather than involving neighbors to learn from our experiences following the recently completed traffic pattern changes.

Your support of our petition successfully earned DOMI’s attention and led to some positive changes for the project.

DOMI updated the Engage Page - see August 2023 update in blue line @ middle of page. There is a drawing of what the changes will look like.
Please contact Barb Warwick’s office immediately with any concerns:

412-255-8965
[email protected]

https://engage.pittsburghpa.gov/complete-streets/s-dallas-ave-forbes-ave-beechwood-blvd-safe-connections

2023-01-15 23:02:01 -0500

Neighbors,
DOMI’s temporary measures @ Forbes, S. Dallas, Beechwood have been in place for a few weeks. How’s it going? Share your feedback with DOMI, they’re listening!: [email protected]
Based on recent feedback, here’s a summary of changes to look for soon:

- Adjustments to traffic signal cycles & timing
- Adding DO NOT ENTER signs to S. Dallas
- Late March: DOMI will collect updated traffic data to determine if Beechwood/Beacon should be an all-way stop (Question, should we add a stop sign along Beechwood @ Beacon

There will be more changes in the Spring. So far, DOMI does not seem interested in restoring S. Dallas to 2-way traffic or reversing the flow to be Northbound only. But they may re-consider if enough neighbors complain about it as a safety issues and/or cite incidents of Safety concerns.

District 5 Councilperson Barb Warwick has also been helpful. You can share your feedback with her too: [email protected]

2022-10-23 12:40:26 -0400

Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Our effort is gaining momentum and the attention of our city council representative.
The Trib also published a story about the project and our concerns.
https://triblive.com/local/plan-to-reconfigure-squirrel-hill-intersection-near-fern-hollow-bridge-concerns-some-residents/

2022-10-20 12:52:52 -0400

100 signatures reached

2022-10-19 22:35:42 -0400

50 signatures reached

2022-10-19 20:52:07 -0400

25 signatures reached

2022-10-19 18:07:06 -0400

10 signatures reached