INDIANAPOLIS — Bike Indianapolis says the number of bicycle riders has increased since the pandemic. It now hopes the city's bike infrastructure can grow alongside it.
The non-profit advocacy organization held their annual year-in-review meeting Tuesday evening.
Bike Indianapolis advocacy committee chair Chris Holcomb said he's proud of how far Indianapolis' bike infrastructure has come in a decade, but that there is still more the city can do to protect bicyclists.
Holcomb hopes the city builds more bike lanes separated from traffic with concrete barriers.
"The bike map network has huge gaps in it in terms of areas of the city where its not possible to ride without any separation from the traffic," Holcomb said.
Holcomb said recent bicyclist deaths highlight the urgency.
"I know there's progress being made, but with what we've seen in terms of increases in fatalities over the past couple of years, it feels like it's not fast enough," Holcomb said.
Nathan Runkle picked up bicycling again five years ago. He said he has to stay aware while riding through Indianapolis because of how traffic moves.
"I've been able to avoid injuries, but typically it's somebody not paying attention and running a red light," Runkle said. "I've gotten very fortunate, but I've had some close calls."
He also hopes Indianapolis continues to build more roads to encourage bicycling.
"I would definitely feel more comfortable in dedicated bike lanes," Runkle said. "I have seen more and more bikes on the trail and more and more infrastructure built to support that. There's more of us than you think there are."
