The Community Development Department has developed a plan for both traffic calming and a network of sidewalks and bikeways for the Township of Upper St. Clair. This site provides information on the Township's Traffic Calming Policy, as well as the design, goals, research, and recent developments of the sidewalks and bikeways plan.
Traffic Calming Policy
The Board of Commissioners approved a revised traffic calming policy on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017.
Sidewalks & Bikeways
The strong belief that sidewalks and bikeways are a critical component of desirable communities has been evident from the initial comprehensive update of the Sidewalks and Bikeways Plan in 1998. The Township Community Development staff provide various resources to help educate the public, and forward that belief.
Objectives
Beginning in the summer of 1998, the Township of Upper St. Clair Community Development Department sought to fully study a network of sidewalks that would foster the concept of community and that would increase the safety of transportation within the Township. It has been the goal of the department to plan the location of these sidewalks and bikeways with the needs of residents in mind to provide:
- Students an opportunity to walk safely to school
- Pedestrians the ability to travel to points of interest
- Senior citizens the convenience to walk outdoors
- Bicyclists the freedom to ride separate from motorized vehicles.
Feedback
The Township of Upper St. Clair Community Development Department would appreciate your input on the proposed Sidewalks and Bikeways Plan. In addition to your comments, the following information would be valued.
- What areas of existing sidewalk need to be improved?
- What areas would benefit from the addition of sidewalks (whether in the plan or not)?
- What can we add to our web site?
We thank you for your time and input. Please send your comments to one of the addresses below:
Township of Upper St. Clair
Department of Community Development
Sidewalks and Bikeways Plan
1820 McLaughlin Run Road
Upper St. Clair, PA 15241
Planning Process
Upon developing a network of sidewalks and bikeways, the Township of Upper St. Clair's Community Development Department explored the role sidewalks and bikeways will serve in the community and where these sidewalks and bikeways would be installed.
Websites with pedestrian and bicyclist information:
(Note: The information contained on these outside sites does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Township of Upper St. Clair)
While Upper St. Clair Township is principally a residential community, the commercial areas provide close, convenient shopping locations. Although many residents are well within walking distance of these areas, they have no safe means to walk or bike to them. The Sidewalks and Bikeways Network will provide these residents with a safe access to commercial areas without the need to use automobiles.
Upper St. Clair Township has many popular destinations varying from historic landmarks, including the Log Cabin, to the modern internet-accessible library. These are just some of the frequented destinations in Upper St. Clair that will be accessible by pedestrians with the Sidewalks and Bikeways Network.
Upper St. Clair Township maintains first-rate facilities such as the Morton Soccer and Baseball Field Complex and the Baker School Playground. However, these parks, like many others, fail to provide adequate pedestrian and bicyclist access to residents. The Sidewalks and Bikeways Network was designed to give residents, especially children, a safe route to many parks and recreational areas that otherwise would have no pedestrian access.
Although for many years there have been calls to provide students and faculty a safe and reliable means of walking and biking to school, progress has been slow. It is a goal of the plan to provide alternative transportation to each school, making the schools part of the entire network of sidewalks and bikeways. With the completion of the network, many more students will be able to walk safely from their homes to school.
Similar under served areas are also evident in crosswalks that have no sidewalk continuation for pedestrians or bicyclists. The Sidewalks and Bikeways Network will service many of these isolated crosswalks.
Many of Upper St. Clair Township's roads are heavily traveled and it seems logical that widely used transit arteries should offer some form of alternative transportation. The Sidewalks and Bikeways Network gives residents the opportunity to walk or bike along these transit arteries without facing competition from motorists. The plan will not only provide alternative transportation, but it will also create a safer environment for all travelers.
Many Upper St. Clair daily commuters efficiently use the light rail (the "T") to travel in to the city. With the Port Authority's plans to create a T Station within Upper St. Clair, it is appropriate that residents close to this facility should not have to drive to the parking lot to use the T. With the Sidewalks and Bikeways Network, the busy roads leading to the proposed T Station will have pedestrian and bicyclist sidewalks to accommodate the community.
The easiest decision for the location of sidewalks and bikeways came with the sight of worn paths along roadsides, an obvious sign that pedestrian or bicycle travel is high in an area. Many of the worn pathways within the Township are included in the Sidewalks and Bikeways Network.
Benefits & Safety
Sidewalk amenities range from transportation to recreation to fostering a sense of community. Along with these benefits, a significant purpose of the network is to increase the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
Transportation
The Sidewalks and Bikeways Network links many popular locations within the Township, giving residents an environmentally sound alternative to driving. Such areas include parks and recreation, schools, community destinations, and commercial areas. Connecting these locations to residential areas gives better opportunities to residents to use these facilities and promotes commerce within the Township.
Community:
Where residents cannot walk their neighborhood safely they have fewer opportunities to know their neighbors and, consequently, less sense of community. The network strives to remedy these situations
Property Values
A walkable neighborhood will generally be a more desirable place to live than a less pedestrian friendly counterpart.
Safety
Children in the parks and riding bikes in the streets are everywhere in Upper St. Clair. Facilities in playgrounds and parks are held to high safety standards, and likewise safety should also be a primary concern when designing the routes to these facilities.
Many families and senior citizens go for walks and jogs and have to compete with automobiles for road space. Bicyclists also encounter difficulties on roads because there is not enough space for both automobiles and bicycles to co-exist on street. The Sidewalks and Bikeways Network is the key to safer pedestrian and bicyclist travel in Upper St. Clair.