Cycling Through Carmel's Main St: Opinions on Design and Amenities

[@AmericanFietser]

Just a disclaimer for anyone wondering. No, Carmel is not my "hometown". We moved here in 2021 after getting the ok to move anywhere we wanted to for remote work. We had already done an international move before and were tired of it, so we checked out the infrastructure in Carmel, liked it, and moved here simply to live car-lite. We probably accomplish 85% of our lives easily by e-cargo bikes. I don't really have any connections at all in the city, no family here, so basically it's all down to the ability to live the way we do, as local as possible, and trying to avoid using our old car. It's an ok city to live in, just as can be said for most places across North America. While it does have many shortcomings, ill-advised policies, and lack of any sort of public transportation, I still can't complain too much. Carmel has allowed us to park the car, grab the bikes, and that's very enabling.

[@ricfwolff]

Nice! Out of curiosity, some questions: Do you have children? I ask this because I feel that having children slow us down in a sense that I'm always running behind schedule (not complaining, just pointing out). So...: when one traces a route on Google Maps on Carmel, car is always faster than bike. Do you sometimes prefer going by car when you're short in time? Or do you try to do most of your tasks by bike?

[@Ho0s13r]

30:34 is me talking, came to Carmel to ride the monon with my wife and son. We live on the west side of Indy and are planning to move to Carmel at some point. I appreciate your videos, they’ve helped me learn more about Carmel and the bike infrastructure in the area.

[@AmericanFietser]

That made my day hearing from you! I hope you can move to town and take part in the active transportation lifestyle as much as possible. There's more people just like you that have moved here in the last few years and get around with 2 wheels. Please stop me if we ever cross paths again on the Monon and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I'm happy to try and help.

[@Ho0s13r]

@@AmericanFietser Thanks! And I will, next time. As we rode away I was telling my wife about your cargo bike. She had never seen one before. I imagine it takes a fair amount of effort to make these videos, but I’ll say seeing this type of content about an area near us is invaluable. I love Not Just Bikes, but sometimes it just makes me jealous seeing how far from that infrastructure we are here in the US. I think your constructive criticism of Carmel infrastructure should be met with open ears. Carmel infrastructure is fantastic compared to everything within hundreds of miles… but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better. Keep doing what you’re doing.

[@AmericanFietser]

@GrantBearcat speaking of NJB, I'll be on his podcast in November. Well, we record in November anyway. I'm sure we'll talk a little bit about Carmel too.

[@dutchman7623]

Great to see a new video! Thanks. Nice to see improvement on the bicycle infra, not perfect yet, but a big step in the right direction. Guess the coffeeshop has another menu card than the ones over here. And it's good to have a little terrace close to homes where people can sit, have a sip and chat, it can be a neighborhood meeting point. Would like a video on the Christmas Market in full operation, seems to be setup well. See you!

[@dutchman7623]

Followed your link to the Christmas Market and found some others, looks really nice! Thanks.

[@jordankohl2130]

Always cool to see my neighborhood! The library is such an amazing asset and as you mentioned, a great location between the high school and the elementary school. We appreciate having an Urban Arrow to carry all the books my daughter checks out on a weekly basis!

[@AmericanFietser]

The garage bike parking was pretty good, as you said. Wonderful amenity for the city.

[@carson7561]

so pumped for more fietser content

[@jcarter8765]

I now have 600+ miles after 3 months on my new ebike, through this same town. Another great video Brandon. You do a great job of highlighting the good and the bad of urban design as it relates to bikes!

[@AmericanFietser]

Congratulations on your new active transportation lifestyle! Ebikes certainly get people riding more and the physical/mental benefits add up. Hope to see you out there. 🙂

[@SarahFrumento]

Your videos bring me so much joy. I’m commenting (& agreeing with your comments) right along with you. Keep it up my friend!

[@SarahFrumento]

P.S., don’t forget your viewers in 🇨🇦😁

[@AmericanFietser]

Thank you, Sarah! It takes a particular type of person to enjoy my videos, but I know the small audience exists and I make these things for you all.

[@johnjordan7845]

My Girlfriend, Daughter and I were in Carmel, Indiana on October 2nd; Girlfriend was seen at the Midwest Eye clinic on 106th and Illinois st.,so while we were in Carmel we ate at Walhburgers,the Food and Ambience were really good. Note: we live in the Ft Wayne Market, so ee don't get down to Hamilton County or other parts of Central Indiana as much as we would like. P.s you put another really good ant informative video 📷📸😊

[@AmericanFietser]

Thank you for watching! I'm glad you got something out of it.

[@TylerProvick]

Nice to see a new video

[@GoodStreeets]

Whenever I see your Carmel content I'm torn. Rolling out combo pedestrian and cycle paths is a great short-term solution and the junctions/roundabouts (when done properly) are great. Part of me wonders what the interactions will be like as more people cycle or when kids are walking and cycling en mass around school times - will the city need to drastically rethink it's next steps to accommodate more bikes? BUT when you look at the distances involved, cycling is clearly a better option than walking so who knows! You mentioned studying at the library - anything interesting?

[@AmericanFietser]

Multi-use paths are a great starting point that nearly every town and city could deploy. You are correct though, they are only good up to a certain critical mass, before they become dangerous and counterproductive. Having them is a good way to introduce active infrastructure to more people. Once you sell that concept to more people, you will have an easier time with reallocating space and money for proper separated infrastructure for all users in the future. My studying? I'm in language school to further my Brazilian Portuguese and having the library as a secondary study space that I can bike to will be invaluable.

[@buddy1155]

What is different about these roundabouts compared to Dutch roundabout. 1) The angle from road to roundabout makes it almost unnecessary to slow down, that is the whole point of a roundabout. The roads should be pointed at the centre so cars have to make a tight turn (and slow down). 2) The crossings are too close to the roundabout, if a car (especially big American truck or SUV) is waiting to enter the roundabout it is blocking the crosswalk.

[@JosiahKeller]

Handicap parking in front of the bike parking area is actually smart, because it guarantees every other spot is open for you to roll your bike in between cars. If it was a "no parking" area someone would still be sure to park there, and end up blocking access.

[@AmericanFietser]

There are less obstructive design elements that can prevent this from happening, while a full lot of handicapped parking can have the potential to be an obstacle at times for some people. You can eliminate "if" scenarios through proper design.

[@xiezicong]

Took me a while to watch this, but I loved it. :)

[@AmericanFietser]

I appreciate you giving it your time to watch. After all, I make these for the few of us who like this type of content. 😉

[@stevegerber169]

I felt like the camera was pointed at you too much of the time during this video. I would prefer that you keep the camera point forward 99% of the time. The smooth stability of the video is much appreciated! As a cyclist I would love to see more roundabouts in my city. Stoplights at low traffic volume intersections are super annoying so I always try to find a route that bypasses them.

[@GirtonOramsay]

I wish that I could have these complaints in San Diego with year round great biking weather...

[@Frisbeeninja2]

Have you done any multi day bike packing trips?

[@AmericanFietser]

No, I only ride for utilitarian reasons. I've never been interested in recreational cycling. 🙃

[@johnjordan7845]

And, not Ant,lol