Cycling in Carmel, Indiana from a Dutch perspective

Sometimes I like to study inspiring places outside the Netherlands. Carmel, Indiana is not your average midwestern small city. With a population of just under 100,000... the city can be found directly north of Indianapolis... and is effectively a suburb. Carmel is home to Mr. American Pfizer... whose guest me and my partner were. From 1995 to January 2024... this city has been led by the same mayor. Mayor James Brainard... who is described as a moderate republican... and whom we happened to run into in downtown Carmel. After a study trip to the UK in the 1990s... Brainard was inspired by roundabouts. The first was constructed in 1996... and the following year saw the construction of another two. Currently the city boasts over 150. More than any other city in the United States. The Carmel roundabouts have been credited... with a reduction of carbon emissions... intersection collisions and even fatalities. They may not be common in the US... but of course for us Europeans they were very familiar. Obviously there can always be improvements. Multi-lane roundabouts don't mesh well... with level crossings for walking and cycling. But the roundabouts were generally easy to navigate... both on a bicycle and in a car. The backbone of the cycling infrastructure in Carmel... is certainly the Monon Trail. The Monon railway came to Carmel in the 1870s... but closed in 1974. A section of a little over eight kilometers of the former railway... was turned into a 3.7 meter wide asphalt cycle track in 2002. That immediately sparked visions with some people... to redevelop the former industrial areas... alongside that new trail. The city brought in urban design consultant Jan Gehl from Denmark... and city planner Jeff Speck... and other landscape architects and engineers... to work on the redevelopment. Speck had the splendid idea... to make the trail the center of the redevelopment. Literally, as the median of a new boulevard. The first part in the heart of Carmel, just south of Main Street... was opened in July 2019. The award-winning six-block Midtown Plaza development... required an investment of 23 million dollars. But that has led to 175 million dollars... of private sector redevelopment in the area. The asphalt path was turned into an almost 43 meters wide... multimodal boulevard for bicyclists and pedestrians. The boulevard is surrounded by low-speed vehicular lanes... with curbside parking, tree-lined sidewalks... cycle tracks and expanded outdoor retail and dining. Additional amenities include green spaces... biking and hiking trails, lounge areas... a spray plaza, game courts, shade structures... and designated food kiosks and cafes. Oh, let's not forget an indoor bicycle parking... with double layer racks, free tools and free water. This placemaking project can serve as a model... of how an industrial corridor can evolve into a destination... with social, environmental and economic benefits... essential to a community's urban areas. Tax money well spent. And it is not just one street. In other parts of the city you can also see a denser building style... with shops, restaurants and housing on the upper floors... that makes the streetscape very attractive. Thanks to the festivities surrounding the 2024 eclipse on a Monday... we could witness firsthand... how well the city center of Carmel serves its citizens. So many people came to the center to witness the total eclipse... because Carmel was directly in the totality zone. This city can, or maybe should, serve as an example... that creating a livable environment... with a less prominent place for the car... does not have to be political. People with all kinds of political beliefs can enjoy a livable city... with top quality amenities so close that you can cycle to them. Large parts of the city are still under development... and it would be nice when more cycleways would be connected even better. But it was already a great pleasure to cycle... and just be in Carmel, Indiana.