IBJNews

  • Home

Council approves 'Complete Streets' proposal

IBJ Staff
August 15, 2012
Keywords
Architecture/Design, City-County Council, Construction, Government, Government & Economic Development, Local Government, Public Transportation, Real Estate & Retail, Street Improvements, Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
Back to TopCommentsE-mailPrint

An ordinance that would require new and rebuilt streets in Indianapolis to be designed and constructed with multiple users in mind has been passed by the City-County Council.

Councilors on Monday unanimously approved the measure known as "Complete Streets," which calls for planners designing roads to look beyond the needs of motorists—to also consider pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation users.

The ordinance was initiated in June by City-County Council President Maggie Lewis, a Democrat, and co-sponsored by Democrat John Barth.

“As Indianapolis continues to grow, it is essential we plan for the safe and mixed use of our streets and sidewalks,” Lewis said in a prepared statement.

Lewis introduced the ordinance that had been championed by advocates for several years. Health by Design—a coalition working to ensure that neighborhoods, public spaces and transportation infrastructure promote physical activity and healthy living—coordinated the effort.

Design elements might include sidewalks, bike lanes, special bus lanes, safe-crossing areas, median islands and accessible pedestrian signals.

The ordinance needs final approval from Mayor Greg Ballard.

 

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Good idea
    ChristyAugust 16, 2012 10:19 AM
    I live less than 1/4 mile from the nearest grocery store - I can almost see it from my front yard. But I wouldn't walk there without a death wish. The one time I tried to bike there, I got yelled at and nearly run off the road. So I drive, even when I just want to pick up a couple of items. Anyone notice that we're now a top 10 state for the % of residents who are obese? It doesn't help us get fitter (and reduce health care costs) when we're forced by bad planning into cars for all of our trips.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Russ.....
    JoeAugust 16, 2012 8:12 AM
    I live near DT, because I can't afford the burbs either emotionally or economically. I also don't drive. Projects like the CT allow me to move through town, get to work and stores. Without these innovative projects, People without the option to drive would be forced into a hostile street occupied by single mode idealists like yourself. Before you criticize improvements to a city, please understand the workings of a multimodal system. The less people that rely on the car to get them around, the less traffic for those that do.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • short sighted
    CurtAugust 16, 2012 7:27 AM
    Hey russ, you ever think of taking something other than a bus to get around? Might change your perspectives when you think that there will simply be more congestion
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Complete Streets?
    RussAugust 15, 2012 3:23 PM
    Look at Georgia Street as the city's example of a "complete street"... less than a year old and falling apart already. Nothing wrong with improving infrastructure, but to add medians, bike lanes, bus lanes, wider sidewalks, etc. means you need wider streets. Downtown can't support wider streets, so you eventually need to cut into existing traffic lanes to do that (see the Cultural Trail), which is going to make downtown traffic more congested during rush hours and special events and people are going to avoid it. Nobody is going to ride a bike downtown in the middle of winter. Maybe the city should think about fixing and the existing sidewalks and stabilizing existing infrastructure before taking on these kinds of pie in the sky projects, especially when uppity so-called "urban dwellers" like to badmouth others for where they choose or can afford to live.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
    • Thank you!
      Marc East INdyAugust 15, 2012 1:44 PM
      I want to thank you for leaving Marion County. We don't need folks like you that have no vision and don't want to improve the quality of our city. Indianapolis being an urban core needs streets that work for more than commuters from the suburbs. Having sidewalks, safe crossings, bike and transit lanes improve the quality of life for urban dwellers. We don't just need roads that take us to the suburbs, live in your strip mall paradise while we enjoy our beautiful city!
      Reply to CommentFlag Comment
    • Just another reason to leave Marion county
      bda1205August 15, 2012 1:34 PM
      Moved out of Marion county over 10 years ago to escape the ridiculous property taxes. Now Indy is blessed with 'visionaries' that are more concerned with amenities for 'Complete Streets' than I am willing to contribute via tax dollars. Good job Democrats, say goodbye to my tax dollars forever! The more you spend, the less we visit so it hurts the merchants, too.
      Reply to CommentFlag Comment
      • Great!
        RickAugust 15, 2012 1:09 PM
        This is good news - Indianapolis is way too tough to walk around in many places.
        Reply to CommentFlag Comment
      • LMAO
        Ben Del VecchioAugust 15, 2012 11:52 AM
        What a laugth
        Reply to CommentFlag Comment

      Post a comment to this story

      COMMENTS POLICY
      We reserve the right to remove any post that we feel is obscene, profane, vulgar, racist, sexually explicit, abusive, or hateful.
       
      You are legally responsible for what you post and your anonymity is not guaranteed.
       
      Posts that insult, defame, threaten, harass or abuse other readers or people mentioned in IBJ editorial content are also subject to removal. Please respect the privacy of individuals and refrain from posting personal information.
       
      No solicitations, spamming or advertisements are allowed. Readers may post links to other informational websites that are relevant to the topic at hand, but please do not link to objectionable material.
       
      We may remove messages that are unrelated to the topic, encourage illegal activity, use all capital letters or are unreadable.
       

      Messages that are flagged by readers as objectionable will be reviewed and may or may not be removed. Please do not flag a post simply because you disagree with it.

      ADVANCED SEARCH
      Sponsored by
      ADVERTISEMENT

      facebook - twitter on Facebook & Twitter

      Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ on Facebook:
      Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ's Tweets on these topics:
       
      Subscribe to IBJ

      1. liek the rest of America

      2. These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.

      3. It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.

      4. No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.

      5. whoa!

      ADVERTISEMENT