Montour Trail-Letter

Volume 13, Issue 2

March/April, 2002

Port Authority Transit has equipped the buses on select routes with bike racks enabling their patrons to transport their bikes while they ride the bus. The program, called ?Ride, Rack, Roll,? offers bikers the opportunity to bus to and from many of the area?s recreational trails. Of particular interest, the 21A Coraopolis buses have these racks and have a stop near milepost zero of the Montour Trail.

This past summer, I tried out this service on a Sunday and engaged in a unique day trip. My trip began at South Hills Village near my home, where I transported my bike by Port Authority light rail to Downtown. I then took the 21A Coraopolis bus to milepost zero of the Montour Trail. From there, I rode my bike back to Bethel Park, a distance of about 40 miles.

The most complicated part this kind of trip was learning the cycling route. At this time, the Montour Trail has a lot of segments yet to be built between Coraopolis and Bethel Park. A few undeveloped Montour Trail segments are relatively safe to travel on with a fat tire bike. Most, however, have some hazardous conditions. There are missing bridges and bridges that are closed to trail users because they do not have a deck on them yet. (For safety's sake, please stay off the closed bridges.)

Fortunately, there are ways that all of these undeveloped segments can be bypassed via roadways. One word of advice about the bypasses: They are very hilly in comparison to the trail right of way, and you should be conditioned for them or you will be walking a lot.

Anyone who is considering riding from Coraopolis to Bethel Park should first try individual segments on different days so that the route is familiar and the demands of such a trip are understood. Alternatively, consider waiting until 2003 when most of the trail between Coraopolis and Bethel Park will be completed. Don?t forget that carrying a good tool kit is a necessity on any bike ride where you travel beyond your ability to walk back home.

Thanks to the ?Ride, Rack, Roll? program, transporting my bike on public transit was the easiest part of my adventure. However, there are some key things to keep in mind. Using the bike rack on the buses is not intuitive, and the bus driver is not permitted to leave the bus to help you install your bike in the rack. The Port Authority offers a brochure directing how to use the bike rack; this will help you greatly the first time around. Also, the bike rack on the buses only holds two bikes. Finally, be sure to get a schedule for whichever bus you intend to ride, or you may end up waiting a long time. On Sundays, the 21A Coraopolis runs as infrequently as every 2 hours.

If you are not a regular Port Authority Transit user, you need to be aware of a few quirks involving their operations. If you are riding towards downtown Pittsburgh, you pay when you board the bus or light rail. If you are riding away from downtown Pittsburgh, you do not pay until you exit. If your trip involves a connection between light rail and bus or between two buses, you can buy a transfer for the second part of you trip, but you must buy it when you pay for your first fare. The driver is not permitted to sell it to you later. And, as in most cities, you must have exact change.

For more information about bypasses around unfinished sections of the trail, see our Web page at www.montourtrail.org. Further information concerning Port Authority Transit can be found at www.portauthority.org (click on Ride Rack Roll).