Indianapolis Cultural Trail

Trail signage helps cyclists, walkers stay on the right side of path.

The Cultural Trail creates a new city street environment that welcomes many different types of transportation – walking, cycling, roller-blading, even Segwaying (no skateboards, though. They’re not allowed on the Cultural Trail). While this is a great “green” development, we ALL need to better understand how to behave safely on and off the Trail.

About 60% of the Cultural Trail has separate bike and pedestrian lanes while the other 40% of the Trail has a shared bike and pedestrian path. The Trail clearly marks which path bicycles and other things with wheels versus pedestrians should take all along the route.

The Cultural Trail also features audible signals and large queuing areas at each intersection for Trail users to gather while waiting to cross safely. As users cross, the colorful intersection markings guide them to stay in their appropriate lanes to continue their journey along the Trail. The intersection markings also warn motorists that they are entering a unique area where they should be more alert to bicyclists, pedestrians and other users.

Trail signage helps users merge from separated trail into combined use path.

Cyclists should be following the same “rules of the road” as cars. In other words, cyclists should follow traffic signals and/or pedestrian crossing signals. If turning, cyclists should signal appropriately: left arm bent upwards for a right turn and left arm pointing left or downward for a left turn. Stopping should be signaled with the left arm turned downward (palm facing behind you).

Similarly, walkers, rollerbladers, and Segway-ers should also follow pedestrian crossings, avoid quick stops or other sudden movements and be aware of other users on the Trail at all times.

This diverse culture of transportation is exactly what we need to encourage if we want to reduce our dependency on cars, improve the environment and become a healthier community.  As more of the Cultural Trail is completed, it’s the perfect time to re-orient and re-educate ourselves about the basics of keeping the Trail and roads safe for everyone.

For more information about traffic and bicycle safety tips, contact the Indiana Bicycle Coalition, 317.466.9701, Info@BicycleIndiana.org, or visit www.BicycleIndiana.org.

See trash? Please pick it up. Thanks.

Now that the first half-mile is complete, we are creating a plan to maintain this as a world-class facility for decades to come. The Cultural Trail’s $50.35 million budget includes a $5 million maintenance endowment* that will provide some funding for maintenance long-term. We also plan to build a team from our partnership with the City of Indianapolis and bring in new players to help, like Indianapolis Downtown, Inc., which already provides maintenance management for much of the downtown area.

We need your help, too. The Cultural Trail provides trash receptacles, among other site furnishings (lighting, bike racks, bollards, benches) that we felt would most enhance the trail’s experience and help maintain it as a world-class amenity.

If you see trash, pick it up and place it in the trash receptacles.

If you see glass on the Trail, call us (317.713.3333). We will have it cleared as soon as possible.

If you see people vandalizing the Trail with stickers or paint or skateboards, call them names and then call us. We will make sure it is reported.

If you’re smoking on the Trail, please put out your cigar or cigarette safely in an appropriate container. The butts are trash, too. They don’t belong on the ground.

And, if you’re chewing gum, whatever you do, do not throw it on the trail or the in the plant bed or anywhere on the ground. Let’s just say that Brian Payne may personally come after you if you do!

We need to work together to keep our city clean and beautiful. Thank you for your help and cooperation!

*The Margot L. and Robert S. Eccles Charitable Fund, a CICF Fund, will match your gifts to the Cultural Trail maintenance endowment! For example, every $2 you give, it will chip in $1. Contact Gail Payne today to make a gift: 317.713.3333 or Gail@IndyCulturalTrail.org

Stormwater Planters are Greening Indy

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick is known mostly for being a bicycle and pedestrian path. It’s also adding significant greenspace in the downtown area. Along the first half-mile alone (Alabama Street from North Street to Market Street), 60 new trees, and 16,000 square feet in new shrubs, perennials and other plantings have replaced concrete and asphalt.  But did you know that many of the planting areas are specifically designed to reduce and clean stormwater runoff from the street? Typically, all stormwater on the street runs into a storm sewer and from there into our rivers and streams. These planters are dramatically reducing the amount of runoff and associated sediments and pollutants that eventually flow into the storm sewer system. These are the first stormwater planters in the city!  (Maybe even the state. We’re not sure.)

It’s great that we can learn from other cities and apply best practices to this dynamic project. The stormwater planters were inspired by Portland, Oregon, which uses them extensively throughout its neighborhoods and urban areas. Next time you’re in Portland, check out the Stormwater Walking Tour presented by Portland State University: or if you just want to learn more, check out Portland’s Sustainable Stormwater Management Program.

When you consider the overall impact of the stormwater and other planters planned along the eight mile Cultural Trail, that’s a LOT of water saved from our sewer system. The plantings will also make downtown more beautiful, green and create better air quality.

Learn more about the stormwater planters along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: http://www.indyculturaltrail.org/east.html