Project for Public Spaces (PPS) announced last Friday at the closing of Pro Walk Pro Bike 2012 in Long Beach, CA that the next location for their conference will be held in Pittsburgh. Pro Walk Pro Bike is one of the leading bike/ped conferences in the world, attracting nearly 1000 planners, engineers, advocates, elected officials, public health officials, and urban designers to participate in the week long symposium.

Why Pittsburgh? "It certainly doesn't hurt that we rank 4th in the nation in terms of biking and walking as primary modes of transportation," said Scott Bricker, executive director of Bike Pittsburgh. He added, "There's been a buzz about Pittsburgh for years in the biking and walking world, but it remains a hidden gem. Pro Walk Pro Bike will be the great unveiling of Pittsburgh to all the leading advocates, elected leaders, planners, urban designers and engineers who are transforming cities throughout the world into world class places for biking and walking. It will be our time to shine, to show off our wonderful neighborhoods, riverfronts, bridges, public spaces, bikeways and steps, but also learn from the best and brightest how to make Pittsburgh's neighborhoods and streets safer and more livable."

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Park(ing) Day is an annual international event in which artists, urban designers, activists and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform parking spots into "PARK(ing)" spots. 

The one-day happening is an opportunity for people to reflect on how important public spaces are and how parks improve our streets and communities. 

These parklets aim to transform urban real estate, typically designated for private vehicle storage into a open space for public use. Park(ing) spaces come in all sizes and styles. It could be an art installation, interactive demonstration, place to sit, or showcase for urban farming and gardening. Inspired? Take over a spot, feed the meter, and invite people to join you for a conversation.

Over 20 locations are currently planned around Pittsburgh for the event.

BikePGH will host a Park(ing) Day location at 2031 Penn Ave outside of Reyna Foods. Stop by and say hello!

Click here to find out more and to see all the locations.

Mark your calendar for this year's Day of Giving: Wednesday, October 3. It runs from from 12:00 a.m. ET until 11:59:59 p.m. ET.

Never been a member? Need to renew? We will honor PittsburghGives donations toward membership!

This is a great opportunity to give. All charitable donations made to Bike Pittsburgh through PittsburghGives.org on Oct 3 will receive a portion of The Pittsburgh Foundation's matching pool of funds. 

PLUS, we lined up an additional match from a generous private foundation and a local donor so that we will be able to match your donation dollar-for-dollar up to a total of $10,000! 

Spread the word and help us get even more people donating for the first time to Bike Pittsburgh, and help us unlock the additional $10,000 match! 

Visit PittsburghGives.org to find out how you can make a donation on October 3rd that will directly fund the development of bike lanes, installation of bike racks, printing the Pittsburgh Bike Map and Bike Commuting 101 Guide, fun events, and the development of bicycle-friendly policies for the City of Pittsburgh. 

If you need to renew your Bike Pittsburgh membership through the end of this year, or are not yet a member, give on October 3 through PittsburghGives.org and it will count as your membership dues. Or, if you're a member in good standing, please consider giving an additional gift to help us expand our efforts.

Get your limited edition BikePGH 10th Aniversary T Shirts. These 3 color prints are on a high quality 100% cotton light Grey shirt. 

Front says "Celebrating 10 Years" and "Working to make our streets safer since 2002." 

Reverse says "You've got a friend in BIKEPGH.ORG Pennsylvania."

PGH Skyline & "You've got a friend..." image on reverse printed with retroreflective ink. 

$20 each includes Shipping & Handling.

Available in Unisex and Women's sizes. Sizes available while supplies last.

We still have BikeFest 2012 Shirts available as well.

Click here to see options.

We were enthused to say the least by last week's announcement that by spring of 2013 the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail will at long last be completed between Pittsburgh and Washington DC. 

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The 24th annual Month of Mud is about to get underway. If you want to try your hand at cross or mountain bike racing, this is one of the best opportunities around. Check out Month of Mud for more details. Races run every Sunday (except September 30th) from from September 23 through October 21.  

It's no secret that parking meters act as de facto secure bike racks. Removal of the meters will seriously impact the number of available secure bike parking spaces, leaving less secure sign posts, garbage cans, trees, or whatever happens to be around for people to lock their bikes. Also affected will be businesses who stand to lose parking that their bicycle riding customers depend on. 

Fortunately, as soon as the plans were announced, BikePGH began working with the Department of Public Works, Planning, and the Parking Authority to address the issue head on. What resulted is that DPW will be bolting standard "hoop" style racks (like the one pictured on the right at the Jewish University Center in Oakland) in affected neighborhoods as soon as possible after the meters are removed. They will not be converting the left over meter poles into racks like some cities have done with mixed results. Depending on the block anywhere from one-third to one-fifth of the meters will be replaced with bike racks.

Unfortunately, due to space issues on narrow sidewalks, the meters need to be removed before the new racks are installed, so expect some transition time as there are two agencies handling their respective roles.

We learned some lessons from Philadelphia among other cities on what not to do when removing parking meters. We very much want to avoid any situation where a worker removes a meter while a bicycle is locked to it, leaving the bike ripe for the picking. In order to avoid this, the Parking Authority has asked us to pass along the following important information:

1. The new pay stations will be installed while the old meters are still active, with about one week of overlap as the new stations are tested. After the new pay stations have been installed, the meters will be removed shortly thereafter. 

2. They have assured us that they will not be removing meters with bikes attached. Rather, if they come upon a meter that needs to be removed, but is occupied by a bicycle, they plan to tag the bicycle to warn that the meter is set for removal and that the bike should be moved. Once the bike is removed, they will remove the meter.

Very important: if you see a new pay station present, please do not lock your bike to the meter long-term.

Police describe the man as a tall and slender white male in his 20s or 30s with very short hair and a receding hairline. He is suspected of following cyclist Colin Albright up the city steps in the South Side and stabbing him in the arms, neck and head before severely slashing his throat, police said in a news release.

A fundraiser held last weekend at OTB Bicycle Cafe along with online donations made through Bike Pittsburgh have raised needed dollars to help Colin with his medical bills. If you would like to make a donation please click here. Please put "Colin's fund" in the notes field at checkout.

If you have any information on this crime that can help homicide detectives make an arrest, please call 911 immediately.

• Add your voice in our advocacy for safe streets and better biking and walking facilities 
• Get discounts on great events like tickets for BikeFest! 
• Demonstrate your support for our mission and vision
• Join the fun and exciting bicycling community in Pittsburgh
• Receive a receipt for a tax-deduction  
• Receive discounts from dozens of local bike shops and businesses that support a bicycle-friendly Pittsburgh