closed #170791
Trails
1100-1198 S Morton St, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403
- Case Date:
- 10/22/2019
The detour for the B-Line Trail around Switchyard Park right now (10/22/2019) is a product of shortsighted planning, a lack of anticipation of user experiences, and just illogical. When coming from the north, the detour turns you to the west on a small gravel path and leads to a street - W. Hillside Drive. There are no signs after leaving the B-Line that indicate there is a planned detour route. My assumption is to go on the multi-use path on the west side of Rogers. Good luck getting over there in rush hour traffic on a bicycle. No one on Rogers stops for bicycle or pedestrian traffic trying to cross the street. Why would the detour not go on the multi-use path on the north side of Grimes to Rogers? A sidewalk is in place to get from the B-Line (just north of the bridge) to the Grimes path and then use the light to cross Grimes and Rogers to get on the Rogers path. That is what I will do from now on with my logical thinking that the City did not use in setting up the detour. Also, the accessibility issues with the detour as it is now seem questionable at best, and unsafe otherwise. After you cross Rogers and get on the multi-use path to head south, the journey is far from smooth sailing. That path is woefully maintained and clearly not prepared to be the detour of the B-Line Trail. The trail bed has gravel, sand, and glass on it, among other debris. Multiple points along the path have overgrown bushes and tree limbs that present a hazard. The City's detour signs should read: Good Luck to All Who Pass. Thanks for creating a fun adventure on the commute home today. Nothing like leaving the safety of the B-Line to enter a world of traffic, debris, and obstructions. Well thought out. But, what else do we expect in a city that notoriously fails at detours and construction projects? Not on time and clearly out of the way. I'll drive tomorrow for my own safety.