The City Wants To Hear From You!
Posted By Benjamin on July 20, 2010
The city has asked us solicit feedback from cyclists on the “Blue Lane” at New York & Pennsylvania. Do you think this lane works? Do you see a way it can be improved?
In addition they are also looking for any other input that can be provided from cyclists to improve the function of the New York & Michigan bike lanes. Portions between College Ave & White River Parkway will be resurfaced and re-striped in the near future and any concerns from citizens are welcomed.
We ask that you leave your opinions in the comment section of this post or if you want, please email them directly to: report@theindycog.com
Just tell them to watch this video: http://www.streetfilms.org/cycling-copenhagen-through-north-american-eyes/
I ride these everyday. It might be useful at the “blue lane” section to have put up some of those orange traffic dividers on the north side of the lane, after the merge zone. This would prevent people from driving in the lane when they are turning right.
The other issue that I have is that when it rains it is impossible to see the lines.
A HUGE improvement on the New York St. bike lane would be to remove all parking on the south side of the street between West and College. This parking is unnecessary and just makes life easier for motorists, while endangering cyclists. This might allow New York to have three continuous, STRAIGHT car lanes, thus improving things for BOTH cyclists and motorists. People will find other places to park. Many of these parked cars are owned by folks that live downtown and simply sit on the street all week. (I know because I live on New York and Senate.) They can pay for parking somewhere! In any event, something must be done at New York and Pennsylvania for the sake of both cyclists and motorists. This is a real bottleneck. New York should be three lanes all the way through downtown, and there is plenty of room to do that. Heck, why not remove parking on BOTH sides of New York, like Michigan. Parking is too easy in downtown Indianapolis. It simply encourages unnecessary driving.
At this point, most of my issues with the bike lanes themselves have to do with pavement conditions, so repaving will be a definite improvement.
Far worse is the vehicle lane shifting on New York. At Pennsylvania, you never know if the car to the right is also going to shift or if you’re going to slam into them (and if you don’t shift quickly, will the car to your left slam into you?). The added dashed lines on the intersection pavement helped, but I think lane shift signs on the street light masts would alleviate this problem.
Between Delaware and Alabama, something needs to be done with the north side of New York. Starting just after the Mass Ave turn-off, I believe the northern-most lane is supposed to be parking-only. The problem is that it’s so wide that people think they can also drive in it. When they get to Alabama, they realize that lane really does become a parking lane and they have to merge. Something needs to be done to make that area more clear. The parking lane is so wide you could theoretically put nose-in or back-in parking spaces instead of the current parallel spaces.
I try to avoid the Michigan and New York bike lanes in between Senate and College, because I think they are too dangerous for the rider, in part because of very bad surface conditions and difficulty for drivers seeing the white bike lane markings. So, resurfacing and new, very visible lane markings. Right now, it is safer to take the C T or ride on, say, North Street. I do appreciate the City’s efforts with these streets to get the bike lanes happening, even at a low cost effort.
I would love more “no stopping” signs along New York. Many times I run into people loading or unloading in the bike lane along the track at IUPUI. When I tell them that cars aren’t allowed to park there, I get yelled at, or in one case, chased down and yelled at.
Also, before Illinois on New York there are always large vehicles loading and unloading for the building directly South of that location. They generally park everywhere in the bike lane… but rarely in the bus lane (they’d probably get in trouble for that).
General enforcement of the bike lanes would be fabulous. I feel like no one gets tickets. Considering that the city needs revenue, I feel like this would be a gold mine for them.
One last thing, kind of off topic, there needs to be signage and/or lanes and/or special warning lighting under the overpasses/heliport… especially around East/College and Market and at the start of Virginia. I feel unsafe riding there all the time. And cars can’t see cyclists very well during the day and I’ve been nearly winged several times. The College/Market bridges are especially dangerous because sometimes there just isn’t enough room for cars and bikes. I feel like this would be a smart thing to do simply because Fountain Square is such a bike-intense community.
It is great to have the bike lanes along NY and Michigan, but as mentioned above, the biggest issue is safety. As the road is currently marked drivers become confused at the shifting lanes, and often they do not follow the shifting lanes on NY (especially in the rain when it is very difficult to see the road markings).
The blue lanes are helpful, but it would be great to straighten the driving lanes of NY between Ill and Delaware (although this may cut out some parking). Other ideas might be to repave and restripe the lanes with lane markers in the intersections, or to follow the lead of other cities and separate the bike lane by a concrete curb or plastic rail.
I have loved biking to work and to socialize downtown and I really appreciate the city’s efforts to increase bicycle traffic, safety, and culture. Already our community has seen a huge increase in cyclist and this is a win win for everyone.
I’ve ridden the blue lane a half-dozen times and I think it works well. It reminds me to watch out for drivers who are not paying attention but it also gets drivers’ attention such that I’ve always looked back to see them looking right at me-well aware that I have the right away over their turn.
Regarding the lanes themselves my only concerns are the westward 1-mile sections on Michigan and New York. These areas are so poorly maintained (potholes, gaps between pavement and side-wall paving, morphing of the asphalt, subsequent ice formation in the winter) that I don’t use the lane because I’d have to slow to walking speeds in order to stay on my bike safely.
Wow. This is some great feedback. Keep it coming!
I would love to see them do something on 62nd street, putting a bike stencil in the middle of the street doesn’t help at all. I don’t mind riding with such a “sucket” attitude but it just shouldn’t be necessary. especially so close to the Monon.
My commute begins in Irvington and ends at Alabama, so I don’t often encounter the “blue line.” I guess my thought is that any sort of jog like that must be approached with caution, and no cyclist should make such a move on faith, whether it’s a right turn lane that requires cars to cross the bike lane or something more dramatic like the line on Michigan I hestitate to eliminate street parking because such parking provides a buffer for pedestrians and eliminates the need for more parking structures or surface lots.
