Tag: bicycle

Hawthorne-Weatherstone greenway gets greenlight at contentious commission meeting

Dimensions of Hawthorne-Weatherstone greenway bumpouts.
BPSC members from left: Paul Ash, Jaclyn Ray, and Pauly Tarricone.
Bloomington’s bicycle and pedestrian safety commission meeting on Sept. 11, 2023.
Justin Foster at BPSC meeting on Sept. 11, 2023

On Monday night, almost a year and a half after the first public meeting on the project, Bloomington’s bicycle and pedestrian safety commission (BPSC) voted unanimously in favor of the city staff’s proposed Hawthorne-Weatherstone greenway project.

At its August meeting, the BPSC had voted to put off any decision until its meeting this month. But the BPSC voted to to allow all the public comment on the topic to finish before adjourning last month.

The lack of any public time to comment on the project at Monday’s meeting proved to be a sore point for some resident attendees. It led to some animated exchanges between them and city planning staff, as well as BPSC members. Continue reading “Hawthorne-Weatherstone greenway gets greenlight at contentious commission meeting” →

Vote on Hawthorne-Weatherstone greenway put off for a month by Bloomington bike, ped commission

BPSC meeting (Aug. 14, 2023)
Regina Moore addresses the BPSC meeting (Aug. 14, 2023)
Jeff Richardson addresses the BPSC meeting (Aug. 14, 2023)
Andy Ruff addresses the BPSC meeting (Aug. 14, 2023)

Around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, about two dozen members of the public crammed into the McCloskey conference room at city hall.

They were there to hear the deliberations of the city’s bicycle and pedestrian safety commission (BPSC) on the Hawthorne-Weatherstone greenway project. Most were also there to weigh in with their own thoughts.

On Monday, the BPSC decided to put off their vote on the project, until their next monthly meeting, on Sept. 11. Continue reading “Vote on Hawthorne-Weatherstone greenway put off for a month by Bloomington bike, ped commission” →

Photos: Little 500 Fall Series Street Sprints, change of venue from Kirkwood to IU campus

The sunny weather, mostly calm winds, and temperatures in the mid-50s meant good weather conditions for last Saturday’s (Nov. 6)  Little 500 Street Sprints.

This year, the course started in front of the Indiana Memorial Union on 7th Street and headed farther into the university campus, east towards the Showalter Fountain.

The 200-meter straight-line sprints are part of a fall series of events connected to the  Little 500 race, which is held in the spring at the Bill Armstrong Stadium track. Rounding out the fall series are individual item trials at the stadium track, and cyclocross races at the tailgate field.

Continue reading “Photos: Little 500 Fall Series Street Sprints, change of venue from Kirkwood to IU campus” →

Wednesday night: Leaders of cross-country bicycle race roll through Bloomington, race referees know their movie quotes

RAAM male solo competitor Mark Pattinson heading east on 3rd Street at Clarizz Boulevard (9:12 p.m. June 23, 2021).
RAAM male solo competitor Mark Pattinson heading east on 3rd Street at Clarizz Boulevard (9:12 p.m. June 23, 2021).
RAAM female solo competitor Leah Goldstein at the intersection of SR 45/46 and 3rd Street waiting at the light to turn left onto 3rd. (11:55 p.m. June 23, 2021)
RAAM female solo competitor Leah Goldstein at the intersection of SR 45/46 and 3rd Street waiting at the light to turn left onto 3rd. (11:55 p.m. June 23, 2021)

Around midnight on Wednesday, a few minutes into Thursday, an SUV headed south on SR 45/46 waited at the light to turn left onto 3rd Street.

The door panel had an official placard—it was a race official’s vehicle for the Race Across America (RAAM).

RAAM is a 3036.9-mile bicycle race starting in Oceanside, California ending in Annapolis, Maryland. Since the race was founded 38 years ago, the route for the RAAM has not always been the same. But it has passed through Bloomington for several years.

Through the open window of the SUV the driver shouted to the B Square: “Cutters! The Italians are coming! The Italians are coming! Rebate? Rebate?!”

He caught his own mistake: “Wait, no, that’s not it … Refund? Refund?!”

The recitation of familiar lines from the movie “Breaking Away” was his response to the B Square’s question: “You know you’re in Bloomington, Indiana, right—the greatest bicycling town in America?” The highlight of the film is the victory of a team called the Cutters in the Indiana University Student Foundation’s annual Little 500 bicycle race.

The light turned green before The B Square could catch the driver’s name. Continue reading “Wednesday night: Leaders of cross-country bicycle race roll through Bloomington, race referees know their movie quotes” →

Bloomington’s Lower Cascades Road to reopen after pilot closure, but “not anytime soon”

Section of road proposed for closure. It stopped short of the underpass, and did not extend to College Avenue.
Section of road proposed for closure. It stopped short of the underpass, and did not extend to College Avenue.
Section of trail proposed to city council in Oct. 31, 2018 bond proposal. It goes south all the way to College Avenue.
Section of trail proposed to city council in Oct. 31, 2018 bond proposal. It goes south all the way to College Avenue.
Locator map for proposed road closure.
Locator map for proposed road closure.

Late Tuesday afternoon, a Bloomington city staff recommendation to permanently reopen the road through Lower Cascades Park was delivered to the four-member board of park commissioners.

That was followed by an update to the three-member board of public works from public works director Adam Wason, about the parks staff recommendation to re-open the road.

That meant board of public works members did not have to vote on the question of a road closure.

Still, Wason told them the road could not be opened “anytime soon.” For one thing, the road sustained substantial damage as a result of weekend’s heavy rains, which caused flooding in several places.

For another thing, it will take some time to design and construct the kind of traffic calming measures that are being recommended—to try to make the road safer for people bicycling and walking along the park road. Continue reading “Bloomington’s Lower Cascades Road to reopen after pilot closure, but “not anytime soon”” →

Race Across America takes cyclists through Bloomington again this year

On Thursday afternoon Bloomington was rain-free for the first time in a few days. A 10-mph wind blew out of the west. For competitors in this year’s Race Across America, that meant dry pavement and a nice tailwind as they pedaled past the time station on Third Street, a couple hundred yards in front of the SR 446 intersection.

Kabir_Rachure Cropped IMG_6193
Kabir Rachure, a 29-year-old lawyer from India. Thursday, June 20, 2019 Race Across America passing through Bloomington, Indiana (Dave Askins/Beacon)

Continue reading “Race Across America takes cyclists through Bloomington again this year” →