Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Check Out Pittsburgh’s New Bicycle “Merge Lane”

Photo: Will Bernstein via Bike PGH

Transitions where streets suddenly change are a tricky part of bike lane design. Here's how street designers in Pittsburgh handled the transition where a two-way bike lane ends at a T-intersection -- with a "merge lane" for cyclists turning right across motor vehicle traffic.

Bike PGH is enthusiastic about the new design:

Have you had a chance to ride the two block extension of the Penn Avenue bike lane in Downtown? It ends in a great new "merge lane" that smoothly shepherds people riding their bike in the direction of Point State Park into the traffic lane marked with sharrows proceeding in that direction.

Big thanks to the City -- especially the Planning and Public Works departments -- for designing and putting in this great lane. We’re fans of this configuration because it’s straightforward and really well marked.

So, what do you think of the new design? The City has tried something relatively new with this one, so leave a comment with your thoughts once you’ve had a chance to ride it.

Here's another view courtesy of Bike PGH. What do you think?

PIC_2015_PennAveProtectedMergeLane-1
false

Elsewhere on the Network today: Bike Portland looks at the irrationality of downtown parking prices that are cheaper than a bus fare. Streets.mn reports that sensible infill development in Minneapolis was sunk by -- what else? -- single-family zoning. And Seattle Bike Blog posts about the city's use of red light camera revenues to improve school safety.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Here’s Everything Wrong With the Judge’s Order to Rip Up the 31st Street Protected Bike Lane

A Queens judge overstepped her jurisdiction when she ordered the city to rip up a protected bike lane in Astoria, experts said.

December 9, 2025

MTA Still Won’t Embrace Open Gangway Subway Cars

The see-through cars have been standard across the globe for a generation, but to the MTA, it's still untested technology.

December 9, 2025

How Much Will New Yorkers Pay For Trump’s Penn Station Redevelopment Scheme?

New Yorkers could wind up paying twice for the new Penn Station: once when Amtrak comes asking for money and then when a private developer makes their money back from the project.

December 9, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Clearing the Air Edition

We've been clear that congestion pricing is working. Turns out, congestion pricing was, too! Plus other news.

December 9, 2025

NYPD Finds Mysterious Corpse in Car With Illegal Tints Parked at a Hydrant Near Stationhouse

The discovery is a gruesome demonstration of the NYPD's systemic failure to enforce parking rules around its own station houses.

December 8, 2025

Who Rides on the Sidewalk? To NYPD, Just Blacks and Hispanics

The NYPD has ramped up its enforcement against cyclists for squeezing pedestrians, but in a very suspect manner.

December 8, 2025
See all posts