[IndianaTrails] The wheel deal

[Robert J. Matter]

http://www.intakeweekly.com/articles/3/024451-6023-154.html

May 18, 2006

The wheel deal
Are local bike activists succeeding at making Indy more bike-friendly,
or just spinning their wheels?

By Neal Taflinger
INtake correspondent

The Indy Greenways are the envy of many major cities, but according to
Randy Clark, the owner of Bicycle Garage Indy, if riders must pedal past
the limits of Greenway trails, "then it's bike for your life."

Not only are the Greenway trails not connected to each other, but the
city's designated bike lanes are few and far between. Unless you live at
one end of a trail and work or shop at the other, you must ride with
traffic.

Clark is also an active member of INBikePort, a major public-private
initiative created in late 2005 to encourage Indiana residents to ride
their bikes more. The initiative urges local businesses and
organizations to create short-term and long-term bicycle parking for
their employees, among other bike-friendly amenities.

The bike port project is only one of many initiatives currently underway
to encourage an increased interest in cycling in the city.

Efforts to transform Indianapolis into a haven for safe, efficient bike
travel are divided among an alphabet soup of nonprofit and government
organizations: IBC, CIBA, CICF, MPO and more. It's hard even for those
familiar with the issues to keep track of who is working on what.

"We have the same goals in mind; it's just a matter of coordinating our
efforts," said Jim Gange, the commuter committee chair for the Central
Indiana Bicycle Association (CIBA).

Beyond the bike ports, Gange and others are trying to keep track of the
many initiatives, like the Cultural Trail project, lead by the Central
Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), and the establishment of east/west
bike lanes on New York and Michigan streets, under the aegis of the
Indianapolis Department of Public Works.

It is a grand vision, this bike-friendly Indianapolis many see for the
future. But like the initial vision for Indy's Greenways, it's getting
from here to there that's the problem.

Convincing big business

"We're out to change the commuting culture in the state," said Clark,
who believes INBikePort can do just that.

The project aims to convince businesses and organizations state-wide to
invest in "secure short-term and long-term parking (for bicycles),
access to changing rooms, showers and other amenities" for employees.

These ports could be as simple as a few bike racks, bicycle maps and
signage, or as complex as a "Transit Center," which is tied into IndyGo
routes with 24-hour access to indoor and outdoor bike storage, public
coin-operated showers, a bike repair shop and café.

Cost for business owners wishing to install such centers could range
from $2,500 to tens of thousands of dollars.

Which might make business owners balk.

But Clark believes that employers could very easily charge for bike
lockers. "You could get $25 a month out of a commuter for a locker," he
said. "On that basis, the locker pays for itself in four years."

And, according to the project promoter, the intangible returns of a
healthier workforce and long-term health care savings are the icing on
the cake.

This idea inspires cautious enthusiasm in the cycling community. "Bike
ports would make bike commuting more predictable," CIBA's Gange said.
"It's certainly ambitious, and if it can be pulled off, it would be a
real feather in the cap for Indianapolis."

Dylan Roahrig, a lifelong cyclist who's helping on another project by
the Indiana Bicycle Coalition (IBC) thinks that accomplishing even a few
of the project's goals, like making it easier for storeowners to install
bike racks in front of their businesses, would be a coup.

[PHOTO]
Map Quest: Dylan Roahrig, 34, an in-house customer service manager for
WTH Technology who commutes to work two to three days a week, has been
creating maps to help commuters find safe and efficient routes to work.

"Right now the zoning process for that is crazy," he said.

As efforts to promote the project get under way, backers are depending
on the support of both the general public and the government.

"We're just beginning to market this proposal to public as well as
private employers," Clark said.

"The organization has secured two commitments so far from the Indiana
Government Building and the National Institute of Fitness and Sport, but
both are likely months from actually installing bike ports."

Regardless of the project's progress, some business owners are making
biker-friendly amenities available to employees and customers anyway.

"When we took this building, the back bathroom had a shower," said Ron
Lewis, a 34-year-old who commutes "100 days a year" to his job as a
manager at Rusted Moon Outfitters in Broad Ripple. At Rusted Moon,
employees have access to the shower, as well as to storage space for
clothes and bikes.

Connecting the dots

Clark loves Indy Greenways, but when cyclists come to the end of trail,
they take their lives in their own hands, he said.

The Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), with help from the
city, is looking to change that.

The CICF is managing a proposed Cultural Trail that "will link our
existing Greenways and cultural districts," said Keira Amstutz, 37,
chief counsel and director of policy for the city of Indianapolis.

According to initial design plans, the trail will integrate "with
certain streets that have excess right-of-way to create space for
bicycles, pedestrians, landscape buffer and other amenities."

In the works since the late 1990s, the project has "taken a pretty
significant step forward" with the addition of Storrow Kinsella
Associates, a design firm.

