Indianapolis is home to a handful of hardy cyclists who keep rolling right through the slush and sub-zero temperatures of winter, but most of the two-wheeled crowd—a growing population in the city center and suburbs alike—hibernate until the spring. This year, the cyclerati will  wake up to a city that has put some forward-thinking changes in motion. Under Mayor Ballard’s administration, Indianapolis has witnessed the addition of bike lanes, laws for bike safety, and other steps forward. Ballard leads a bike ride each summer. Photo courtesy Mayor’s Office. More bike lanes. Indy’s first commuter facility. A long-range bike plan expected to be adopted by the city. Legislative bills addressing bike safety. With these developments, Indy is speeding toward a transformation into a respectable bike-friendly city. A bicycle revolution Credit a new atmosphere of collaboration between the city’s established biking groups (as well as one instrumental newcomer) and Mayor Greg Ballard’s  administration. “Over the last five years, the acceleration of excitement about cycling has been unbelievable,” says Randy Clark, president of Bicycle Garage Indy and longtime advocate for a better biking environment. “There are a lot of people out there who want to commute, and there hasn’t been the infrastructure to do it. That’s where the mayor is making a big difference.” Indianapolis has the genes of a bona fide biking city. Major Taylor Velodrome— named after Indy’s international cycling champion at the turn of the century—is one of only 22 cycling arenas in the country. Bike clubs—Central Indiana Bicycling Association and Hoosier Mountain Bike Association—have been active and strong for decades, and the Hilly Hundred in Bloomington has had a national reputation since the 1970s. More recently, the popularity of the Monon Trail and smaller greenways has made a spin through the neighborhood fashionable. What happens when people start riding a bike? They want to ride it more. These days, Indy residents can saddle up for group rides offered by bike shops, organized rambles on country roads, and even recreational bicycle polo. But until recently on the bike front, civic progress has been eating the dust of the social scene. With no bike lanes, few laws in place to support bike safety, and little evidence that motorists here would happily share the road, Indy fell flat in rankings of bike-friendly places. On the path of Portland Look how far we’ve come in a short time: Last month, the city’s bicycle advisory council (which didn’t exist three years ago), led by the Department of Public Works bicycle and pedestrian coordinator Andy Lutz, hosted Mia Birk, the pioneer of the biking revolution in Portland, Oregon. Now a consultant to urban planners hoping to follow in her tracks, Birk was brought in by Health by Design to present the benefits of creating a bike-friendly environment to Indy lawmakers and civic leaders. Striving for Portland’s level of success isn’t too ambitious for Indianapolis, according to Connie Szabo Schmucker, advocacy director for Bicycle Garage Indy (one of the few stores in the country to employ a full-time advocacy expert). “Indy is where Portland was 10, 15 years ago,” she says. ”In fact, we have better roadway conditions.” Clark points out that at a time when cities are strapped for money, the mayor has kept alternate transportation a priority. In addition to engaging the various bicycling groups (newly organized and energized by a creative advocacy group called  IndyndyndyCogog), the administration announced plans to create the city’s first network of bike lanes—220 miles over 15 years. Bike lanes are dedicated, striped zones in the street for two-wheelers, and they serve to make cyclists feel safer and to signal to drivers that cyclists have the right to use the road. The network, called Indy BikeWays and part of the SustainIndy initiative, got off the ground with 23 miles of lanes introduced since 2009. The city has funding to build extensive lanes on Lafayette Road, Madison Avenue, Capital Avenue, and Illinois Street in 2011. High praise from national groups Indy BikeWays helped the city to earn a bronze-level designation as a bicycle-friendly community from the League of American Bicyclists in 2009. Carmel had already earned the designation, and the Hamilton County city continues to blaze new trails for bikers—including families and casual riders. The Carmel Access Bikeways plan identifies about 100 miles’ worth of routes around the city for both leisure and express trips. The time I spend on commuting can now also count as my workout time.”No community—here or elsewhere in the country—can claim a project quite like the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, the mightiest cog in the city’s biking wheel. Since breaking ground in 2007, the $62 million project has earned high praise from national groups such as New York-based Project for Public Spaces, which said: “Indianapolis is taking what may be the boldest step of any American city toward supporting bicyclists and pedestrians.” Around half of the 8-mile trail is finished and open for pedestrian and bicycle use—including the legs that join up with the 10th Street trailheads of the Monon and the White River Greenway, allowing commuters from the north side to stay on a trail when they reach downtown. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012. There have been other victories, too. Mayor Ballard leads a summertime bike ride that has been a big success, and Bike to Work Day (May 20 this year) continues to grow, including morning group rides to introduce rookies to good commuting routes. In 2009, the city passed a bike-safety ordinance, outlawing parking in bike lanes, and requiring motorists to maintain a three-foot clearance when passing a cyclist. In January, Bicycle Indiana’s new “Share the Road” license plate became available, and proceeds from the plate will fund the statewide advocacy group’s efforts. City Market bike center: 2011 This year, another first is on the way. A commuting center will open in the east wing of City Market, across the street from the Cultural Trail, possibly by July. Plans were still being finalized in the winter, but Clark of Bicycle Garage Indy was optimistic that his shop would win the bid to provide the bike storage, rentals, and repair services that would be available for a fee. There will also be shower and locker facilities, likely overseen by the YMCA. The city is providing approximately $800,000 for the hub, which could have capacity for some 150 bikes. Several years ago, Clark was instrumental in introducing downtown’s InBikePort lockers. The 40-some storage pods—outside the Indiana Government Center and NIFS and in a parking garage on South Meridian Street—are used by downtown commuters who want a high level of security for their bikes. Bicycle advocates are watching the progress of two bills in front of state legislatures. One, SB0353, would establish the three-feet passing clearance statewide. The other, HB1354, aims to require new roads to qualify as “complete streets,” which take all forms of traffic into consideration. Perhaps most important, the Bicycle Advisory Council is drafting a comprehensive, long-term bike plan for the city, aiming to ensure that future administrations continue on the current promising path. Full Article