CARMEL — Carmel is investing $1.5 million to redesign what they call a problematic and underutilized bike lane along Rangeline Road after pedestrian safety concerns.
WATCH FULL STORY BELOW
The city will remove metal planter boxes and the current bike lane, replacing them with 17 new streetside parking spots and a mixed-use pedestrian and biking path.
"There's been some near misses that can be challenging for both the cyclists and the motorists to know who has right of way, and got some challenges with the access there," said Bradley Pease, director of engineering for the City of Carmel.
The safety concerns became reality for cyclist Dominique Camara, stemming from an incident that happened a couple of years ago.
"I was just on my way home and along that way, suddenly, was hit by a car that was actually coming out of the parking lot of one of the shopping areas over there," Camara recalled. "I think a lot of the cars don't know necessarily to anticipate there being bike traffic that comes through there."
The new design will move the bike path further from traffic, with on-street parking creating a safety barrier.
"It's going to be elevated slightly too, you know, just six or eight inches more, but these little things kind of do add up," explained Pease.
However, Camara believes more safety measures are needed.
"I mean, there does still need to be some sort of a physical barrier," Camara said. "I think the reason the planters were not the greatest is because it created a visual barrier. We need to be able to see where cyclists are coming. Maybe a median."
Carmel residents expressed mixed feelings about the project. Tracy Owens is worried about slowed traffic flow from the new parking spots.
"To have more people trying to [get] in and out of spots, it could get a little squirrelly" Tracy Owens said.
Ella Owens is optimistic that residents will adjust quickly.
"Yeah, but I also have confidence that the Carmel residents, if we were to have this redevelopment done, that we could share the sidewalk with the bikers and the walkers," Ella Owens said.
The project is expected to be completed in time for the Christkindlmarkt in November. You can find more details from the city about the project by clicking the link here.
Pease said motorists can expect some intermittent road closures on Rangeline Road during construction.
—
Logan MacDonald is the In Your Community multimedia journalist for Hamilton County. He joined WRTV in 2025. Logan loves to tell stories that hold the powerful accountable and give a voice to communities in need. Share your story ideas and important issues with Logan by emailing him at logan.macdonald@wrtv.com.