"We have the basic elements of the trail, but how they are going to come
together is for the designers to help tell us," Amstutz said.

The Cultural Trail would link the cultural districts -- Fountain Square,
Historic Canal Walk, White River State Park, Indiana Avenue District,
Massachusetts Avenue and the Wholesale District -- as well as the Canal
Towpath, Fall Creek, the Monon Trail, Pleasant Run and White River
Greenways. The project is still only in the design stage, with no date
set yet for its fruition.

While the trail will be great for walking, jogging, rollerblading and
casual riding, not everyone agrees it will solve bicycle commuting problems.

Two camps exist: Those who think the focus should be solely on making
street riding safe, and those who think the key to safer commuting is
interconnectedness between street and trail riding.

[ILLUSTRATION]
Picture this: One of the proposed designs for the bike port that would
be located at the National Institute of Fitness and Sport.

"There are people who think bike trails (such as the Cultural Trail) are
the answer because they think that cyclists on the road equal
fatalities," Roahrig said. "I think the more cyclists on the road the
fewer fatalities (there will be), because drivers will be more aware of us."

CIBA's Jim Gange, however, believes that amenities like the Cultural
Trail are positive steps, because they increase the "interconnectedness
between the city streets and the trails," which makes making bicycle
commuting safer and more efficient, he said.

Changing lanes

The first step toward making cycling safer in Indianapolis also may be
the simplest: Throw down some paint and establish bike lanes on city
streets.

"I would say that having bike lane stripes, something out there to
visually give drivers notice that (riders are using the street) would be
useful," he said.

Until the city creates these bike lanes, Roahrig has another plan.
Roahrig, 34, commutes "at least two days a week" from his home in
Irvington on Indy's Eastside to his job near Butler University where he
works as a customer service manager. Roahrig is volunteering his time to
create a digital map of bicycle commuting routes for the Indiana Bicycle
Coalition so the organization can make the map available to those who
wish to ride but are unsure of the best route.

Roahrig's goal: To create a citywide map that gives cyclists "the best
route from point A to point B," he said. "It's going to take into
account traffic census, width of the street, parking on the street (and)
directionals if they are one way."

The Metropolitan Planning Office's (MPO) Multi-Modal Task Force did a
study of bike safety issues and passed recommendations along this year
to the Department of Public Works (DPW), recommending the addition of
bike lanes to New York and Michigan streets to create an east/west
thoroughfare.

But this recommendation is nothing new. In 1998, Indy Greenways, the MPO
and private firm HNTB produced a transportation plan that recommended
dedicated bike lanes along New York and Michigan streets, which
then-Mayor Goldsmith signed off on. Eight years later, there are no bike
lanes, and MPO just made the same recommendation to the Department of
Public Works (DPW).

"It's something we are moving forward with, but the funding isn't
available to do so," said Margie Smith-Simmons, public information
officer for the DPW. According to Smith-Simmons, establishing bike lanes
on New York and Michigan streets will cost more than $100,000. DPW is
currently seeking transportation enhancement grants from the federal
government to cover the cost.

"There is a 30 million dollar backlog in road resurfacing projects,"
Smith-Simmons said, "We have to look at everything in terms of priority
and what funding is available to us."

[PHOTO]
Air Jordan: Ex-pro BMX rider Jason Jordan commutes a total of six miles
to his job at The Bike Line. Scroll to the top of the page to find the
link to a video of Jordan doing tricks on his bike.

Jason Jordan, 28, understands the need for an east/ west thoroughfare.

"Nobody wants to drive their car from the East- or Westside to get to
the Monon and ride," he said.

The service manager at The Bike Line, a new bike shop on Massachusetts
Avenue, Jordan commutes the six-mile round trip each day on his BMX bike.

But biking seems to create confusion on and off the road.

Roahrig said many drivers don't understand why he is "not on the
sidewalk," because many don't know cycling on sidewalks is against the law.

That misunderstanding creates dangerous situations for cyclists like
Laura Potratz.

The 23-year-old commutes daily from the Old Northside to her job.

It's only a 10-minute ride, but Potratz has had multiple encounters with
hostile drivers . . . and walkers.

"I've been biking along in the street and had drivers scream at me to
get on the sidewalk," she said. "I've been on the sidewalk and had
people scream at me to get in the street."

Pedaling toward the future

Bike commuters are a dedicated group, but another factor at play here
could push the city's plans forward in ways that petitioning cannot:
economic development.

"The development opportunities that are coming off these Greenways and
trails are remarkable," said Ray Irvin, director of Greenways and
Bikeways for the Indiana Department of Transportation. "Everything from
new bicycle shops to new outfitters in Broad Ripple with all kinds of
sports equipment, to bicycle rentals to restaurants to coffee shops."

