New bike lane causes parking confusion for residents in Stanton Heights
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Parked cars line both sides of Stanton Avenue in Stanton Heights.
But soon, cyclists will claim a lane. Neighbors called KDKA hoping for a compromise.
"It's so much more convenient to park in front of your house to take groceries out and things like that," resident William McCord said.
McCord said he hopped on the community planning Zoom and tried to stay on top of the project information, but when the white lines popped up in front of his house, he realized he must have misunderstood.
He's parked directly in front of his house on Stanton Avenue for 24 years until this week.
"I just want full disclosure," he said. "Tell me what you gonna do, and then I can absorb it and kick it around and respond to that, but this was a surprise."
KDKA-TV found the city's presentation to the community on Youtube from a few months back, and it did show the parking noted in purple (on McCord's side of the street) would go away with a new bike lane in its place. The area marked by yellow is now where everyone can park.
McCord owns a business. His truck and attached trailer usually sit out front, in plain view of his home's cameras. He now claims he needs to park it more than a block away up the hill if he can't snag a spot across the street.
"A compromise would be OK," McCord said. "What they have on there now, you can park after 5 p.m. until 7 in the morning. That's a good compromise."
KDKA-TV caught up with cyclists testing out the new lane.
"We bike on the roads and try to stay on the white line and try to make everybody happy," cyclist Vicky Campbell said. "But for people that aren't real comfortable, it's important to have a safe spot to bike in."
They're thankful for the climbing lane's protection but understand the inconvenience for homeowners nearby.
"If I owned a home here and I parked here all the time and all of a sudden I was told I couldn't, I'd be upset," said cyclist Wayne Grassel.
KDKA-TV reach out to the city to talk to someone on camera about the new bike lane but did not hear back yet.
