Originally Posted by
spinnaker
You could hang out in the downtown area of Pittsburgh till the sun starts to come up. That early 2nd Ave would be fairly safe. You could take that to the Hot Metal Bridge. Once there, you really don't have to worry till you hit Duquesne and by that time all the gang members probably went to bed.
But I have seen some shady goings on were the bike path crosses through Duquesne. It was on the other side of the fence. Keep my eyes on the path and minded my own business.
I frequently commute on the trail between the Homestead section of the trail and downtown, usually between 5:45 and 6:30 AM, and can say it's very safe. Every once in a while I'll see a homeless person camped out on the side of the trail between the South Side Works and Station Square but that early in the AM they're usually sleeping plus there are other commuters and joggers on the trail so I'd argue that it's pretty safe. If I don't commute I'll ride between Homestead and Dravo Cemetery in the evenings there are a lot of people out riding the trail and hanging out on the side of the road and, knock on wood, I've never had an issue or anything that's caused me any alarm and my hello's are generally met with friendly greetings in response. I take the make eye contact and greet approach, if things look less than friendly I put a little more muscle into the pedals. I've been riding through Mckeesport at least twice a week for several years and with the exception of some young teenagers on bmx bikes trying to hit on my then 16 y/o daughter when we were riding have never had an issue, though I did have to promise the wife I wouldn't ride through Mckeesport during the Antwon Rose trial. All that said, I'm not sure I'd ride the trails at night unless I have a couple of buddies with me or reinforcement in my handlebar bag.