The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization has a public survey focused on the future of walking, bicycling and roller-skating in Central Indiana.
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Residents have an opportunity to participate in a survey focused on the future of walking, bicycling and roller-skating in Central Indiana.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization, the federally required regional transportation and planning agency for Marion County and its surrounding counties, is developing an active transportation plan based on the foundation of the agency’s Regional Bike Plan and Regional Pedestrian Plan. For the new plan, the agency is evaluating multiple forms of non-vehicular transportation within Central Indiana, said Andrew Magee, senior planner for the MPO.
“In the past, we had a plan for biking and we had a walking plan, and those were two separate things,” Magee said. “We’re combining them into just one holistic view of the region and how people can get around what the issues are and the survey as part of that.”
As part of the new plan, the agency has also made a survey asking the public what they think should be considered and prioritized. Questions include what should the MPO consider when funding projects, identifying areas that are challenges for non-vehicular transportation and reviewing potential recommendations.
The survey is expected to be open until around July 21, and anyone that lives within the MPO’s planning boundaries can take it, Magee said. The MPO’s planning area includes Johnson, Boone, Hendricks, Hamilton, Hancock, Marion, Morgan and Shelby counties.
Some cities and regions, such as Greenwood, have their own pedestrian and bicycle plans, but the MPO’s plan is not designed to replace them. It’s to set regional priorities, Magee said.
“It’s to help everyone work together on a common understanding of what our goals are in the region,” he said. “So that’s essentially what the survey is for — we’re trying to get input on what people value when it comes to projects for biking or walking.”
Having a regional plan is important because the agency deals with a lot of funding, which is divided and sent to cities in the region to help pay for projects and improvements. The plan also makes sure that the MPO is able to fund projects that include safety improvements for walking or biking, he said.
It also will help the MPO prioritize funding projects that fix an issue that is currently unaddressed. The MPO isn’t able to fund every project every time, he said.
“The plan really sets those goals, but then it actually gives us that framework to prioritize the projects that are solving a need that we’ve identified. So that’s ultimately, why it’s important,” Magee said.
The development of the Active Transportation Plan is a full-year process that began in December 2022. Right now, they are halfway through the process in the public input phase, Magee said.
Along with the survey, the MPO will also be hosting community conversations where staff members will go out to events throughout the region to get the public’s views on what the plan should look like. This is expected to take place next month, he said.
There also are plans for Olatunji Oboi Reed, CEO of Equiticity Ventures and co-founder of Slow Roll Chicago, a bicycle movement designed make neighborhoods better, to hold an active transportation talk at IUPUI in Indianapolis on July 18. Reed is an advocate for equitable mobility options, Magee said.
A draft of the new regional plan is expected to be completed in October, with the final plan being adopted in December, according to the MPO.
Residents can learn more about the plan, and take the survey, by going to indympo.org/atp.
IF YOU GO
2023 IMPO Speaker Series: Active Transportation
What: A talk featuring Olatunji Oboi Reed, the CEO of Equiticity Ventures and the co-founder of Slow Roll Chicago, a bicycle movement to make neighborhoods better. Slow Roll Chicago envisions bicycles as a form of effective transportation contributing to reducing violence, improving health, creating jobs and ultimately making neighborhoods more livable.
When: 6 p.m. July 18
Where: Innovation Hall at IUPUI, 625 W. Michigan St., Room 105, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Cost: Free, but registration is encouraged. To register, go to indympo.org/atp and scroll to the “Speaker Event” heading.
