Get Involved
My name is Emilee Renk. I live in Friendship with my husband, Andrew; son, Benjie; and dog, Cooper. You’ve probably seen us walking or biking in the neighborhood at some point! We have been in Friendship since 2021, returning to Pittsburgh after 7 years in Durham, NC.
I am reaching out to tell you about Friendship Livable Streets, a new group to advocate for safer streets in Friendship. Across the city and county, BikePGH has cultivated a network of bike and pedestrian advocacy groups - basically small, local BikePGHs. These groups such as Better Streets Lawrenceville, Shadyside Complete Streets, and more have been effective in advocating for safer streets. However, Friendship currently lacks its own committee. I’m hoping to change that with Friendship Livable Streets.
Will you join us for a kickoff meeting at East Liberty Library - July 17th at 7pm?
Why now? There are many projects in the works for Friendship. The City needs to hear our support and feedback from residents like yourself. These include Penn Ave Phase II, which enhances sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians, and East Liberty Safety Corridor Improvements, which improves pedestrian and bike infrastructure along S Negley (among other locations).
Additionally, there have been several recent incidents, including a hit and run on Coral and Negley, and my own close calls with speeding cars while walking with my 2-year-old son. I'm sure you have your own stories of dangerous interactions while walking or biking. Documenting and communicating the impact of these incidents will make our streets more livable for everyone.
These projects need our support to succeed, as they are already facing opposition and delays. (Penn Ave Phase II is already potentially pushed to 2026, per The Bulletin!) That is what I hope Friendship Livable Streets can do.
If you live or work in Friendship and want to help advocate for safer streets, please attend our kick off meeting on Thursday, July 17 at 7 pm, Carnegie Library - East Liberty, Room 1.
Or, if you can’t make it on the 17th but want to be involved, fill out this form to get on our email list for future updates.
I look forward to meeting you and working together for safer streets in Friendship!