Cycling in Carmel, Indiana from a Dutch perspective

[Ep. 1025] The city of Carmel, Indiana, is exceptionally people- and cycling-friendly, defying stereotypes for a Midwestern conservative-led small city. Even though it is also still quite car centric, its streetscapes do demonstrate that building livable cities can transcend political divides.
But how does Carmel fare in my Dutch eyes? I travelled from the Netherlands to Indiana to experience cycling in Carmel firsthand.
My generous host Mr. "American Fietser" has his own KZbin channel, featuring live-streamed rides from Carmel (among other topics). Check it out here: / @americanfietser
More information in the blog post: bicycledutch.wordpress.com/?p...

[@RipCityBassWorks]

That's crazy that a random suburb that most people have never heard of is way more pedestrian and biking friendly than the larger city.

[@Kingedwardiii2003]

We Hoosiers know Carmel well lol if you move there you made it out the hood lol

[@CubeNotFunny]

Us Hoosiers know Carmel well, most towns and cities in Indiana are going to be like this in future.

[@Kingedwardiii2003]

@@CubeNotFunny yea I hope so lol Rochester needs to step their game up 🤣🤣

[@isaacanderson5083]

It's not, don't be fooled only the city center is walkable, the city as a whole scores 19/100 on walk score. Not to mention there is zero public transportation

[@JoshuaHere]

Carmel is pretty well-known as it is the richest city in Indiana. Their behemoth of a high school is also stupendously fancy.

[@AmericanFietser]

I am so happy that we were able to host you in Carmel and have you not only visit as a friend, but as an expert in assessing human-scale infrastructure design centered around active transportation. It's hard to believe that this exists, especially in the middle of Indiana, but I think we're doing very exciting things here in Carmel and this is why my wife and I relocated here over 3 years ago, simply to take advantage of the infrastructure and live a car-lite lifestyle, which is hard to do in the US. This video provides a nice glimpse into what we have to offer and I'm sure that in the coming years, things will only continue to get better as our leadership keeps up the initiative of progressive city design that, as you stated, does not need to be a partisan issue.

[@coleciervo5454]

The only thing next is to get the state government out of the way of transit infrastructure... Imagine the untold benefits if there were a rail line connecting Carmel to downtown Indy. It is an absolute disgrace that Indiana used to have such a robust rail network and now the government has banned light rail and nearly banned BRT

[@cycletricity]

I love the phrase 'car-lite lifestyle' (I'm stealing that!). Maybe we all need to start advocating cycling, walking and public transport in such a manner, it doesn't diminish the fact that some do need cars but that cars shouldn't be the bee all and end all and that urban design and transportation designed for the cyclist, walker and public transport user is also beneficial to those who need to use cars...less congestion, easier parking etc etc. Going 'car-lite' also suggests that you can be both a cycle user and a car user, they are not mutually exclusive and just because you use a bike it doesn't mean you have to give up your car as a result. Yes! we need to advocate for more 'car-lite lifestyles'!

[@coleciervo5454]

The Indiana state government needs to get with the program and un-ban light rail and stop meddling in IndyGo's efforts to build BRT. Carmel is good except that there is no transit link to any other city in Indiana.

[@RobinRense]

I'm pretty amazed as a Dutchman, it looks really Dutch 👌 Seems like a nice place to be :)

[@Velociraptor449]

You're glossing over the fact that everywhere else in Carmel is impossible to bike, I'm approx 25 minutes away from the Highschool by bike, but it's impossible to bike there because there's no safe route. Also we have no public transit, there's no affordable housing, there's overcrowded schools, alt-right leadership, wealth hoarding, nobody stops for pedestrians, the residents make me consider suicide regularly because of how awful they are to be around, and we're not building infrastructure at a rate that can keep up with the houses we're building.

[@sebzuddas]

America has so much potential

[@Zhiperser]

America has always had potential. That's why it sucks so much when people give up caring or trying.

[@dantem4119]

@@Zhiperseroof that one hurts haha

[@johnames6430]

Yes, if all our money was not given to Ukraine/Isra3l imagine would could be

[@p.ipebomb]

Kinda what makes USA cool. What we lack in ancient Traditions, we make up for, being ever changing 👍

[@user-ni1dm2oc5v]

@@johnames6430 Don't bring any of that stuff here, we were already funding many foreign countries.

[@Tristan-mc4wm]

As a dutchy, looking at the thumbnail I actually thought it was a new neighbourhood somewhere in the Netherlands. Until I read the Title. Honestly really cool!

