Construction for the 7-Line, a protected bike lane on Seventh Street, will begin after IU graduation in May.
The first phase will run between the B-Line Trail and Woodlawn Avenue, connecting the IU campus and downtown Bloomington.
Plans For Transit In Bloomington: Protected Bike Lanes And Bus Route Changes
One goal of the project is to decrease use of singe occupancy vehicles by making biking a safer option. City councilmember Matt Flaherty says transportation is the biggest contributor to carbon emissions in the U.S. and in Bloomington. He says that encouraging bike use is key to reaching climate goals.
“To attract new users, specifically with biking for instance, you need to have safer, high comfort facilities. It’s a very small percentage of people who feel comfortable biking in the existing bike networks that we have,” Flaherty said.
The bus stops on the south side of Seventh Street will become bus islands when the project is complete and street parking will be removed between College and Indiana Avenue.
Flaherty says these parking spots are only occupied 30 percent of the time.
