Now that How Indianapolis Built America, the catalyst for NBG Blueprint – Interconnecting America with a Network of Coast to Coast Bicycle Villages are both published, I need to now turn my attention to getting the great cycling in this city known about. I need people to come here to see our downtown for themselves. I need to show why our NBG Anchor Cities would want to replicate the only Downtown Greenway in the world, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick. I need for them to see the power that results from the Greenway system that radiates out from our center of commerce to enrich this city.
From vastly increased property values, to a building boom along its right of way, to swelling cash register receipts, to an explosion of tourist visits from all over the world, to Quality of Life benefits such as greatly reduced traffic congestion to the peace of noise abatement, to cleaner air to a healthier populace and the return of the Commons where locals regularly have face-to-face encounters, etc., the benefits of a Downtown Greenway are endless. All this as a viral Downtown Greenway can spawn the birth of other Greenways that can also all radiate out from all of our Anchor City downtown centers.
So there is not such a huge disconnect between this bicycle heaven and Indianapolis International Airport, the top rated airport in North America, my first order of business will be to research how we can turn this connection into an enjoyable bike ride. And the canvas upon which all of this can be painted already exists. From Harding, where Eli Lilly and Company has its mammoth Technology Center, Minnesota Rd extends for 5 miles all the way to Perimeter Road. For 5 miles more, Perimeter has wide bike lanes, no driveways or buildings of any sort and only one lightly traveled cross street, all the way to the airport!
All this as Minnesota has a generous, wide shoulder that only needs asphalt. Once paved, this will become a pleasant bikeway people will use whether they are going to the airport or not. This so because a mile south of I70, the noise and busyness of the city are greatly reduced, especially on the weekends…
And this should not be hard to accomplish since there are many large employers such as Eli Lilly, on Harding (where most of its 10,840 employees are located), close to the road to the airport. Near Minnesota Rd., there are International Paper Company, 33,000 employees nationwide, Rolls-Royce 4,000 employees in Indy, Indiana National Guard, 14,000 soldiers, Old Dominion Freight Line, 20,000 employees nationwide and dozens of warehouse and other employers who would like to have their labor force arrive by bike. Given the choice of safe bicycle infrastructure, it seems reasonable to assume that most hourly workers would choose to pedal to and from their place of employment.
