By Ricardo Solis,
Community Initiatives Manager
Change is always good, right? We are currently making a lot of changes at Healthy Ride. We are making so many changes that even our name is changing! On March 16th we announced the upcoming retirement of Healthy Ride bikes and stations, and the forthcoming launch of a new system with a new name: POGOH. POGOH will launch in the coming weeks with 38 stations and brand new bikes including both e-assist bikes and traditional pedal bikes. POGOH, Pittsburgh’s new bikeshare program, will continue to be owned and operated by local non-profit Bike Share Pittsburgh who manages the current Healthy Ride.
The launch of POGOH takes us one step close to our goal of better serving the Pittsburgh community with a more accessible, inclusive system, and the availability of electric
bicycles and public charging stations. All these changes give us the opportunity to rethink station locations all over the city, and Garfield is no exception.
Several of Garfield’s current stations will not physically fit in their current locations with the incoming equipment, and so we’ve been meeting with key stakeholders in Garfield to find new “homes” for these stations throughout the neighborhood. Some of the feedback we’ve received includes the need for more stations in the hilltop area of Garfield so that the system reaches locations and residents off of Penn Ave. With the introduction of e-assist bikes this year, going up the hill from Penn Ave will definitely be easier and make stations along the hillside in this neighborhood far more practical.
Phase 1 will bring an electrified station to Garfield at:
- S Pacific & Penn
- Closer to the Coral – Comrie Neighborway that connects to other neighborhoods.
- Close to former station locations. Great visibility and connectivity.
Phase 2 will add 3 more stations (pending approval) at:
- Hillcrest & N Atlantic
- Pedal e-assist bikes can open the possibility for commuters to go up the hill with less effort. This was a specific request from stakeholders and community members. The future Garfield greenway may provide biking and walking options.
- S Mathilda & Penn Ave
- Closer to the Coral – Comrie Neighborway that connects to other neighborhoods.
- Close to former station locations. Great visibility and connectivity.
- Penn Ave & Roup Ave
- Closer to the Coral – Comrie Neighborway that connects to other neighborhoods.
If you live, work or travel through Garfield, your feedback is very valuable to us. Please help us find new homes for these relocated stations. You can access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GarReloc; feel free to share it with your neighbors!
These proposed stations are just the beginning. In the upcoming years we committed to expand and grow our station network. Our goal is to have a bigger and improved bike system than the current one. We want to thank you for being a part of our community for all these years, and we appreciate your patience as we start this challenging task of replacing a whole bikeshare network.