[@coolsoenie]

I thought exactly the same

[@Joey-ct8bm]

It has more the Denmark style, not the Dutch. It's close though.

[@davidsprenkle2641]

Great to see progress here in the U.S. There seems to be growing momentum towards making urban areas less car-centric

[@peachezprogramming]

No, you're wrong. I've been all over the US and Carmel is literally the only, ONLY one doing nice things.

[@geoffreyhoney122]

@@peachezprogramming Emeryville California Mayor John Bauters would disagree!

[@ChristiaanHW]

@@peachezprogramming to be fair change often happens because one place/person/group has the balls to try something new. and after a while other places see how it goes, and if it turns out to be something that's needed/wanted other places will start to copy it. right now most of the US is still stuck in the mindset that what they already have might be best. but more and more people find out that what Carmel has done might actually a better way of living. and when that group becomes big enough to influence other towns/cities in the US this type of urban planning will spread throughout the US. so if you want more places to go into the direction of Carmel, go and share videos like this one with the people around you. and find out who you need to approach in your area to get the (local) politicians in on it. and with time your area could become like Carmel too.

[@LucasDimoveo]

@@peachezprogrammingDavis? Boulder?

[@superbrownsheep3777]

@@ChristiaanHWThe thing I’m most curious about is if Carmel will have Actual Public Transportation in the future. The transportation that does exist in Carmel is only reserved for elderly and disabled people. I hope to see public transportation make a return in Carmel in the future

[@jackfeldman3916]

It was a pleasure seeing you! I am so glad that you got to come and enjoy this lovely city. With the right vision, even North America can be a walkable environment!

[@BicycleDutch]

Thanks again! It was surprising to be recognised by you so far from home! Did you also see the blog post? (Link in the description.)

[@jackfeldman3916]

@@BicycleDutch I did see the blog post, and when I read the P.S. I got a big smile on my face! Thank you for being so kind and pleasant. Your inspiration, through your videos and personality, has made a huge impact on my life and view of the world! P.S., thank you for the stickers! New bike is on the way, and I can’t wait to put one on!

[@samenos9086]

as a republican who is also against car dependency and all for cycling and people friendly cities, this is one of my favorite videos! friendly streets/cities and cycling don't have to be political!

[@scruf153]

I am a republican and is against car dependency to been car free since 2020 living in Alabama

[@VivekPatel-ze6jy]

Not to be that guy, but it is political, just not in a traditional left-right sense. Regardless of your representative's party, the key is making sure they know how important a people oriented city is to you.

[@Netizpossible]

​@@VivekPatel-ze6jy I mean it doesnt have to be a political issue at all. DOTs in red states will often spend more money on expanding interstates, so getting 23 million to build a city like this is like a drop in a bucket. Plus over 100 million dollars was invested by private businesses into this city because of how unique it is. It could be a model for states wanting to profit off of good urbanism, especially since this city's mayor is republican.

[@josephpadula2283]

One the most vocal advocates of the modern light rail , starting in San Diego , was Paul Michael Weyrich. Founder of the Heritage Foundation as as conservative as they come . He ran a magazine on light rail before he died . Google him .@

[@Siranoxz]

I'm actually quite happy to see North American cycling and walking infrastructure done properly, of course with some improvements needed. But the effort is absolutely substantial!. Indiana is definitely taking this effort at heart..

[@aceman0000099]

Indiana as a whole? Or just this city

[@Siranoxz]

@@aceman0000099 Is it just this part of the city?

[@aceman0000099]

@@Siranoxz Indiana is a State, quite a big one. Goes from Chicago to Kentucky

[@Siranoxz]

@@aceman0000099 My bad.

[@isaacanderson5083]

@@Siranoxz Most of Carmel Indiana is standard suburban sprawl. Indiana as a state is horribly car-centric, the state has banned light rail and is trying to ban bus rapid transit

[@oldbrokenhands]

A quiet, people-centric city in a red state, I can only dream of something like that in Texas.

[@yuriydee]

Its always odd how republican leaders are always talking about saving the “main street” yet the way we build suburbs in US is antithetical to that. Building cities like mentioned in the video can absolutely be a conservative talking point (spending taxes wisely duh) yet it isnt.

