Bloomington Indiana

This guy! Glad to see a space for Bloomingtonians that's not on that other site.

The Bloomington city council seems dysfunctional as all get-out. I wonder what's going on over there.

"I write to you today challenged by the pattern which seems to be common practice within our legislative branch of government, and which is in direct conflict with one of the values I would like to believe we all share: transparent and open government."

#BloomingtonINCouncil @bloomington_in

https://bsquarebulletin.com/2024/11/09/bloomington-mayor-rebukes-city-council-for-lack-of-public-deliberations-on-hpc-appointment/

Beautiful new bike rack at Academy Sports!

#biketooter @bloomington_in

https://bikerackmap.com/rlms/entry/405/

Model train layout for 1940's Monon

Lafayette to Greencastle to Bloomington. The good old days!

@bloomington_in #trains

https://www.trains.com/mrr/how-to/track-plan-database/the-s-scale-chicago-indianapolis-louisville-layout/

Washington Street traffic calming

Bloomington's Washington Street is getting some speed humps and some twiddling of the parking. I suggested they might consider a parking-protected bike lane, but I suspect restriping is out-of-scope here.

Leave your feedback here:

https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/washington

@bloomington_in #cycling

I just added some max_speed= tags for #OpenStreetMap in Bloomington, Indiana.

Our city code has a default speed limit 25 mph. Exceptions are published in a table in the city code.

It seems possible that adding the correct lower-than-default speed limits from city code to OpenStreetMap could reduce the likelihood that routing algorithms would route car traffic there, which could in turn keep the street safer for other road users.

Ref: https://library.municode.com/in/bloomington/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT15VETR_CH15.24SPRE

@bloomington_in

This are the designed, protected routes in Bloomington currently mapped in #OpenStreetMap

The newer 7-Line is notably absent. And that disconnect bit up north? Those are the trails in Cascades Park.

@bloomington_in

How cities can use shared micromobility data for transportation planning and policy

This study, focused on Bloomington and Washington, D.C, gleaned insights on micromobility from Lime trip data. (Bloomington's response was to summarily throw Lime out on their micromobile ear, for some reason. I do not understand this.)

"About a quarter of street segments have bike infrastructure, yet these lanes account for nearly 60% of
Lime trips."

@bloomington_in #cycling

https://bikeleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/League-of-American-Bicyclists-Mobility-Insights-Competition-2024-Report-3.pdf

Advertisements on the outside of city buses?

A lot of interest in this article about whether buses should have full-wrapped ads. There's no bus that comes within a mile of my house, so I'm not too concerned one way or the other.

@bloomington_in #bus

https://bsquarebulletin.com/2024/09/19/whose-bus-is-that-bloomington-transit-mulls-ads/

Fullerton Pike construction almost complete

"This third phase spans 1.25 miles of road construction from Rockport Road to the roundabout on South Rogers Street. Ultimately, it will form a new connection to I-69 in the southwest part of the county."

Cost was projected to be about $15 million dollars back in 2019. I wonder how well they kept it under budget?

https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/fullerton-pike-connection-approaches-completion.php

@bloomington_in

N Dunn St Multiuse Path

Oh, this will make my commute way easier! A few years from construction though.

"This project has been prioritized by the Metropolitan Planning Organization to receive federal funding supporting construction of a multiuse path on North Dunn Street from the Indiana 45 Bypass to East Clover Lane. As funding allows, the project may include additional multiuse path construction north of these limits."

@bloomington_in #MUP

https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/northdunnpath

Skywalk a controversy in new convention center

What do we think about this, urbanists? Is this really a deal breaker?

"The design should not include ‘skywalk’ connections …, which would limit convention attendee opportunities to interact with and patronize downtown businesses. Skywalks would also undermine the quality of public space in the downtown, in contradiction to city plans and goals."

@bloomington_in #UrbanPlanning

https://bsquarebulletin.com/2024/09/05/convention-center-expansion-takes-steps-ahead-with-sharp-words-from-2-bloomington-councilmembers/

How should parking be priced in college towns?

