NEWS

Monon, other Indianapolis trails could go 24-7

John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com
  • Monon hours would remain dawn to dusk in Carmel.
  • Cycling advocates say late-night restaurant workers need overnight trail hours.

A decision on whether to keep the Monon Trail and other greenways open around the clock was expected “within the next few days,” the chairman of the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Board said Thursday.

“I’ll decide after I’ve had time to digest what I’ve heard,” John Williams said after a public hearing in which proponents and opponents of the rule change addressed the board.

Williams can unilaterally change the park hours without a vote of the board. He refused to say which way he is leaning, but last September he granted a temporary extension of hours until midnight and said most of the correspondence he has received from the public has supported making the trail a 24-7 operation.

Those in favor of the change said it would be safer for bikers than riding on dark city streets at night, and some told harrowing tales of cyclists being hit by cars. They said many late-night workers in restaurants and bars use bikes as their primary mode of transportation.

“These are people with no other means of getting around,” said Joe Hettle, of the Central Indiana Bicycling Association. “But these are also the people the city is trying to recruit: millennials, young people, the brain trust.”

Kevin Whited, executive director of IndyCog, said he knew of cyclists who got kicked off the Monon by police after hours and were struck by cars when they went to the street.

Frank Merritt, who works at Sram Corp., near 54th Street and Guion Road, said 10 percent of the 300 workers ride their bikes to work over three shifts. He said three workers have been hit by cars late at night in the past two years.

A general manager at the Broad Ripple Brew Pub told The Indianapolis Star that one of his bartenders was hit by a car on a street near the Monon at 12:30 a.m. a couple of years ago “and was lucky to survive.”

“He broke several ribs and missed three or four weeks,” Billy Hannan said.

About five employees at the Brew Pub ride their bikes to work but are hesitant to use the trail after the curfew. Hannan said even if they were allowed on it after midnight, they probably wouldn’t ride the Monon alone because of a lack of lighting and the fear of being mugged.

The biking advocates said at Thursday’s meeting that some cyclists ride after midnight for social reasons, such as dinner or a sporting event Downtown.

But board member Joe Wynns questioned how many people would need to ride the trail after midnight, and the advocates acknowledged that numbers were difficult to ascertain.

“I mean, you don’t go to dinner at 1 or 2 in the morning,” Wynns said.

Republican City-County Councilman Will Gooden had a letter read into the record expressing opposition to extending the hours.

Gooden said homeowners in his district fear crime if the hours are extended.

“I see this as an issue of safety for our entire city and one of privacy for those who own property along our trails,” Gooden said. “There is no reason to sanction the use of these trails during an unsafe time of day. This is especially true given that there are multiple other options for traveling about during the middle of the night.”

Riding the trail after dark is subject to a $50 fine, but Indianapolis police could not immediately say how many cyclists have been cited. Officials said they think officers most often give warnings.

Even if the all-night rule is approved, the Monon Trail would be off limits in Carmel during those hours.

City spokeswoman Nancy Heck said the Carmel hours are dawn to dusk.

“Carmel will not extend the hours of the Monon Greenway usage because we have a covenant in place with the 250 property owners along the trail that sets the trail usage time as sunup to sundown,” Heck said in an email.

Only one person spoke against the measure at the meeting, which was attended by about 20 people at the Garfield Park Arts Center.

The council does not have to approve a rule change by Williams, but it can prevent one through parliamentary action.

Call Star reporter John Tuohy at (317) 444-6418. Follow him on Twitter: @john_tuohy.