Bicycle Friendly Communities

Columbus, IN | Bronze Level

Recent bicycling investment: The City of Columbus invested in the two-mile Owens Bend Trail, which opens up bicycling and walking to 680 residents and provides non-automotive access to Owens Bend Park for the first time. The trail offers a safe route to Parkside Elementary School for an entire neighborhood of children that previously did not have the option. The City also installed bicycle lanes on Seventeenth Street. This one-mile urban collector is the City's first full road reconstruction project that follows Complete Street guidelines and features sidewalks and bicycle lanes that connect to the Haw Creek Trail network.

Bicycling highlights: Columbus has a publically supported Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan that serves as both a long-term policy guide for future bicycle infrastructure and an implementable strategy for ensuring the viability of bicycle recreation and transportation. This plan, as well as the Thoroughfare Plan that meets Complete Streets guidelines, have allowed Columbus to accomplish a lot in the last few years in an effort to better accommodate bicyclists in the community.
There is a clear understanding by decision-makers and the public of the links between bicycle use and public health, quality of life, environmental sustainability, community connectivity, economic development, alternative transportation options, and efficient and cost effective infrastructure investments. The focus of the Park Foundation's million dollar Capital Campaign is a good example of this commitment.
Columbus has the presence of a significant amount of transportation infrastructure devoted to bicyclists: multi-use trails, bicycle lanes, signed bike routes, sharrows, etc. As portrayed on the new Columbus by Bike Map, this infrastructure is connected to form the backbone of a strong bicycle network throughout the community. Long standing partners, such as Healthy Communities, the City, the Police Department, the Bike Co-op, etc., are working together to provide support and encouragement to the community so they take advantage of their options to bike - to bike more often, to bike more places, and to feel safe while doing so!

Percentage of arterial streets with dedicated bicycle facilities: 1%

Bicycling education in 64% elementary schools and 100% middle schools

Signature cycling events: Tour de Trail, Hope Ride, Beer Ride, Girlfriend Ride, Columbus Annual Youth Triathlon, and the Foundation for Youth Sprint Triathlon.

Some coming bicycling improvements: The City is planning the following projects for 2012; 3-miles of sharrows installed along Tipton Lakes Blvd, one-mile of 8-foot wide sidepath installed along 200 South connecting neighborhoods to Southside Elementary, over 5-miles of bicycle routes connecting residents to downtown, approximately one half-mile of sidepath installed near Parkside and Richards Elementaries, and a continuous sidepath installed along Middle Road that will connect the trail, shopping centers, hospital, and Lincoln Park. The Foundation for Youth is developing a 3-mile mountain bike trail at Columbus Youth Camp. They will also maintain a fleet of bikes that will be used to teach children to mountain bike.