However, there is not a great outcry from the general public for cyclist
services, partly because bicycle commuters make up a small portion of
Indy's daily traffic. "There are not a significant number of (bike)
commuters today, be there no mistake," Clark said. But, he said, "there
will be more if certain facilities are made available to them."

[MAP]
The proposed Cultural Trail will connect bicycle and foot traffic to
five cultural districts around the Downtown area that offer a clustering
of art galleries, museums, restaurants and retail shopping.

"People tend to go with what's popular," Jordan said. "The more people
who do it, the more people will do it."

And with high gas prices, many riders believe the number of cyclists
will continue to increase.

For those who want to incorporate bicycling into their routines, the
Greenways are great assets. And cycling on city streets is safe as long
as riders stay alert and wear safety gear.

According to Connie Szabo Schmucker, executive director of the IBC, "25
percent of all car trips are one mile or less, 40 percent are two miles
or less," which can be replaced with bike commutes.

Today, all 155 fixed-route IndyGo buses are outfitted with "an
easy-to-use, drop-down, spring-loaded rack" that fits two bikes, said
Mike Terry, IndyGo's business development director. You can pedal down
Greenway trails to a bus stop and ride the rest of the way or you can
bike to work and take a bus home.

[PHOTO]
"We are seeing more people who are utilizing that opportunity," Terry said.

Still, bike lanes haven't been painted, the Cultural Trail hasn't been
paved and the first bike locker has yet to be delivered.

Yet a dedicated group of cyclists continues to commute to work, to the
grocery store, to the gym -- with hope for a brighter, more
bike-friendly future.

"What we're gonna do," Irvin said, is make Indianapolis "a better place
to live."

S I D E  B A R

*************
Join the club
*************

Bike IN
Where: White River State Park, 801 W. Washington St.
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 20-21.
Tickets: free.

The White River State Park Bike IN was originally planned as a way to
bring all the disparate elements of the cycling scene together at one
event. "From there it evolved into a popular weekend," said Bob Whit,
executive director of White River State Park.

On May 20 and 21, White River State Park will host family friendly
events like story telling, live music, walking tours, bike tours and a
documentary film screening. Free bicycle parking will be available, and
members of various cycling groups will be on hand to talk about the
movement toward a more bike-friendly Indianapolis.

Central Indiana Bicycling Association
The Central Indiana Bicycling Association (CIBA) is home to a diverse
group of racers, recreational cyclists and commuters.
Info: P.O. Box 55405
Indianapolis, IN 46205-0405
(317) 767-SPOKE, www.cibaride.org

Indiana Bicycle Coalition, Inc.
The Indiana Bicycle Coalition (IBC) works on a state level to promote
safe cycling.
Info: P.O. Box 20243
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 466-9701
www.bicycleindiana.org

**********
INBikePort
**********

INBikePort is a project to provide safe storage of bikes for bicycle
commuters.
P.O. Box 20243
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 965-5369
www.inbikeport.org
Indiana Bike-to-Work Day
Noon, May 19, Monument Circle. Pedal pushers celebrate Indiana
Bike-to-Work Day Downtown with speakers from state government and
bike-related activities. Check www.bicycleindiana.org for more information.

*********************************
How Indianapolis got its green on
*********************************

In 1909, George Kessler had a vision for Indianapolis. The St. Louis,
Mo.-based architect and city planner designated long thin swaths of land
along rivers and creeks as greenways, and tied them into the overall
city parks plan.

By 1988, the greenways had become overgrown and flood-prone, an
underutilized resource in a city looking to reinvent itself as "The
Amateur Sports Capitol of the World." Urban pioneer Ray Irvin was aware
of Indianapolis' deficiencies when it came to quality-of-life amenities
and knew of Kessler's plan. Irvin won a seat on the City-County Council
and began lobbying for the resurrection of Kessler's Fall Creek,
Brookside and White River parkways.

Irvin's goal was to utilize the plan laid out by Kessler to increase the
amount of usable green space in Indianapolis as well as increase
connectedness between neighborhoods and resources like parks, libraries
and museums. Irvin said the problem was the city had "great programs,
incredible museums, wonderful sports fields, incredible libraries, and
unless mom and dad come home to pick the kids up, they can't even get
there."

How those kids were going to feel about Indianapolis when they grew up
was also a concern of Irvin's. "For young people to stay here, we have
to offer them something," he said.

In 1991, the Fall Creek Trail was completed as a demonstration piece. By
1994, a master plan was completed for the restoration of all of
Kessler's Greenways and then some.

And overseeing it all was Ray Irvin.
Almost 100 years after George Kessler planned Indy's Parks and
Greenways, trails wind throughout most sectors of the city, proving that
if you build it, they will come . . . eventually.

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