Great new policy on Mayor Ballard's desk

I received a couple of awesome emails this morning from Andy Lutz at the DPW--the City Council has passed some ordinances regarding bike parking, bike lanes, and even included a 3-foot passing provision! It is currently heading to Mayor Ballard hopefully to be signed into official policy.

Some highlights:

* "The driver or operator of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle must pass the bicycle at a safe distance of not less than three (3) feet between the vehicle and the bicycle."

* The bill prohibits cars from parking or standing in a bike lane, and even calls for "immediate removal" of the vehicle. Not even a parking ticket--the offending vehicle just gets straight towed.

* The bill clarifies usage of bike lanes, strictly for bikes, "unless signage specifies joint use with pedestrians." Also, that vehicles are only permitted to drive in a bike lane "for the limited purpose of making a turn, entering or leaving an alley, private road, or driveway," and in doing so, must yield right-of-way to cyclists.

* As for bike parking, it basically says cyclists can't obstruct vehicle or pedestrian traffic or obstruct access to parking meters, newsracks, or building entrances; cyclists lock up to fire hydrants or police/fire call boxes or private property without consent of the owner. Also, bikes left on public property or rights-of-way over 72 hours are considered abandoned.

As I said, these are going to Mayor Ballard's desk. The City Council has already done their part, which is awesome and commendable. If I were you, I'd hop over to Mayor Ballard's website and voice support for these new policies. Just fill out the form choosing "Bike Lanes" in the Select a Topic field, and say, "Hello Mayor Ballard, I hope you show your support for the new policies drafted by the City Council in respect to cyclists and the city's new bike lanes. These would be great strides for the city in recognizing the rights of cyclists on the roadways!" or something to that effect.

Thanks to Andy Lutz and the members of the City Council. Hopefully Mayor Ballard approves their efforts of making Indy a more bike-friendly city!

T4America's National Call-In

A buddy of ours from Bike Pittsburgh, Erok, posted in the comments of the Transportation Bill article the other day about Transportation for America's national call-in day asking for the transportation bill to include more funding for mass transit and commuting initiatives.

This is the letter from T4America, posted over on Bike PGH:

Dear Supporter,

As you read this, Congress is working on the new transportation bill, released just two days ago. It’s a good start, but as the bill stands today, it leaves out something crucial: Clear national priorities.

With Congress moving quickly on transportation, we need you to go the extra mile today to make sure that Congress gets the message That's why we're inviting you to join our national call-in day by calling your representative's office right now It will make a real difference, and it only takes about one minute:

1. Call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak to your representative's office.


2. Tell the staff member answering the phone where you're calling from and that you'd like to urge the representative to co-sponsor the National Transportation Objectives Act of 2009 (H.R. 2724). You can add that:
   
   
   
   • You are a constituent and a supporter of the Transportation for America coalition.
   
   
   • You want to make sure the billions spent on transportation help us cut down on emissions, give us real energy security, and provide you with more affordable options for getting from A to B.


3. After you hang up, please be sure to let T4America know that you made the call. Don't skip this step! It helps us track how many members of Congress we've reached.

Without over-arching goals and targets - such as lower energy consumption, greater affordability, and expanded access - there's no way to be sure billions of dollars in transportation spending will truly deliver clean, safe and smart transportation. That's why your call today, as members of Congress are marking up the bill, is so important.

The bill has a lot of what Transportation for America supporters like you have been pushing for, but today, it still falls short. We can do better. We can't keep pouring our precious tax dollars into the same old flawed transportation system that leaves us stuck without options. Let's tell Congress to make transportation funding smart, clean, and accountable starting TODAY.

We need you to pick up the phone - make one simple call - and speak up for transportation reform.

Thank you for your support at this important moment.

Sincerely,
Ilana Preuss
Outreach and Field Director
Transportation for America