Pittsburgh Bicycle Politics : Ravenstahl is a Poseur

Bike Pgh has a series of Q&A's posed to the leading contenders for the Democratic Party's Mayoral Primary - which is the de facto election for Mayor.

Bike-Pgh: How far do you live from the City County Building? If you have ridden a bike to work please describe the ride. If you haven’t ridden to work, what steps would need to be taken in order for you to give it a try?

Robinson: I live less than a mile. I live in Crawford square, The Hill District. I love walking to work. It is a wonderful way to clear my mind. I also decompress on the way home. I can interact with my family right at the door. Walking is great for me. Cycling would speed up the process. I need the time.

Ravenstahl: I have not ever ridden a bike from my home to the City County Building. I would have to make sure I was in shape for the 5 mile ride! It would be tricky because there are highways and overpasses on the way from Summer Hill to the City County Building.

Dowd: According to Google maps, my home is 5.3 miles from the City County Building. During the summer, I ride to work on Fridays. In fact, my first trip to work by bike was with Scott Bricker as my bike escort.

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Here's some photos of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, June 2007, riding a bike in Pittsburgh. I think it's noteworthy that he borrowed a POLICE HELMET and a POLICE BIKE to make the photo op, but if the guy takes his Homeland Security vehicle out to Starlake, what is a reasonable expectation? Also, I think he's got a rainbow reflective trouser clip on one photo - guys like that give Freds a bad name.

Photo Credit: Mary Shaw

Here's a photo of a Pittsburgh Mayor riding his own bike with his own helmet:


Here's what I know about the news media and politicians -- you don't usually get enough info to know what's really going on. Sometimes you'll see a news story about a situation that you have direct knowledge of. When that happens, you form opinions about the people, positions, and presentation - and I believe those are extendable to the larger world where you don't have complete context.

When I look at Ravenstahl on his Police bike with his Police helmet, and compare him to Tom Murphy, I think to myself: Bike-wise, Ravenstahl is a poseur. I believe that may be extendable to the larger context.

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Another excellent Burgh Blog, Pgh Is A City, also has an entry about BikePgh's article.