[@iamjoestafford]

@@yuriydee Exactly true. The Dutch are not ruled by green environmentalists, but instead by pragmatic right-of-centre conservatives who understand that spending tax money on great planning and public transport leads to economic growth, as well as making places pleasant to live in. I live in the UK, and the contrast is stark - our system means that none of our local leaders could possibly do what they have done in Carmel or The Netherlands, our high streets are all dying, and even Manchester (which has a bit more autonomy) doesn't have the freedom or money to do more than install an occasional bumpy bike path and a few badly designed cyclops junctions. Plus now we even have the government backing up conspiracy theories about low traffic neighbourhoods and lower speed limits...I don't have much hope that things will improve!

[@LeafHuntress]

I believe Active Towns is located in Texas & they showcase some stuff from that state. It is of course large & it might not be in your neck of the woods.

[@mindstalk]

@@yuriydee Conservatives: "we believe in markets and property rights!" Person: "So I can replace my house with apartments or a shop?" Conservatives: "No!"

[@michaelrains64295]

@@mindstalkthat’s not a typical conservative viewpoint in the slightest.

[@melalmagro2000]

I was thrilled to run into you at the Carmel Library while you were visiting. Wonderful video and perspective on the area my family and I have chosen to call home. Thanks to you, your partner, and @AmericanFietser for spending a few minutes talking to my son and I. I hope you enjoyed your travels to Indiana!

[@BicycleDutch]

Being approached twice in 24 hours by people who knew our channels was absolutely fantastic! That's why I mention it in the blog post. Thanks for the talk and also the comments here. I hope you and your family can enjoy the car light life in the Carmel area from now on!

[@patrickbritting6251]

I grew up in the neighboring suburb to Carmel (Fishers) and the arts district of Carmel was always a place I loved going with my friends, because when you need a cheap activity to do with your friends as a teenager, having a convenient place to get coffee, sit and chat, and go on a walking trail was luxury I didn't fully appreciate at the time. Your video was phenomenal, and I would just like to emphasize two points. One is that walkability and attractiveness in any part of America is heavily correlated with the wealth of that area. Carmel is one of the wealthiest places in Indiana, if not the entire US, and something I noticed as my neighboring suburb grew in both wealth and population was that our commercial areas and city center were developed very similarly to Carmel. So often a lot of less walkable/attractive suburbs just don't have tons of resources to put into that type of development or there's not political will among residents to raise the taxes to do that (Its even a fight in wealthy suburbs, trust me). The other thing I wanted to point out is I've mentioned commercial areas several times because if you live in most residential areas of these suburbs, biking/walking infrastructure is very limited or non-existent leaving most residents with still no other option than to drive (hence the necessity for large parking garages all over the commercial areas). Keep up the good work! Love to see videos like this!

[@tiansivive]

This is a common excuse I see, that there just isn't enough money in other areas. I'd like to counter that, because Carmel actually spent less money on their roundabouts than the typical American "one more lane" improvements. So while Carmel might be wealthier, they're also using their money way more efficiently. The true difference is political will. It's beyond bewildering that it took a trip to Europe to build simple roundabout interchanges, so it's no wonder there's such aversion to them in most other cities. As for the boulevard, it's the other way around: the communities are poor because they're unattractive, because no money is spent on them. There are plenty of examples where just a tiny bit of investment dramatically increases quality of life. You see people walking, jogging, socialising in public spaces in Carmel because the facilities are there. If they weren't, it'd be just another isolated, residential, sleepover suburb.

[@jasper6073]

Great architecture too; the new building blocks look like the've always been there.

[@rajm2626]

One of the few places in the US that doesn't look like actual garbage. One cannot help but notice the abundance of people out and about in your film shots, even though it's clearly not even summer there yet. It turns out that people like a nice built environment.

[@davidnicholson6680]

"One of the few places in the US that doesn't look like absolute garbage"? Please. Maybe you need to look around a bit more.

[@favoritemyvideo]

@@davidnicholson6680 80% of the US cities has high crime, unemployment, homelessness. Don't you love the internet? Anonymous people can post any fact they want.

[@popcorn8153]

As crappy as urban planning is, I would say that there are plenty of beautiful places in the USA. Maybe not on the west coast though.

[@tomodomo1000]

@@popcorn8153 Considering how huge the US is, only a few places look so good.

[@michaelrains64295]

The US is 9 million+ square kilometers. It highly unlikely you’ve seen a sufficient amount of that to have a relevant opinion. Plus, your opinion is wholly subjective to your values, which are not universal. Try again.

[@jefflastofka9289]

Nice to see this. I discovered your channel a few years ago and it was life-changing. I'm learning Dutch and have spent nine weeks there on three visits the last two years. Going for two months this summer. Dreaming of moving there, actually. Ik ben nu een beetja tweetalig, danzij jou.

[@joehoe222]

Don't take it too harsh ;-). Beetje*. Happy to be your grinding stone today.

[@jefflastofka9289]

​@@joehoe222 aaacckk... een fout. Dank u wel.

[@atropatene3596]

Wat gaaf! Daar mag u best trots op zijn, een tweede taal leren is niet niks hoor!

[@jefflastofka9289]

@@atropatene3596 Bedankt. Voor mij is het één van mijn hobby's. Meer plezier toen ik bezoek. Ook krijg ik daarvan speciaal behandeling 🙂

[@RobinRense]

Haha, ja dat wordt gewaardeerd :)

[@swtexan6502]

Hopefully we made a good impression on you. We've lived here for almost 20 years and have seen significant (good) change in the Carmel/Westfield area. When we moved here, you had to stop along the Monon trail at each and every street- which is fun prohibative. And, the areas that Brandon features weren't even here then. Thanks for making the video and safe travels.

[@paulm7826]

Carmel looks terrific. Bravo.

[@jessicamorrisonco]

As a Realtor and local resident of the Carmel, Indiana area, it is truly a gift to call this place home. Thank you for taking the time to make this video, and visit our community. The feedback is wonderful to hear from your perspective. Was there a favorite restaurant you enjoyed?

[@kailahmann1823]

Wow, this city looks so extremely far ahead of the usual US or Canadian city - especially from the aspect of mixed use and density.

[@mindstalk]

Judging by the building styles, a lot of that mixed use and density is legacy, as in other places...

[@ojasdeshmukh3037]

I have to say as a resident most of the city does not look this. Busy 4 lane roads and state road highways still cut through the citu

[@cincybengals101]

@@ojasdeshmukh3037 I live in Downtown Indianapolis and always defend our city above Carmel, mainly because I want to see Indy grow and prosper because we've got a lot of good people trying to get things done. I love Carmel's main city, but yeah, the entire place is still suburban sprawl. Plenty of strip malls, stroads, poor walkability. There's not many walking options from your house to other places outside of your suburban neighborhood.

[@paolagrando5079]

Well done Carmel! Well done to the mayor and everybody else involved who has been helping, in one way or another, this transformation. 🎉

[@annebraun581]

Thanks for the video. Anne from Berlin.

[@larsleo7059]

Wow, as a European that lived in America for a year, this city looks like the fusion of a European and American city i always dreamed of. Hats off to them, amazing!

[@louiszhang3050]

Wow, when I looked at the thumbnail I thought it was in the Netherlands or Denmark or Sweden at first. Then I saw that it was INDIANA. Some of the development happening there seems really nice and almost reminiscent of the places you'd show in your home country. Definitely should be a place I visit soon :)

[@lolololol7573]

Wow, an investment of 'only' 23 million, and to get this in return? This is fantastic :) It really does look oddly familiar from a Dutch perspective and absolutely like something you'd want to visit. What a success!

[@josephwaggener9307]

From Colorado where some of this is just normal infrastructure, I am so impressed with Carmel! What a beautiful area! Great job

[@LucasDimoveo]

Boulder needs to step up its game!

[@Arjay404]

I think it's really cool that you went to Carmel. As someone that lives in the Netherlands I'm actually somewhat jealous of some of the things that Carmel has done. Because even though I love the bike infrastructure that we have in the Netherlands I do love some of things of American life, like in this video I really like the style of some of the homes shown, which in the Netherlands unless you have a lot of money isn't something you are likely to be able to have. So I think for most places that are still too focused on the car, Carmel is a great example to strive to, that way you get much of the safety, health benefits and better city planning of the Netherlands but still keep much of "American" life. If I could pick, I would honestly pick the Carmel way over the Dutch way, though obviously with some improvements in the Carmel way. Like for example, I don't know how good their public transport is. I would need bus and especially train connection to be as good as it is in the Netherlands.

[@jefflastofka9289]

I live near San Diego and have lived in a lot of the US. Recently discovered the Netherlands (multiple visits now) and love it there. I don't know Carmel specifically, but mass transit here is VERY bad compared to the Netherlands. There's much less coverage both geographically and schedule. Plus, here, it's mostly people who can't afford car travel that you'll find on mass transit, so even though I like it, the crowd you end up associating with is often fairly sketchy (not all of them, but percentage-wise yes). In the Netherlands almost everyone rides transit, so the ratio of sketchy people is a lot less. That and the lack of coverage makes mass transit a difficult proposition here. It works in a few places, but you'd have to research it carefully. In the Netherlands you can hop on a train in your small town and step off underneath the airport at Schiphol. In San Diego or Los Angeles that's not remotely possible. It's an expensive, time-consuming nightmare. Seems I've spent half my life sitting in traffic waiting to turn left at intersections. In the Netherlands I happily go an entire month without getting in a car:-) Think long and hard before you give up what you have to come here :-)

[@Arjay404]

@@jefflastofka9289 Oh yes, I know that generally public transport in the us is bad or none existent, I just don't know if Carmel is the same or the mayor and the government there has done anything to improve public transport there. Public transport in the US unless it's in some very specific locations (like NYC) is just for the poor and desperate, unlike in the Netherlands (and many places in Europe, Asia and South America.) where it's for anyone and everyone.

[@jefflastofka9289]

@@Arjay404 Yes, it's a difficult proposition here even for well-meaning officials who want to do the right thing. Getting support up front to build the infrastructure to hopefully have ridership later is a tough sell. Americans are SO addicted to cars. We are getting more and more things like this popping up here and there, however. It's going to take a LONG time before it's wide-spread, but there's hope in the denser-populated areas I suppose.

[@JosiahKeller]

Carmel has no public transit whatsoever. To get to Indianapolis you have to either drive, or bike 5-10 miles to get to a bus stop across the county line.

[@millevenon5853]

America is big so you can find suburbs with big homes under 200k especially in middle America.

[@hansbraam73]

I wonder whether the initial plans met fierce restitance. I suppose that the population of Carmel (shopowners included) was initially just as car centric as the population of any other American town. And, if so, how did the mayor overcome this resistance?

[@papaya8634]

True, that would be very interesting to know

[@txquartz]

A lot of it at the beginning was predicated on keeping Carmel property values as high as possible, and to keep a upper class small town feel while modernizing.

[@firebird4491]

I live within biking distance of Carmel and the only complaints I've heard personally are the roundabouts, mainly because most drivers in the state are used to traditional intersections and find them confusing. Other towns and cities have roundabouts, but not nearly as many as in Carmel and the surrounding suburbs.

[@Zhiperser]

There are lots of nice rich suburbs in America. This is one of them. I'd love to see it be implemented in an affordable city.

[@shivtim]

Chicago.

[@worstedwoolens]

The thing is, good livable infrastructure is an attractive force. It attracts people who can afford to move out of cities that don't want to build it. Until it is the norm, building this kind of infrastructure is always going to turn your affordable town into an expensive affluent one. The only way to make these places affordable in the long term is to make them common, rather than an oasis in the middle of car dependent hell

[@user-vh1sh1xl5k]

Mark, you are a true promoter of cycling! Keep up the good work!

[@computerfan1079]

Fascinating sights. At some points it felt almost dutch, whitch I have never had before with US cities

[@k.r.t5350]

As a dutch man, this city is on to something! There are so many benefits to this, people having a good time and hanging around, the place is not only surviving but thriving! You are making good progress USA ❤

[@MarkDDG]

Let’s hope a lot more places get inspired by Carmel!

[@a-borgia4993]

Great video. we have been to Carmel many times. Good (Dutch) friend and my in-laws live there. We have taken our fietsen on the Monon several times.

[@robrusman2511]

i honestly believe the political divide in the US will be closed by a mutual love of human-first urban development

[@charlienyc1]

It could be. While I'm an optimist, it's hard to hold out hope for something that would be so good for everyone just based on past decisions and politics.

[@skurinski]

not happening. America is shifting left off a cliff

[@user6122]

Anyone really shocked about how Indiana of all places got something like this, look up the distribution of salary or house costs for the suburb then you'll understand lol.

[@carmelmuprider825]

Glad you made it to Carmel. I moved here in 2006 when we only had a handful of roundabouts and very limited bike paths. While the Monon gets a lot of the attention, it represents only 5.2 miles of the over 200 miles of trails. Every year more trails are being built and our ability to get to a variety of amenities is also growing. I hope you enjoyed your time here and thanks for sharing your thoughts on our city. Keep up the great work you do.

[@Maebbie]

this is amazing that a city like this can be in the usa, only the street signs give a hint it is.

[@dannyjarratt5414]

This is so calming and comforting. Great little video

[@mysteriousMatchStick]

Such a surprise to see this in Indiana. Hope they keep it going.

[@ahoog69]

I hope other municipalities see and learn from this excellent presentation. Living in Burbank, CA, we could certainly benefit from this type of infrastructure. There are quite a few projects underway here, and some of them do include cycling infrastructure.

[@rnor3146]

.....🤍💛🧡❤💜💙!!!! Hello!😉 Beautiful video, as usual, and beautiful report. This city is an advanced one, and many should take example on it. Have a great continuation and see you. 😉👍👍👍👌

[@picakiaak]

Nice job Americano's! Notice that the electrical cables are almost everywhere burried under ground what makes a huge different to me. Keep up the good work!

[@xXikip1018Xx]

This popped up in my recommended and its always wild to see places I'm familiar with being discussed online, I am from a smaller city next to Carmel and Carmel's style of developments are starting to spread more around our sort of 4 city area here in Hamilton County, having grown up here my whole life the change has been incredible to see.

[@Rik-rj3pu]

As a Dutch person I’m very happy to see an American city slowly turning in to a better city for its citizens! 😄

[@marcelmoulin3335]

"Bravo!" to all those responsible for creating such a vibrant, attractive, memorable, and cycle-/pedestrian-friendly environment. What a joy! (Is this really in the US?!) I am watching from the Netherlands.

[@anthonydpearson]

Gorgeous! Reading the history of Mayor Brainard is great, and seems the sort of leader we could use in more communities. Believes in using experts, good urban design, civil rights and diversity, and also believes in doing so in a way that you're not bankrupting future generations.

[@hansonel]

As an American Midwesterner it took me a few seconds to realize the shots weren't of somewhere in The Netherlands. Carmel is the best designed suburb in the US and possibly the most Dutch suburb in the United States also.

[@Velociraptor449]

Carmel is horribly designed and does not have the infrastructure to compensate for all the McMansions being built on the west side (not safe to bike from east side of town to west or vice versa)

[@OhTheNormanity]

I've seen a lot of videos on the roundabouts in Carmel but this is the first I've seen on the other infrastructure. I'm impressed.

[@paolagrando5079]

If you want more details check the blog (the link is in the description 📦). You'll find great stuff like the fact that at the first round about the population was at just 25,000people. The good development must have made a good impression on people who decided to move there. Again, my compliments to the mayor 💜

[@jg-7780]

I'd love to visit Carmel some day, it seems like a fascinating city. It's just a shame that for all the incredible progress they've made on the pedestrian and cycling fronts, they still have no public transit whatsoever except for a dial-a-ride that must be reserved 24hrs in advance.

[@joseph1150]

It's mostly a bedroom city that everybody commutes to Indianapolis. Everybody that is well off enough to live there can afford to drive. It's a very quick drive at that, being directly north of the CBD, shopping areas, and 465 loop that takes you anywhere quickly. If you wanted mass transit there, it would have to be part of a city wide network through Indianapolis, which just isn't going to happen any time soon.

[@andyvoss1149]

I heard about this city in the news regarding their roundabouts. I didn't know good multi-modal infrastructure was also available. I enjoyed the eclipse in a nearby town also near Indianapolis. I hope Carmel inspires more North American towns that it can be done - even if they are small in comparison to other big cities.

[@AssBlasster]

It's kind of wild how they put so much effort into their urbanism and road design, yet don't run a bus system in this pretty large city with more surrounding smaller towns. I was looking into the realities of moving here without a car and still looks decent if you don't mind biking long distances. It's 7-10 miles down the Monon Trail before you encounter a bus in the Indianapolis metro area. You can even bike 25 miles to downtown Indianapolis on the trail.

[@aul0s]

Absolutely inspiring

[@thomashughes_teh]

I cycle commuted to there for work in the 1980's from Indianapolis when Rangeline Road was a pencil thin 50mph in a 40mph speed limit gamble. Keystone and Meridian were also heart pounding gauntlets of horns, cuss words, debris filled fractured shoulders and getting passed by cars within inches. Now I have been known to drive my bicycle to there just to ride around in Southern Hamilton County.

[@Kuijpermedia]

Amazing video well done 👍 short and to the point

[@starbase218]

I am amazed. This is in the USA but I’m getting strong Dutch vibes. Thanks for saying it does not have to be political. I think that’s exactly the tone we need.

[@Kingedwardiii2003]

Lived in Carmel last year Indiana native here, rented an apartment with a buddy of mine and loved it there

[@DinoCon]

If I were a film or television studio, I would absolutely film there.

[@joseph1150]

IDK, the weather isn't really consistent enough. It's different brands of miserable for most of the year. Like 2 months in the spring (April/May) and 2 months in the fall (September/October) it's nice.

[@gont183]

I would honestly consider moving there.

[@Carsten_Diekmann]

A great video. I like the part that highlights how the Monon has become the crystallization core for successful urban growth in generell. I was a real estate developer. The access to cycling infrastructure is such an important point that I now only doing cycling stuff … 🤓 Greatings to Mrs. and Mr. @AmericanFietser

[@txquartz]

Be honest then, it also probably came with a big TIFF or other tax breaks. It's not just "there's a trail here", it's the city saying "build buy the trail and we'll make it worth your while"

[@kitchencarvings4621]

Awesome! I wish they would do something like that in our town. It would revitalize it.

[@thndr_5468]

That mayor is doing an incredible job by transforming his city into a shining example. Props to him!

[@fritsz8087]

Goed zo. Nu de rest van America nog. Goed voor jullie gezondheid. 👍

[@cycleistic1365]

If only the rest of the US would follow this example, rather than the opposite. That would send a great signal to the rest of the world even, where car centricism prevails.

[@mesoed]

Well, it helps that Carmel is one of the richest communities in the US.

[@cycleistic1365]

@@mesoed No doubt _it takes change to make change,_ and yet, car centric infra is known to be often economically net negative, streets, roads and parking lots aren't cheap to build or maintain, plus all the adverse effects that it brings along. There are good sources that explain how car infrastructure actually contributes to communal poverty: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5rSY5SQl8Scn9ksi=fxDnF_nTf-3fEmSX kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6KZXqGvlJ6Fn9ksi=o6YKw7AKNLfZbcBE kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqSQp2Vjpt52mZosi=e8vJz0J51adBJua-

[@annabelholland]

Carmel is the new Milton Keynes. The UK city (which officially attained that status in 2022) with almost no traffic lights. I live near Keynes to the point I practiced roundabouts there for my driving.

[@Jaigarful]

Something to remember, Carmel is one of the nicest suburban Areas of Indianapolis, so many people who work in the city live up there. They have an abnormal amount of money to work with.

[@ItsCharlieVest]

Very cool. I live an hour away from Carmel and never knew anything about it before. Now I want to go check it out!

[@alexgria]

i am glad you enjoyed our small but special city!

[@insertyourquarters]

This is wonderful!

[@patypami16]

Looks really nice, but is there any kind of public transportation?

[@charlienyc1]

I've read enough of the comments section to know there is little to none. It's very different from the Netherlands in that respect.

[@BenoitMenez2]

The videos here date back from months to years ago. A lot more has changed and improved since then!

[@BicycleDutch]

Except for one clip where that was stated as the before situation, all the footage was filmed early April 2024.

[@sekritdokumint9326]

Amazing! The only thing that bugs me as someone coming from central europe are the manicured lawns. Less deep green empty lawns with grass, more bushes and flowers like we have here. Natural grass is the way to go!

[@Timmiee76]

Very cool!

[@richardavsmith]

I liked Carmel as a place when visiting a friend there, but actually getting to/from there without a car, especially from Indianapolis, was nigh on impossible. It still felt very car centric as a result

[@TheSpaceBrosShow]

0:24 is literally me and my folks lmao We came to visit friends for the eclipse

[@TheSpaceBrosShow]

Also, it was great checking out the area from a cyclsist's perspective. I was surprised how now it was; you can bike all the way to Indianapolis quite easily from Carmel

[@user-gx1rk8yw6l]

Interesting video-title! *Initially* I understood it as viewing the USA's state of Indiana from a Dutch perspective via bicycling in a town called Carmel (that is located in the USA's state of California, so far as *I* knew). A few re-reads were required for the USA-er's penchant for writing "town *,* state" to come to the surface, thus giving the sentence a totally different meaning. Oh well... US-English is NOT like UK-English... Anyway, for me a very significant difference between the Dutch view of traffic versus that of many other countries is the wide-openness of pathways for bicycles & pedestrians versus the restrictively-designed pathways for cars (literal & visual narrowing by trees right-beside the asphalt). In areas where people abound, the car is in NO way the "king", but a GUEST.

[@spaghettojesusinc]

Have you seen cycling infrastructure in Ljubljana and Slovenia? It looks as if the whole country has loads of protected intersections and protected lanes. Could you possibly do a video on the cycling infrastructure there someday?

[@danmcclaren5436]

hopefully Carmel goes viral and everyone start moving there. The first american Paris

[@SledgeOfHouseHammer]

Awww yes BD in USA.

[@Pan472]

It'd be interesting to see you cycle (or rather, attempt it) in Athens, Greece. Actually, from Greece, you should visit the city of Karditsa, it's a city in which almost everyone cycles to go around everywhere.

[@ChicaFoo]

I wish the rest of the us was like this

[@I_Githiomi]

Roundabout driving rule is simple: Give way to cars driving from your left

[@mcc.o.4835]

Brillant!! Well done Carmel Indiana.. 👏😀

[@darkrai6010]

Carmel still has an issue with basically 0 public transit coverage but i have hope that it'll be sought out in the very near future

[@joetrey215]

Like most of the US, Carmel does have restricted-use public transit though as seen at 4:10 in the video.

[@marknieuweboer8099]

@ Joe: still for someone like me, who doesn't even have a driver's licence, that makes the city unlivable.

[@Jerbod2]

Woah that looks worthy of the Dutch!

[@Catssonova]

Really nice. But it's also outside of the income range of the vast majority of people in Indiana and the midwest. It's a nice model, but I don't see this working in many midwest American towns on the same growth methodology and certainly not the same speed. Worth taking inspiration from regardless

[@Catssonova]

$1000+ for a studio near any of the places shown it seems. Really a bummer.

[@lkruijsw]

The high price is because it is desired, not because it is expensive to build. To the contrary.

[@Jose-sy1je]

I never understand why cities can't be designed more bike friendly in the US. States like Texas have been growing massively. Their cities are even less bike and pedestrian friendly than older ones. They should have focused on good transportation such as high speed trains, subways, skytrains, etc and making cities walkable. It would bring more life to cities. But it's just not possible here.

[@MattZaycYT]

So pretty and so pleasant! Carmel did the right thing.

[@an_der4856]

cidade linda! - Brasil, São Paulo

[@sebastianjoseph2828]

Nice video. I wonder, when you were in the US did you get a chance to visit any other cities to look at bike infrastructure there? I hope you have a chance to visit Washington DC one day. It's not Dutch-standard, but there has been quite a lot of progress in the last 5 years on getting bike lanes (especially protected lanes) installed in much of the core of the city. The city has a generously cheap and widespread bike share program called CaBi. You can take bikes on the metrorail system. There are many trails like the MBT, Capital Crescent, and Anacostia Trail to get you further out into the city and surrounding areas, and many have bike amenities, local restaurants, residences and such nearby. It's not perfect- we are fighting hard to get bike lanes put on some major roads that really need it. But I'd say DC is the most comfortable major US city to bike in.

[@driewiel]

Should be called Bikemel.

[@puffpuffin1]

It looks like Carmel is a new city with lots of areas redeveloping with new streets, roads, buildings etc. Not every city has that luxury. Let's look at Google Maps. Oh. Deceived again. This is only a small part of Carmel. Maybe a few places beyond the Monom Trail, but otherwise, still a typical suburb but with lots of roundabouts. Oh, and freeways run through and around the city too, so that will give urbanists nightmares. LOL.

[@soccermania49]

Carmel is not a perfect place, but I also wouldn't agree that it's just like all other suburbs. There are lots of smooth paths alongside the streets, which makes cycling places way easier than in most US suburbs. I now live near downtown in an actual city in Indiana in a neighborhood built in the 1920s and it is way less walkable than when we lived in an apartment in Carmel.

[@lkruijsw]

You have to start somewhere. And it is not a luxury, it is cheaper. Building the traditional suburb is expensive.

[@bircruz555]

Good to see progressive developments in Carmel, IN. I stayed at the Residence INN in Carmel for over six months in the mid-1990s as a contractor to a Fortune 500 company there. Two things I found unappealing about the place then. First, the population was monochrome, and quite parochial. Having come from the West, it was not always comfortable. Second, I had to drive everywhere. I am a walker, and I love cities that are designed to be conducive to walking. Carmel had no sidewalks. This is a pleasant change, and it can only be good for the health of the people, who were on the average overweight or obese.

[@rodrigosouto9502]

Holly God, is this really the USA? Amazing city!

[@denizwesley3227]

Pretty little town!

[@something-hs1ui]

I want this guy to plan my city

[@MyCamilla1989]

This video is a clear evidence how traveling the world expands your horizons. The mayor had the privilege to study abroad and he utilized this privilege to serve his nation in the best way possible, regardless of his political stance. Well done.

[@jayandreas1131]

Very Europey vibe. Looks great.

[@Kingedwardiii2003]

1:06 lol use to take that way to work did you pass “sauce on the side” while you were there?

[@samreagan6292]

This makes my heart sing :) this doesn’t have to be a partisan issue!

[@PeterSdrolias]

The things you can do with vision and hard work.