Month: June 2012

Fullerton Pike Corridor Improvements: Bike Lanes vs. Multiuse?

The final engineering assessment for the proposed Fullerton Pike Corridor improvements was just released here:

This project is divided into three sections, in priority order:

  1. State Road 37 to Sare Road (this includes connecting the currently disconnected Fullerton Pike and Gordon Pike, which can be seen here)
  2. State Road 45 to State Road 37
  3. Sare Road to Snoddy Road

Although there is a lot to discuss about this project, what interests me right now are the two alternatives in the SR37 – Sare Road section with respect to bicycle access. In short, the two alternatives presented (the discussion starts on page 19 of the document) are:

  1. Sidewalk on the south side of the road and multi-use side path on the north side of the road
  2. Sidewalk on both north and south sides of the road, no multi-use path, but on-road bike lanes on both the north and south sides of the road

So essentially, the tradeoff for bike riders is: multiuse path on one side and nothing on the other, vs. on-road bike lanes in both directions.

To all bike riders out there — I ask which alternative do you prefer?

In general, my preference is for a dedicated multi-use sidepath, even if it is only on one side of the road, because I am frequently riding with one or both of my kids, and riding for recreation. The multi-use definitely feels safer while pulling my daughter in the trailer, and I think it is more comfortable for my son to ride as well. However, if I were a frequent commuter along that corridor, I would probably prefer the on-streek bike lane in both directions.

I would like to hear others’ thoughts on this issue.

Incidentally, there will be a public meeting on the Fullerton Pike project at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Jackson Creek Middle School. Anyone interested in this project is encouraged to attend.

Indianapolis is Considering a Complete Streets Ordinance

I was pleased to see, per IndyStar columnist Matthew Tully in today’s Indianapolis Star, that Indianapolis is considering a Complete Streets ordinance:

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120610/NEWS08/206100344/Matthew-Tully-Indianapolis-streets-can-serve-avenues-more-than-cars?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|IndyStar.com

Complete Streets is a transportation policy framework in which road networks are built with the needs of ALL system users in mind, including automobiles, bicyclists, pedestrians, wheelchair users, public transit users, users of all ages and abilities, etc., and is focused in making our cities, towns, and neighborhoods more safe, healthy, and livable. This is obviously a major policy shift from traditional public works engineering principles that are geared around moving as many cars from one point to another point.

The Complete Streets Coalition provides additional information about the benefits of complete streets policies, and provides some model policy language.

Indianapolis is not in the vanguard, however, with its Complete Streets. Several other Indiana cities have already passed their own Complete Streets ordinances:

Economic Development Commission Meeting on Tax Abatement Compliance Tonight

The Monroe County Economic Development Commission (EDC) will meet tonight  (Monday, June 4, 2012) at 4:00 P in the Monroe County Government Center in room 106A to review the statements of benefits provided by all companies with tax abatements in Monroe County. This is an annual process in which the EDC assesses whether or not the companies which have tax abatements are in substantial compliance with the statements of benefits they provided to the EDC and the County Council when they initially sought the tax abatement.

The recommendations of the EDC will be provided to the County Council for discussion and vote on compliance at the June 12, 2012 Monroe County Council meeting.

The following companies currently hold tax abatements in Monroe County:

  • Author Solutions / 1663 Liberty Drive
  • Baxter Pharmaceuticals
  • Bioconvergence
  • Cook, Inc.
  • Full-O-Pep Applicances
  • Grocery Supply Corporation
  • Heitink Plywood Technologies
  • Heitink Veneers
  • Mackinac LLC
  • Mirwec Film
  • Printpack
  • Sabin
  • TASUS

The full packet can be found here: 2012-06-04 EDC packet

The EDC meeting is open to the public.

Ohio Supreme Court Rules Developer Impact Fees Illegal

The Supreme Court of neighboring state Ohio ruled 7-0 that developer impact fees (fees charged by a township in order to cover the costs of infrastructure, fire, police services, etc.) are illegal. The ruling is essentially that these fees are really taxes and have to follow the same rules and limitations as other taxes.

An article in the Cincinnati Enquirer is here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120531/NEWS/305310027/High-court-rules-against-impact-fees?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE