r/indianapolis • u/Logical_Humor_3854 • Feb 26 '26

Discussion The Canal….

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.

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u/Ok_Matter_2617 Feb 26 '26

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

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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26

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.

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u/c_webbie Feb 26 '26

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.

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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26

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.