Urban Times Facelift and article about Mass Ave. Crit

Some of you may be familiar with the local publication, Urban Times. Well, they've recently launched a new website that is pretty slick looking (I've to admit, I'm incredibly happy to see the old papyrus logo go the way of the sans serif, but that's a different matter). While I was perusing this site, I came across a nice little write up about the upcoming Cultural Trail Mass Ave. Criterium:

Competitive cyclists from across the Midwest will converge upon Mass Ave for the second straight year, taking part a series of races known as the Indianapolis Cultural Trail Mass Ave Criterium.

The event will occur from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, in the 400 and 500 blocks of Mass Ave, with the triangular course also covering Vermont and East streets. Vehicular traffic along the route will be restricted that day, although pedestrians and cars will be allowed to cross these streets mid-race.

Presented by NUVO, the annual event is described as a European-like festival which involves races in five categories, as well as a kid’s race and a bicycle safety rodeo.

Full story here.

Nice site, Urban Times. Keep up the good work.

(A bit of an update: the associated alleycat mentioned at the end of the article has actually been postponed due to logistical reasons. This will hopefully be an addition to the 2010 Mass Ave. Crit.)

Bikes & Cars - Learning to Co-exist article in Urban Times

Our reader, John M, posted this article from Urban Times in the comments section of the Bikes Lose Ground post from a few days ago. I thought we'd share it here for the readers who don't poke around at the comments too often. Though I have to admit, the use of the papyrus font for the Urban Times logo makes me shudder a bit, they cranked out a really informative article on the new bike lanes and their usage by both cyclists and drivers.

THE PLAN HAD BEEN IN THE works for over a year, this idea of creating bicycle lanes on Michigan and New York streets from the White River east through most of the city’s Eastside.

For well over a year – but suddenly they were here, and motorists commuting to and from Downtown suddenly found themselves in a different environment. It is an environment in which the car is no longer king, but merely a knight expected to share the road with other knights. Knights on bicycles.

No longer are Michigan and New York streets, as they ripple through Lockerbie Square and then farther east, three- and four-lane high-speed thoroughfares. Vehicular lanes now share the curb-to-curb right-of-way with a bicycle lane, and – just as importantly – with full-time parking lanes.

Call this, as a result, the spring and summer of learned co-existence. Motorists have to share; bicyclists have to play by the rules.

Full article here. Thanks for the heads-up on the article, John.