Cycling Friendly Indianapolis

In some of my posts I occasionally make remarks about or take jabs at the drivers here in Indianapolis in relation to cyclists, and while there are a lot of idiots on the road here, I don't mean to imply that this is the fault of the city itself.  So, I want to take a moment to talk about cycling in Indianapolis in relation to what the city does to promote or deter it.

In the seven years since I moved to the city I have noticed that bike lanes and paths have started to pop up all over the place, and Indianapolis has gotten easier to navigate by bicycle with every passing year.  According to the city government, Indianapolis has 70 miles of bike lanes and plans to create over 200 miles of such lanes over the next twelve years through its Connectivity Plan. In the past year the city government also passed an ordinance mandating the inclusion of things such as bike lanes and trails into any road construction projects.  And, Indianapolis has the 'three feet rule' for passing cyclists on the street (though most drivers don't know or follow such rules).

I recently found out that the Mayor's office even has a "Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator" who answers questions and concerns about cycling in the city, and who has assured me that there is an ongoing effort to coordinate with the BMV (bureau of motor vehicles) to educate drivers on the rules concerning cyclists.  The Mayors office also has a website dedicated to this subject of cycling in Indianapolis which is quite well designed and informative.

In partnership with Indycog a local cycling advocacy group, the city recently published a "bicycle friendliness map" called the Indy Ride Guide which shows all of the current bike lanes, paths, and trails within the city, and uses a color coding system for city streets to rank them  on a scale of 'bikeability."  I have used this guide quite a bit lately and have been extremely pleased with its usefulness.  So far, my only issue with the guide is that it doesn't cover the communities to the north of Indianapolis proper like Carmel, Fishers, and Geist which due to the attitude of many of the drivers in these areas are among the most dangerous places in this area to ride on the streets, or for that matter, drive.  However, I fully understand that these areas are somewhat out of the control of the city government, and the guide is for Indianapolis.  It would be nice if these other communities would partner with the city on this, or even take steps to produce a guide of their own.  But, I digress.

The Indy Ride Guide is free and distributed through bike shops, breweries, and some retailers throughout the city.  You can even get a waterproof version, but for that you have to pay.

All of the city buses have bike racks on them so a person can incorporate a bus into their bike-commute.  There are some free bike lockers spread though downtown, and quite a few standard bike racks.  And, there is a YMCA "bike hub" near the center of the city that has secure bicycle parking, as well as showers, and bicycle mechanics.  You have to pay a membership for the bike hub, but for frequent bike commuters this would be worth the money.  There is even a program to provide free cab-rides should there be an emergency for bike and/or bus commuters.

In all, Indianapolis is a relatively decent and safe place to explore and commute by bike.  Hopefully over time it will become safer with drivers becoming better educated and getting more exposure to more bikes being on the street.  For now, in my experience, the worst areas are the northern sections where there is a high percentage of expensive cars, and the southern edges where there is a high percentage of "redneckish pick-ups."  It seems to me that these two areas will become safer only through increased pressure from the police on their pocket books--something that the local Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator has assured me will happen.  For my part I have printed off some of the pamphlets and documents available from the city's cycling website to hand out to drivers who are obviously unaware of the rules and laws regarding their driving and my riding.  This probably doesn't help much because I can't give these drivers the same "incentives" that a police officer could, but I believe it couldn't hurt.

Indianapolis has a way to go before it could be considered truly the "bicycle friendly" city it claims to be, but at least it's heading in the right direction, which, considering a lot of people's opinions on the matter throughout the city, state, and country is an extraordinary step.