When she moved to Pittsburgh nine years ago, Megan Shalonis was afraid to bike to work.
“I think people were a little hesitant about bikes here at first,” said Ms. Shalonis, 27, who lives in Lawrenceville, works at the Fort Pitt Museum and now commutes on two wheels “any day that I can.”
That times have changed for city cyclists was on full display Sunday, as Pittsburgh Bike Share rolled out its gleaming racks of Healthy Ride bicycle stations during the Open Streets PGH event series, when 3½ miles of streets from Market Square in Downtown to Lawrenceville were closed to cars in deference to bicyclists, roller skaters, runners and pedestrians while competitors in the Steel City Showdown bicycle race zipped across the Clemente and Warhol bridges at Sixth and Seventh streets.
“I’m glad they’re promoting it,” said Ms. Shalonis, who was standing by her bike in Market Square as riders checked bicycles back in at a Healthy Ride station on Forbes Avenue in front of Dunkin’ Donuts. “It’s exercise, it’s fun.”
The debut of the system, which will eventually number 500 bicycles at 50 kiosks, didn’t quite go off without a hitch. Because of a problem processing payments, the automated kiosks weren’t working.
“We are working to get those running right now,” said Erin Potts, Pittsburgh Bike Share’s director of marketing. “We need the payment module to be fully functioning.”
Eight stations were open Sunday: at Federal and Isabella streets by PNC Park, along Penn Avenue at 10th, 12th ,17th and 21st streets, and along Butler Street at 37th and 42nd streets.
Ms. Potts said Pittsburgh Bike Share, a nonprofit funded by foundations, a federal grant and corporate sponsorship, hopes to have the problem fixed by the end of the week. In the meantime, customers can still rent bikes, at a rate of $2 per half hour, through the Nextbike mobile app, the customer service number or a member card.
All users must register before renting a bike, and payment can only be made with a credit or debit card.
Despite the glitches, the feedback was “overwhelmingly positive,” Ms. Potts said, noting that about 50 of the first bike share customers, joined by 50 other bicyclists, kicked off the day with a mass ride from Market Square.
“I was impressed with how patient people were and how eager they were to use the system,” she said.
During the coming weeks, Pittsburgh Bike Share’s 10-member staff will track usage to look at ways to tweak the system’s offerings and locations to create better “connectivity” among neighborhoods.
“I’m very intrigued to see where Pittsburgh wants to take their bikes,” she said.
Kim Ressler, her husband, Mike, and 17-year-old son, Sam, came down from Mt. Lebanon to check out the event, walking to Lawrenceville from Market Square and biking back on Healthy Ride bicycles, using the new bike lanes on Penn Avenue.
“I felt much safer in the street with the bike lanes,” Mrs. Ressler said. “It’s nice to see all the people. … It’s always fun to come down here and see people around Downtown.”
Robert Zullo: rzullo@post-gazette.com, 412-263-3909 or on Twitter @rczullo.
First Published: June 1, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
