What CV Link can (and should) learn from the Indianapolis Cultural Trail

CV Link was dealt a harsh blow on Tuesday when Rancho Mirage voters (or possibly their cats) overwhelmingly voted down the proposed bike route through their city. On Wednesday, the Facebook page for CV Link posted a link about a bike path that was built in Indianapolis that might actually be a better blueprint for what the Coachella Valley needs.

The Cultural Trail is an eight-mile, $63 million landscaped bike path and pedestrian walkway system through the heart of Indianapolis that was completed in 2013.

The trail, unlike CV Link, is not a really long path through town – rather it was designed to specifically link key elements of the city. Via Cleveland.com:

Aside from encouraging physical activity, the trail’s magic is summed up in the notion of connectivity. By linking neighborhoods and destinations with transit and bike trails, cities can magnify the impact of assets such as parks, restaurants, cultural institutions and hotels.

The Cultural Trail connects downtown Indianapolis to a half-dozen emerging cultural districts close by, such as Massachusetts Avenue and Fountain Square, where streets are lined with shops, restaurants and public art in a manner similar to Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway, Little Italy, Ohio City and Tremont neighborhoods.

The Cultural Trail took six years to build because, in addition to bike paths and sidewalks, there are custom-designed benches, light poles, signage and trash receptacles throughout the path – making it far more than just a concrete slab.

And while the trail is great for exercising and commuting (for those in the area), it is also ideal for tourists (which the Coachella Valley kind of thrives on).  It connects all the attractions that tourists to the city would want to see, making renting a bike ideal for those out of town – and let’s face it, the less tourists that are on the road, the better.

Now, yes.  A trail like this would leave some Coachella Valley cities out and how, exactly, a smaller path like this would be laid out in the Coachella Valley – well,  I do not have the answer yet.  But then, the experts working on CV Link don’t have the answers on that project either…and they are getting paid for it!

Here is a map of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail:

And here are a couple of photos of the trail and some of the art that decorates it:

The project costed far less than the $100 million price tag of CV Link, coming in at $63 million – of which almost half was in private money.   They estimate that the estimated economic impact of the trail for Indy is $864.5 million and that the path created 11,372 jobs.

Now sure, an 8 mile path is not going to link every city in the Coachella Valley over 50 miles – but then who was asking for that anyway – other than a few hardcore bikers?

A path like the Culture Trail in Indianapolis makes much more sense than a 50 mile bike path few will use (with none in the summer) and, based on what Rancho Mirage voters have said, many do not even want.

Is the Cultural Trail the right thing for the Coachella Valley?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But, maybe it is time to consider doing something other than what is currently being offered.