I have been talking with Martin since 2002 when I was his contact for Indianapolis when his group annually visited our city. We then got to know each other through our love of bike paths. In giving him some background on how I came to run Indy Greenways, I explained to him the work I had done with the 30-mile Centennial Trail that connected Washington and Idaho.
It was the first interstate bike path and Martin who wanted to connect San Francisco with the East Coast was fascinated. In addition to his group’s National Mayors’ Rides, he and I remained in dialogue several times a year.
I remember him expressing amazement at all the things we were doing to transform this city. For me, it felt like a calling. As a job I felt honored to build on the work begun here by famous planners at the turn of the last century. I also looked forward to going to work every day because of all the people I got to work with. Many like to credit me for all the beautiful greenways in the city. Well, they really could never have happened without all the amazing people here in Indianapolis. I was so lucky to be able to feed off their ideas and energy.
And that is what I see Martin and his book doing. He is planting the seed that will bring his vision into the mainstream in the same way I was fortunate enough to be able to do so here. His ideas are not a lot different from the Greenway Master Plan I drew up for Indianapolis (396,000 square miles). Because it covers an even larger area, his book may lack some of the specifics I built into our document. However, it still paints a picture big thinkers can sink their teeth into. It’s a possibility consciousness for a better way, a travel network that will foster a vast array of new businesses and cottage industries. It’s an important start to something much bigger than any of us!
We so often hear, ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ if this, that or the other were a reality. We don’t even dare to go as far as to dream of getting on a bicycle and riding as far as our legs will take us because the roads were not built to accommodate human power. Being able to take breaks in the large population centers along the way is not something that we can dare to imagine. Forget being able to visit a big city on our bikes, and safely enjoying all it has to offer like we have done here in downtown Indianapolis.
Well, as far-fetched as it sounds, this is what Martin’s book proposes. You see, back when I was pitching Greenways, there were many people who thought I had lost my mind. I was regularly accused of wanting to bring crime and vagrancy into peoples backyards. Now, the Greenway system is an asset that has greatly enhanced property values for those who happen to be on one. They are a source of pride for the city.
In the same way I pushed comfort zones, Martin’s plan to turn 20 American cities into the bicycle villages he foresees will ruffle feathers. In the same way, I required any development in the city to consider its impact on our greenway travel corridors, the major cities along his right of way will have a different set of constraints. These city governments will be required to consider the impact any of the building they do will have on the Downtown Greenways that will have been built in each of them.
Having a plan will bring about a special character for each of the cities, along the entirety of this route. It will attract the best people and resources from each of these regions to make the National Bicycle Greenway the talk of the land. It will charge forward like a train no one can stop. And it is for that reason, that I much look forward to the possibilities that are sure to result from this publication.
As Martin proves in this book, Indianapolis has always been on the vanguard of transportation. As the planet demands that the ways we move about become more and more sustainable, Indianapolis will once again lead the way. As such, I am delighted that this book will turn downtown Indianapolis into a national treasure because of its wildly successful 10-mile Cultural Trail. This family safe travel way will be the model, the 19 other cities between San Francisco and Washington DC will all push to replicate. All this as we push to interconnect them with the National Bicycle Greenway this book is also calling for.
Best regards, Captain Ray
Known internationally as Mr. Greenway, Ray Irvin’s guidance was sought by Greenway planners all over the world. Here in America, he has groomed greenway managers all over the Nation, from California to Florida. A former Councilman, he turned down the chance to be the Mayor of this city. Instead he opted to be the Director of Greenways, a position he formed, and he instilled an impregnable Greenway consciousness in local Hoosiers through four different Mayoral administrations. A globally respected visionary, he established Indy Greenways, the powerful Indiana Greenway Foundation and before he worked his magic at the state level, in Indianapolis alone, he led the charge that built nine different greenways stretching from 3 to 30 miles. Etc, etc…….