Wheels are turning toward a healthy lifestyle
6.22.11

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Not a week goes by that I don't run across a link on Twitter to some study about health and fitness. The gist of each one usually goes something like this: Americans are unhealthy, and Hoosiers are among the unhealthiest.
It's rather depressing, this sedentary, car-centric lifestyle that so many of us lead.
And yet, the people who conduct these studies don't live here. They don't see what I see. I see activity.
More people are out and about in Indianapolis than have been in years -- particularly on bicycles. Bike trails and paths are in constant use on the weekends. Sales are up at many local bike shops. And attendance is up at bike-related events, such as this Saturday's annual N.I.T.E. Ride.
It might be a leap to say the culture of Indianapolis is changing, but I'm willing to take that leap.
"I think we've struck a chord," said Mayor Greg Ballard, an avid cyclist who has pushed to build bike lanes along several main thoroughfares. "We hit on the pent-up demand."
It takes a lot for the culture of a city to change.
It takes people -- a whole bunch of people -- with a common vision. It takes infrastructure to build that vision. And it takes a successful demonstration of that vision to convince skeptics.
The infrastructure piece is slowly rolling into place.
The Indy Bike Hub, run by the YMCA, will open in August in the east wing of the Indianapolis City Market. It was supposed to open this month, but a lawsuit filed by tenant Enzo Pizza caused a delay. Construction is very much under way now, though.
The three-floor facility, which will double as a Y branch with workout equipment and fitness classes, will have 150 indoor bike racks that commuters can rent, showers and lockers that can hold several days' worth of clothes. Bicycle Garage Indy also will have a satellite shop for repairs and bike rentals.
The Bike Hub is, of course, a stop along the eight-mile Cultural Trail, which will be completed next year. And the Cultural Trail, of course, connects to what will be 63 miles of on-street bike lanes by the end of this year.
Across town, Marian University recently took over the long-neglected Major Taylor Velodrome, which was once the home of national and international cycling events and could be again. The university will invest $2 million to improve the venue's rusty stands, swamplike grounds and aging tracks, trails and road course.
The thinking is, with more high-profile cycling events at the Velodrome, the profile of cycling itself will become bigger and more popular.
And therein lies the demonstration piece.
The more Hoosiers who choose to ride a bike, whether it's to commute to work or just for a weekend joy ride, the more other Hoosiers will want to do the same.
It's about proving it can be done.
My friends who ride their bikes to work inspired me to buy a bike and park my car. (Well, their example and high gas prices.) And in the month since then, I've inspired at least three others to do the same.
So, imagine what having a completed Cultural Trail, Bike Hub and revamped Velodrome could do.
Dan Shields, event director of the N.I.T.E. Ride, is optimistic about Indy's chances of becoming a cycling city. He sees more and more interest every year.
"I wouldn't be doing all this," he said, "if I didn't have faith that goal could become a reality."

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110621/NEWS19/106210328/?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|p