Indianapolis Cultural Trail

by Kevin Osburn, ASLA, Rundell Ernstberger Associates, lead designer Indianapolis Cultural Trail

From October 6 – 10, I was invited to attend the Walk 21 Conference in NYC to speak about the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. An annual, international conference highlighting Walk 21’s worldwide efforts to promote the development of healthy, sustainable, and efficient communities where people choose to walk. The folks at Walk 21 “have a vision to create a world where people choose and are able to walk as a way to travel, to be healthy and to relax.”

The conference was hosted by the NYC Department of Transportation, who, under the leadership of Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, has implemented an inspiring series of pedestrian and bicycle improvements throughout New York City, including the closure of lanes of traffic on Broadway Avenue from Columbus Circle to Madison Square to create additional space for pedestrians and bicyclists. By making these improvements in a very quick, efficient way, the DOT has seen substantial positive results, including reduced traffic fatalities, more efficient traffic movement, significant increase in the use of bicycles as a mode of transportation, and widespread public support. These projects, combined with the recently opened High Line in the city’s meatpacking district, made New York City the perfect venue for a conference focused on the state of the art in walking and bicycling.

I had the opportunity to speak with people from around the world – Mexico City, Toronto, Bogotá, Copenhagen, London - who were very interested in what we are doing here in Indianapolis. Most were impressed by the scope of the project and the amount of private dollars donated; others were impressed by the design – the use of high end materials, attention to detail, sustainable design practices, and the innovative manner in which the project is being integrated into the city’s grid of streets. All were amazed that the project is actually being built - I heard many stories of well intentioned pedestrian and bicycle projects that are awaiting funding or the political will to move ahead.

Though short, the trip to the Big Apple was refreshing and recharging. The interest and enthusiasm generated by our project confirmed several things for me:

• we are on the right track – with the on-going implementation of the ICT, Indianapolis is on the cutting edge of 21^st century urban design.
• we are building something that is unique to our city – this is not a design that can be easily transported to another city.
• this project will transform the way current and future generations experience and move about our city and is leading the way toward a more sustainable, walkable, healthy, and liveable city.

Click here for a short film about the Walk 21 NYC conference.

by Brian Payne, President, Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF)

In early November, I attended the CEOs for Cities national meeting in Chicago, Ill. CEOs for Cities is a national organization that works with a cross-sector network of urban leaders to create next generation cities that excel in talent, connections, innovation and distinctiveness and are therefore able to best address the challenges of the day.

The meeting discussed the findings of a new study, City Dividends by Joe Cortright, an economist from Portland, Oregon, which “calculates the monetary gains the top 51 metros could realize if they increase their college attainment by one percentage point (The Talent Dividend), reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by one mile per person per day (The Green Dividend) and reduce the number of people in poverty (The Opportunity Dividend) by one percentage point.” (from www.ceosforcities.org)

The study reports that our metro area could gain an additional $1.3 billion by realizing the Talent Dividend; $305 million through the Green Dividend; and $138 million in one year from the Opportunity Dividend.

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick addresses the Talent Dividend by helping attract and retain more highly educated, creative talent to Indianapolis who want to live in a more walkable urban, vibrant and connected place. It also helps address the Green Dividend by providing a safe and beautiful pathway for walking or biking that connects you directly to every major arts, cultural, heritage, sports, and entertainment venues and within a few blocks of the largest employers in the downtown area. 

According to this study, one could deduce that the Cultural Trail will help Indianapolis realize and redirect an additional $1.6 Billion per year toward more positive economic development.

The Green Dividend requires walkable, sustainable cities. Yet, people need a reason to walk. They need to be conveniently connected to places and the journey needs to be interesting as well (i.e. other people need to be there, too). They also need to feel safe and comfortable walking (i.e. parallel parking can provide a comfortable buffer and provide a safer walking environment).  The Cultural Trail provides the connectivity, safety and inspiring environment that will draw more people, creating a vibrant urban experience.

Another speaker and a renowned leading environmentalist with Serrafix, Douglas Foy said “Cities are for people, not for cars.”  He offered five related key messages/strategies for cities:
1. Cities that are greener are inherently more efficient.
2. Cities that focus on pedestrians will have a competitive advantage.
3. Zoning of the past 100 years has been a huge mistake.
4. Cities must maintain transit systems and make them better.
5. Cities should use conjestion pricing tools and other incentives to get people out of cars, such as shared cars, shared bikes and shared parking.

Lastly, the meeting noted five characteristics of great cities:
1. Great neighborhoods
2. Urban density for effective transit
3. Not-for-profits leading and creating intellectual property
4. Water that is celebrated
5. Green energy

None of this is shocking or necessarily new information. However, it is helpful to show the monetary benefits associated with making incremental improvements, such as increasing our college educated population by ten percent or reducing our VMT by one mile per day. It’s also helpful to have outside sources giving us a very clear roadmap for success based on research, trends and examples.

Indianapolis is a great city that keeps getting better. We still have our work cut out for us to remain competitive for talented, highly educated employees and residents who can live anywhere in the world. This study is one more important source showing that the Cultural Trail offers very tangible and economic benefits that the City of Indianapolis will reap for decades to come.

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.