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One Civic Square Carmel, IN 46032
Contact: Nancy Heck
E-Mail: nheck@carmel.in.gov
Phone: (317) 571-2494
Nancy Heck
The
Department of Community Relations
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City of Carmel
One Civic Square Carmel, IN 46032
News Release
Date:
May 14, 2008
Contact:
Nancy Heck
(317) 571-2494
Release:
Immediate
Carmel to Participate in Bike to Work
Day, Friday, May 16th and Mayor Unveils Carmel Access
Bikeway Plans
Carmel, IN – This month, the City of Carmel is
celebrating National Bicycling Month, and Friday, May 16th
has been designated National Bike to Work Day. Carmel
residents are encouraged to use the many multi-use paths
that make up part of Carmel’s alternative transportation
network as they bicycle to work.
To make the morning ride to work even more enjoyable, the
City of Carmel and the Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation
Department are hosting a continental breakfast, sponsored by
Valley Bikes, at the Monon Center at Central Park from 6:30
– 9 a.m. on Friday, May 16th. It will be free and open to
all Bike to Work Day participants. This gathering will be
especially convenient for those using the adjacent Monon
Greenway to get to their workplace. The Monon Center’s
parking lot will be available throughout the day on the 16th
for Bike to Work riders to park their cars while they ride
to and from work.
At this year’s event, the Mayor will unveil the plans for
the newly adopted “Carmel Access Bikeway,” a network of bike
routes and loops to be implemented on the City’s existing
local streets and multiuse paths. With commuters,
recreational riders and families in mind, this system has
been designed to identify existing streets and multiuse
paths which will best serve to move cyclists around Carmel.
The Carmel Access Bikeway includes eight cross-city bike
routes and five bike loops. The bike routes consist of two
east-west bound routes and six north-south routes. The
routes are intended for longer trips and will provide access
to various destinations throughout Carmel as well as links
to neighboring communities. The bike loops will guide their
users to the same point at which they started, passing some
of Carmel’s best amenities along the way. Each loop, geared
toward casual riders, will offer its own unique riding
experience to cyclists by highlighting different areas
within Carmel.
It is Carmel’s hope that implementing this network of routes
and loops will encourage more people to ride their bikes and
create an even better experience for those that are already
cycling in Carmel.
Carmel recently received a Bicycle Friendly Community award
from the League of American Bicyclists. “We are continually
improving facilities for bicycles by making trail
connectivity a priority and improving pathways. The 5.2 mile
Monon Greenway in Carmel has played a major role in
encouraging residents to think about using their bicycles
more often as a form of transportation,” said Mayor
Brainard.
Another way Carmel encourages cycling is through its bicycle
parking ordinance. Since its adoption in 2006, this
ordinance has required commercial and retail venues to
provide bicycle parking spaces at a rate of five bicycle
parking spaces per one hundred automobile spaces.
Accommodating the needs of cyclists is becoming more and
more important as an increasing number of residents turn to
cycling to reduce fuel usage and help the environment.
Communities across the country are asked each year to
celebrate May as National Bicycling Month by the League of
American Bicyclists. Bicycling is the most energy-efficient
form of travel ever devised and can accommodate almost any
level of fitness. It is also good for the environment as it
helps reduce air, water and noise pollution. Studies have
shown that more than half of all Americans live less than
five miles from their place of work, a reasonable distance
to bike for people in average physical shape.
Bike to Work Day and the unveiling will take place rain or
shine.
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