2016-19: Healthy Ride in Your Neighborhood
Healthy Ride is committed to creating a convenient, reliable bike share network for everyone. In 2016 we reached out city-wide to gain feedback from our riders and community members to see where YOU wanted to see new Healthy Ride stations. We created an interactive map and hosted dozens of community meetings across the city in an effort to design the best bike share system for Pittsburgh.
Early on, the goal was to reach 175 stations by implementing “Neighborhood Stations” that would be smaller in size and accommodate fewer bikes. These stations would help Healthy Ride expand into more residential neighborhoods and create a greater density of stations within the network. However, due to the exponential increase in ridership as a result of this expansion, Healthy Ride’s bicycle fleet could not support the full 175 stations and Healthy Ride made the difficult decision to pause all expansion until further notice.
The above map is a reflection of the first round of outreach that was performed from 2016-2018. We took all of your feedback and created a more connected network of 100 stations and 550 bicycles.
2020… and Beyond!
Healthy Ride continues to seek opportunities for expansion. While new stations are on hold, we want to hear your feedback on where Healthy Ride should go next. To make a station suggestion, simply fill out the embedded comment form. Your suggestions will be considered for future expansions!
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Station Planning
What Makes a Good Station Location?
You may hear us refer to “station density” and “connectivity”. These terms relate to how close stations are to one another. Isolated stations do not perform well because Healthy Ride is designed for quick bike trips that take you from one station to the next in 30-minutes or less. Below are some of the primary considerations we make when deciding on an ideal location for a Healthy Ride station:
Connectivity
Isolated stations are not thriving stations. Stations should be no farther than 1/4 mile from another station to ensure a Healthy Ride station is always a short walk from where you are.
Visibility
Stations that are hidden on side streets and away from pedestrian corridors do not see frequent usage. Healthy Ride must be visible and convenient for optimal ridership and station success.
Footprint
Each station requires a minimum footprint of 22′ by 7′. While Healthy Ride stations can be found on some sidewalks, most Pittsburgh sidewalks do not accommodate stations. When this is the case, Healthy Ride considers on-road installation. By installing stations in the area between a crosswalk and the first public parking space, Healthy Ride can avoid removing public parking.
Access to Sunlight + Clear Sky
Most Healthy Ride stations rely on solar power to maintain internal batteries. Locations that do not receive much sunlight due to urban or natural canopies are not ideal spaces for a station. Furthermore, stations cannot be located underneath infrastructure like bridges, parking garages or buildings as they require a strong cellular network connection.
Open to the Public
While Healthy Ride stations can be installed on private property with owner approval, all of our stations must be publicly accessible for community use.
Clear of Utilities
Healthy Ride stations cannot obstruct public utility lines or equipment including fire hydrants or manhole covers. We also take care not to obstruct bus stops, accessible parking spots, or loading zones.
FAQ
Q: Why wasn’t my neighborhood included in the expansion?
A: Healthy Ride prioritized connectivity for each new station. Neighborhoods that were directly connected to the network, and have safe bicycling routes linking them to other nearby stations were considered for expansion. For the 2018-19 expansion, Healthy Ride launched stations in 5 new neighborhoods: Larimer, Homewood, Squirrel Hill, Highland Park and Station Square. The rest of the expansion was dedicated to filling in gaps within the current network to build a more convenient and reliable system.
Q: When will Healthy Ride expand to my neighborhood?
A: Healthy Ride has intentions to expand its system on an ongoing basis. Just because your neighborhood was not part of the previous expansion does not eliminate it from future expansion consideration.
Q: How are new stations paid for?
A: Healthy Ride is able to expand using funding from local, state, and national grants, partnerships with local partners and Pittsburgh’s strong foundation community.
For answers to more general questions, please visit our FAQ page.