As for the condition of the lanes in general, the condition of the street markings on Michigan and New York is just deplorably bad. I was driving on New York Street around Capitol/Illinois, and it’s nearly impossible to follow the lane lines, for bikes or otherwise. And this was in broad daylight, not during rain or darkness.
The “no stopping” issue should be enforced aggressively, as should the behavior of bus drivers, who often cruise down the lanes between stops if there are no parked cars in the way. Stopping isn’t as much of an issue in the summer, but in a few weeks people will begin using the lanes as a drop-off spot for Tech High School.
I will add a vote for “they are impossible to see when it rains” ESPECIALLY at night.
It is difficult enough to drive in the stretch from senate to college without bike lanes, let alone with them and the shifting. The traffic is dense and to watch out for cars, and to make sure you shift at the right time is hard enough.
Im 100% about making it safe, so some sort of straightening of the auto lanes, and removal of the parking on the south side of NY sounds like a great plan in my book. It would give a little bit of room to make it safe and eliminate a few parking spaces where people can park elsewhere.
What would be really cool is some sort of active campaign for cycling and cycling law awareness. Maybe billboards or something on the news or commercials or newspapers that actually lays out the law in an engaging way.
Heck, there could be another campaign to establish to the public what bike etiquette is (which side of the road to ride on, signalling, how cyclists have to follow traffic law too, etc.).
I think that these could help to establish that cyclists are here to stay as well to encourage safe cycling to more casual cyclists.
“I hestitate to eliminate street parking because such parking provides a buffer for pedestrians and eliminates the need for more parking structures or surface lots.”
Not sure pedestrians walking on a raised sidewalk really need any more of a “buffer.” And the fact is there would be no need for additional off-street parking to accommodate folks on the south side of New York. Downtown Indianapolis has no shortage of paid, off-street parking. The point is, people who rely on cars should have to pay something to park them. Free parking is simply another incentive to drive. The cost of driving should be born by the driver not the community at large.
Maybe it’s just the part of Michigan St. I ride downtown, but it seems like between Meridian up until I hit the Mo Joe’s Coffee shop, the bike lane has almost vanished.
“Not sure pedestrians walking on a raised sidewalk really need any more of a “buffer.””
I think those who know urban design well (this does not include me) would tell you that a parking lane does make a difference in this regard. Imagine yourself on a crowded sidewalk just a couple of feet away from 35 mph traffic, or with a lane of parked cars as a buffer. Which is more inviting?
As I said above, my commute doesn’t take me west of Alabama Street, so I don’t have as much block by block familiarity with New York Street around Meridian. But I am struggling to picture the “free” parking downtown, at least during the 7am-6pm period. There are lots of meters, but those aren’t free during high volume periods. While it’s true that removing parking from a couple of blocks wouldn’t tax Indy’s current parking infrastructure, applying the principle more widely certainly would. do we really want to drive up the revenue for the proprietors of surface parking lots downtown?
As for the specific stretch of New York Street, NY and Penn is the intersection of two busy one-way streets. There always will be a high volume of traffic turning right onto Penn. Even if the parking were eliminated and the bike lane were flush against the curb, there still is going to be some give and take between bikes and cars at that intersection.
My biggest complaint about the existing bike lanes would be that the lane on Michigan (starting on Indiana and continuing through IUPUI) isn’t so much a lane as it is a ditch. It not only needs to be resurfaced, but it needs much better drainage to be ridable on rainy days. I end up riding in the car lanes because the bike lane is full of water and debris.
IUPUI bike lanes = gutters. As someone who frequently makes short stops downtown for work, I’d like to say that it’s not hard to find a parking spot to jump out for fifteen minutes without parking in the bike lane (or car lane for that matter). I’d love to see this enforced better.
Placing the bike lanes along the curb forces bikes to ride through debris that has accumulated there. On-street parking is a key element of a thriving urban neighborhood. There are certainly some issues to address with the frequent jogs in the lanes, but I don’t believe that wiping out on-street parking and moving the bike lane to the curb is the answer, for a number of reasons. I also agree wholeheartedly that the parking is needed to provide a buffer for pedestrians. Providing three through vehicle lanes will facilitate faster vehicle traffic, which I don’t think will have a positive safety impact for cyclists.
I would like to see some focus on commuter routes from the southside to downtown. There are very few safe routes within the existing roadways. Meridian, Madison, Bluff Rd, and Emerson would all make good candidates for a dedicated bike lane for north-south routes. Add in a few east-west routes, perhaps Hanna, Epler, County Line, Stop 11 and we could easily see a dramatic increase in the number of commuters from the far-southside.
I’m proud of the progress our city has made so far, we can do better by including the suburban communities in the short and long term plans. Any riders from east, west, or north side want to suggest some routes?
Most of the lanes are hard to see from a car at night, maybe some type of reflective element would help? I am sure that would be more expensive, but it would be way safer. Other than that, keep them coming! I use the Allisonville lanes at least once a week, its nice to not have to drive to Castleton. I am a transplant, and they definitely have added to my experience of re-locating to Indy. Thanks.
The canal towpath reminded me again today of a sorely-needed improvement, one that would cost next to nothing.
That would be: To fill in the low spots along the gravelled portion of the trail.
There are plenty of mushy spots, some that are soggy puddles and others that are brownish-mud colored. Add into that wheel potholes from the IWC crew trucks, and it’s in rather sketchy condition.
I have asked the Greenways folks multiple times to fix it up over the years but other than filling the potholes now and then, not much gets done.
It needs someone with a pickup truckload of the limestone dust to sprinkle a half inch or so into those low places from time to time so it gets built up and stays solid after rainstorms.