In about two weeks, Pittsburgh residents will begin to see scores of new bike racks appear throughout the city.
City Council unanimously accepted Tuesday the offer from an organization of bicycle enthusiasts to install more than 125 of the racks -- at no cost to the city.
"What this represents is the first legislation within the city of Pittsburgh that directly addresses cycling amenities," said David Hoffman, president of Bike Pittsburgh.
Bike Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership are installing the racks at a cost to the two groups of about $50,000. The racks will be privately maintained under the agreement with the city. Most would be located on private property.
The plan calls for about 115 racks to be placed Downtown to encourage bike commuters. Another 18 would be scattered around the city near coffee shops and points of interests.
The racks were designed by Wall-to-Wall Studios in the Strip District and fabricated by Red Star Ironworks in Garfield. With a circular shape that looks more like abstract art than traditional bike racks, the devices are designed to hold two bikes each.
"We were looking for something that was unique to Pittsburgh, something that was eye-catching and, ultimately, something that could be installed in a variety of places," Hoffman said. "We looked at some very complicated, beautiful designs, which would be very striking but not very practical. These were the right combination of cost, simplicity, modularity and eye-catching design."
Instead of being painted, the racks will have a shiny, galvanized-steel finish.
Hoffman said about 150 residents use bikes to commute to work Downtown -- a number that likely will increase when the bicycle racks become available. Installation will begin in early May and should be completed after several months.
City Council gave preliminary approval to the plan last week. The final version was amended yesterday to give council members, community groups and businesses a chance to provide input on where the racks should be located.
