Making it easier to get around Northwest Indiana without a car is one of the goals of the Region's latest transportation plan. The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) has been working with a consultant on its 2050+ plan.
It'll take a much closer look at active transportation, according to NIRPC Active Transportation Manager Mitch Barloga. "I'm excited to say, it's going to be probably the deepest dive that we've ever taken into trying to truly make this a non-motorized area," Barloga told NIRPC's Ped, Pedal & Paddle Committee last week.
Barloga said up until now, active transportation — like walking and biking — has been focused on trails. He said only three or four of the 41 communities NIRPC works with have a complete streets policy. That often means the places where people actually need to go are hard to reach without a car.
"People should have the ability to access most any destination safely by bike or by foot. That's the goal of any good region," Barloga said.
Barloga added that e-bikes — which have electric motors to help with the pedaling — could soon be a popular option for shorter trips, but the existing roads can be intimidating. While it may not be practical to put bikes on major highways, a subcommittee has been looking at other nearby roads that can been upgraded to handle them more safely.
A draft version of the 2050-plus plan is expected to be completed in late March, with the final version to be adopted in May.
