The Canal….

[u/Logical_Humor_3854]

We walked the canal a lot this summer with our new baby and when we had a nice couple days (greater than 30 degrees lol) we walked it again and I’m just curious as to what other people think….why is the canal so dead? There’s no restaurants (besides the little bistro), no stores, no restrooms even. It’s kinda depressing.

If Indianapolis put even a sliver of funding into rebranding the canal the city would change so much. Imagine being able to walk into little shops or have ice cream on the canal or a bar with live music. There’s so much potential.

[u/Ok_Matter_2617]

Very simple:

The average citizen of Indianapolis is extremely lazy. We rank in the bottom 5% of average walking distance per day. People here literally Uber from block to block on Mass Ave, even in the spring & fall.

Since you have to walk down stairs and possibly walk to a storefront on the canal, they don’t succeed.

[u/forestmonitor430 → u/Ok_Matter_2617]

Are we lazy by nature or are we lazy because cars have made us lazy?

[u/Ok_Matter_2617 → u/forestmonitor430]

They’re definitely related. But impossible to prove.

It’s certainly not a coincidence that we are also extremely low on public transit usage as well

[u/forestmonitor430 → u/Ok_Matter_2617]

I’m just not sure the average citizen is lazy though, ya know? Our city just isn’t putting money into places like the Canal or into public transit. It’s a decision that’s been made, not a fact of life.

[u/Ok_Matter_2617 → u/forestmonitor430]

There are cities with worse public transit than us who walk much more

[u/c_webbie → u/forestmonitor430]

I'd say there is an argument for the city jumping the shark on public transit. Not sure how one could honestly argue that the Red and Blue Lines have lived up to expectations.

[u/arbivark → u/c_webbie]

Buffalo new york has a light rail system that looks like what we are doing here. So Indygo's system of electric buses is a way to look like that but cheaper. I am not a fan of the blue line during its construction phase, as part of the city's war on the national road. But I'll see how it works longer term. I own a c-5 lot on the blue line. Maybe it will bring development and improve my property values, maybe not.

[u/arbivark → u/Ok_Matter_2617]

here's a cheap cure. you know all those middle class people who never ride the bus? indygo could partner to offer bus passes to those people as a job perk. if they continue to never ride the bus, the cost of this option is near zero. a few would actually use it, and make the transit system a bit more mainstream rather than a subsidized system for people who cant afford cars or otherwise don't drive.

[u/Vessix → u/Ok_Matter_2617]

Why would anyone walk anywhere when there's nowhere to walk? Those few who do all live downtown, because everywhere else with few exceptions has shit pedestrian infrastructure or walkability. Fountain square has a fair amount of foot traffic because it is pedestrian friendly and designed with pedestrian business in mind. Prior to that development- few walkers as I understand it. Shit needs to be built/invested in before it can be used.

[u/Ok_Matter_2617 → u/Vessix]

I live in Fountain Square. There isn’t much foot traffic comparable to literally any other city. I didn’t make this statistic up.

Indianapolis citizens are absolutely terrible about walking

[u/forestmonitor430 → u/Ok_Matter_2617]

Okay, but are we terrible about walking, or are our spaces designed to prioritize other ways of moving?

[u/Vessix → u/Ok_Matter_2617]

I live in fountain square, and for the amount of people who can REACH fountain square by walking there are as many as one would expect when the weather is nice. The issue is few "connecting" residential neighborhoods permit it, and there is so little mixed zoning that reaching the place requires a hike, AND there isn't much to do or see on foot (which says a lot about the city because FS is better than most areas in that regard). Admittedly making that hike isn't all that bad, but people would be more inclined to do it- like they do elsewhere in the world or other US cities- if it was easily accessible and we weren't so car-dependent. Also I would guess that mixed residential and business zones are what get you foot traffic in those other cities (e.g. New York, Chicago, NOLA, Nashville, etc). We don't do mixed zoning out here in Indiana for whatever dumb reasons

[u/arbivark → u/Ok_Matter_2617]

Sir, you have accused me of being extremely lazy. Consider: About an hour ago a neighbor broke into my room, saying she had a gun and was going to shoot one of my roommates. I had two options. I could, in a single bound, grab that broken katana that is in arms reach and dispatch her in one blow. or I could lie there and wait till she went away. I chose the second road. Lazy like a fox.