"These places also sometimes experience surges in demand for access to the central area that are seasonal or otherwise cyclical. In the summer, they are surreal—all or most of the amenities intended for a larger, denser population with far fewer people competing for them. Football Saturdays present the opposite problem: the city’s population may double half a dozen days a year"

@bloomington_in #parking #transit

https://gregshill.substack.com/p/how-should-parking-be-priced-in-college

A new little farmstand near my house.

Drop by! Payment is on the honor system.

@bloomington_in

Prebys Amphitheatre available again

This is a small event space they set up next to the President's house in 2015, but it's been unavailable since Pamela Whitten moved in. No one knows why.

@bloomington_in #IndianaUniversity

https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/prebys-amphitheatre-available-again.php

Indiana Avenue design update

Looks like it will be one-way with a two-way protected bike lane. I submitted some comments:

"I'm not sure it was a good idea to make concessions to the firefighters and remove the bike lane barriers. Generally less than 5% of all fire runs are actual fires; mostly medical emergencies and false alarms that don't require using a 40-foot truck to respond. They might consider purchasing some smaller vehicles for these runs."

https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/indiana

@bloomington_in

YIMBYana Press Release: Opposition to Green Acres Conservation District Proposal

"The group is concerned that the proposal will limit new infill housing in Green Acres, a neighborhood close to Indiana University’s campus, thereby increasing housing costs and reducing availability. This could force students and other residents to seek housing further from campus, exacerbating affordability and accessibility issues"

@bloomington_in #Housing #UrbanPlanning

https://bloomingtonian.com/2024/08/08/yimbyana-press-release-opposition-to-green-acres-conservation-district-proposal/

Officials gathering input on 2050 transportation plan for Bloomington area

"The initiative is meant to identify ways in which the area’s transportation system can be improved over the next 25 years and beyond. The BMCMPO will use public input to determine how to best allocate federal transportation funding"

@bloomington_in #UrbanPlannng

https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/officials-gathering-feedback-on-2050-transportation-plan-for-bloomington-area.php

Indana Avenue design suggestions released

Either a two-way street with painted bike lanes, or one-way for cars and two-way, semiprotected bike lanes. Not sure I care since the difference is mostly how it's painted, but I'd really like to see Kirkwood and Dunn closed to traffic, and Indiana would have to be two-way to allow for that.

@bloomington_in #cycling #bikelanes

https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/indiana

Bloomington 4th on Most Improved Cities for Biking list

"In 2023, Bloomington reduced speed limits for all neighborhood streets to 25 miles per hour, contributing to a 17-point increase in its City Ratings score. In recent years, Bloomington also expanded its network of neighborhood greenways and constructed numerous road-adjacent shared-use paths and protected bike lanes like the 7-Line."

@bloomington_in #cycling #UrbanPlanning

https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/2024s-most-improved-cities-for-biking

Wouldn't it be nice if the process for safety improvements was as simple as the process for street maintenance?

Compare them: http://blog.benfulton.net/2024/06/wouldnt-it-be-nice-if-process-for.html

@bloomington_in #UrbanPlanning

Indiana Avenue redesign

So I did go to the Indiana Avenue public meeting, but they didn't have any concrete plans to share. They did have a cool model to play with, though 😀

I'm always there to tell them to build more bike infrastructure, but there's a dull sameness to these meetings. A lot of people on bikes agreeing with me and a few people to complain about losing parking and bikers not stopping for stop signs.

@bloomington_in #biketooter #UrbanPlanning

Bike/Ped Commission meeting tonight

Zooming into the meeting, mostly to hear about Indiana Avenue. First up, though, is a review of the ADA Transition Plan. Comments seem mostly positive, commissioners are worried about several engineering issues rather than planning.

Public Comment: Eric Ost thinks we aren't doing enough due diligence on prioritizing projects. Thinks we spend too much on cycling and not enough on ADA.

@bloomington_in