A Modest Proposal: Bike-Friendliness in Indy

Carmel's a "bicycle-friendly community."

If you climb on your two-wheeler and pedal north on Indy's Monon Trail, you may have noticed that slightly past 96th Street as you enter Carmel, there's a smallish blue and white sign. It says, "Bicycle Friendly Community," and it was awarded by The League of American Bicyclists. If, however, you turn around at the nicely appointed trailhead between 96th and I-465 and head back south, you won't see such a sign as you enter Indianapolis.

Why is that? Indy would like people to think the city is bicycle-friendly, but is it? In a word, "No." Most of the city's cyclists would agree, particularly those to whom riding is more than just weekend jaunts from Mass Ave to Broad Ripple for ice cream at BRICS. The city's glorification of the Monon and Cultural trails and officials crowing about the same bike share program found in other medium-sized and smaller cities notwithstanding, Indy has work to do. Here are a some suggestions for improvement.

• Pass, enact, and enforce – especially enforce – a safe-passage law, and educate drivers about what the phrase means. Too many seem to think it's "A couple of feet between my door handle and the bike frame."
• Clean debris and gravel from existing bike lanes once in a while. Cut back overhanging undergrowth on trails, and even some roads. Refresh the stripes on the (few) bike lanes, and repair potholes and broken pavement.
• Enforce no parking regulations in bicycle lanes (as well as the trash can at 37th and Illinois).
• Repair, correct, and update maps on trails. Include a "you are here" marker.
• Design bike lanes and multi-use trails for adult-sized bicycles, not kiddie bikes with training wheels. A full-sized bicycle can't come to a complete stop while making a right-angle turn in a square the width of a standard sidewalk.

None of those steps would require a significant investment in infrastructure, but all would show that the city is willing to commit to bicycle friendliness. How 'bout it, Indianapolis city government?

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