Misplaced Priorities: City to Spend $10 Million for 33 MIles of Bike Lanes

During the debate over the 50 year ACS parking meter contract last year, city officials said it was too risky to spend $8 million to buy the parking meters and keep all the revenue.  Instead they brought in ACS to buy the meters and keep hundreds of millions of dollars from Indianapolis residents during the next 50 years.

Of course, the $8 million estimate for new meters was back when we thought we were getting the entire meters, not just the credit card readers.

Today Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard announced the City would be spending $10 million to create 33 more additional miles of bike lanes. That's less than an investment in the parking meters would have cost us.

By my math, that's an astounding $303,030 to paint lines for each mile of bike lane.  How could it possibly cost that much?  Oh wait, I guess those contractors and lawyers contributing to the Ballard campaign need to get their money back.

$10 million...wasn't that the same as the shortfall for the library?

Unlike Mayor Ballard, I am a real bicycle commuter.  Most of those bike lanes end up making bicycling more dangerous, not less.  I've written on that topic numerous times and won't repeat those observations here.

I conclude though by noting that that governing is about setting priorities.  That in a nutshell is what's has been wrong with the Ballard administration.  Misplaced priorities.