Bloomington Indiana

Eight arrested for drugs at Seminary Park

One was arrested for "Marijuana Possession" so I'm sure we will all sleep better tonight knowing that the person who smokes pot is off the streets!

I do not understand Mayor Thomson's war on the homeless. She says, "we are intent on supporting prevention, treatment and recovery to address the root causes of these complex issues” but we only ever see arrests. It's not why we elected her.

https://bsquarebulletin.com/eight-arrested-for-drugs-at-seminary-park-bloomington-mayor-says-move-aims-to-protect-vulnerable-residents/

@bloomington_in

#homeless

Transportation Commission now meeting

Some administrative stuff - Barbara McKinney has resigned already - then going over 180-day orders that the city engineer has made. Apparently only one camera running; the engineer is talking but we can only see the commission.

I think you should be able to agree with motions not only with "Aye" or "Yes" but also, "Yer rootin' tootin'!"

Some confusion in how these 180-day orders become permanent, or cancelled.

@bloomington_in

#transportation

Introducing THREE 🆕 display monitors at the Downtown Transit Center!

Oh, cool. I need to go down and have a look at this.

Live tracking information for BT fixed-route buses is now visible both inside and outside the building.

https://bsky.app/profile/bloomingtontransit.bsky.social/post/3lu6r6oc57c2i

@bloomington_in

#PublicTransport

Bloomington OKs $209K contract to study Rogers Street corridor, part of safe streets effort

“Essentially, the study, funded locally, will help the City develop a vision of the corridor”

Sounds great, but they're supposed to be studying the College/Walnut and 3rd/Atwater corridors as well. We've not heard a thing about those. Let's see some results!

https://bsquarebulletin.com/bloomington-oks-209k-contract-to-study-rogers-street-corridor-part-of-safe-streets-effort/

@bloomington_in

#UrbanPlanning #SafeStreets

Little 500 veteran killed in cycling crash

Steven Ballinger was a competitive cyclist and biked on a team that placed second in the Little 500 in 2003. Details are sketchy, but he was killed in an incident with a vehicle in Santa Fe last week.

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local/_news/he-was-really-loved-man-killed-in-cycling-crash-was-staple-in-santa-fes-pickleball/article/_45aad92a-b220-45ce-816e-618b3f040fa8.html

@bloomington_in

#cycling #Little500

Bloomington Transportation Commission now meeting for the first time

Nothing surprising happening, mostly setting down rules and figuring out schedules and agendas.

Still two vacancies on the commission, seven members have been named. Then they opened it up for public comment, and wow, three people got up to discuss the rules!

And, unbelievable, somebody got up to discuss Hawthorne-Weatherstone 😂 We're going to be hearing about that for the next ten years.

@bloomington_in

#UrbanPlanning

Bloomington Transit looks to boost micro-transit numbers with free downtown zone trips

An interesting solution to the fact that people hate parking out of sight of their final destination. I've barely used this service as I've never been able to get the app to work, but I just tried it successfully so I may give it another go. Bloomington's entire downtown is tiny though, something like a six-block square.

https://bsquarebulletin.com/bloomington-transit-looks-to-boost-micro-transit-numbers-with-free-downtown-zone-trips/

@bloomington_in

#transit #parking

Transportation Commission inaugural meeting cancelled

Bloomington's Bike/Ped commission got shut down after they voted against adding stop signs all along a major bike route. It was supposed to be replaced with a new Transportation Commission, which has two members and seven vacancies and has never met.

Does Transportation here mean "cars" as it does in "INDOT"? It still remains to be seen.

https://bloomington.in.gov/boards/transportation-commission

@bloomington_in

#cycling #walking

New bike lane barriers on 3rd Street

Now we're getting somewhere! I really love these little barriers - they keep cars from encroaching on the bike lane and I'm sure they're very cheap (I still wouldn't let a six-year-old bike on 3rd Street though).

Also I went by Longview this afternoon and they're making good progress on a multi-use path there as well. Very exciting!

@bloomington_in

#BikeTooter #BikeLanes

Are parking fines a revenue center for Bloomington?

Good to see the B-Square getting back to solid investigative reporting! The city is doing a survey about parking, link in the article.

"When The B Square checked the city's online financial information to confirm the $1.61 million in revenue from parking fines in 2024 and $1.71 million for 2023, there did not appear to be a plausible line corresponding to those figures."

https://bsquarebulletin.com/are-parking-fines-a-revenue-center-for-the-city-of-bloomington/

@bloomington_in

#parking

Federal Agents Conduct Unannounced ICE Operations Across Bloomington, Sparking Fear and Confusion

"A series of unannounced sweeps by heavily armed federal agents in and around Bloomington this week has ignited widespread fear, anxiety, and speculation across the community, particularly among immigrants, refugees...Videos and photos began surfacing Tuesday morning, showing agents in tactical gear conducting door-to-door searches."

https://bloomingtonian.com/2025/05/01/federal-agents-conduct-unannounced-ice-operations-across-bloomington-sparking-fear-and-confusion/

@bloomington_in

#ICE

Property tax measure would short school funding by $750M

"According to a fiscal impact statement from the Legislative Services Agency, the bill would reduce property tax funding for public schools by three-quarters of a billion dollars over the next three years. Cities, towns and counties would also see big cuts."

Bloomington, in particular, would lose out on $17 million over the next three years, about 10% of expected revenue.

https://inschoolmatters.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/property-tax-measure-would-short-school-funding-by-750m/

@bloomington_in

#Education

Bloomington bike/ped improvements scheduled for this year

* 3rd Street Hawthorne to Rose Protected Bike Lane
* April-July: E. Longview Ave. Neighborhood Greenway
* May-August: Thornton/Arden Dr/Washington Neighborhood Greenway
* North Dunn Street Sidewalk Connection
* Winslow-Rogers median island at Xavier Court
* Crosswalk Improvement (Design)
* West 2nd Street Modernization and Safety Improvements

The first one might be complete? I haven't been by there yet.

@bloomington_in

#cycling

Man steals bike from Kroger Little 500 Coca-Cola display

The video showed a man entering the Kroger on a motorized grocery cart and driving to the display near the pharmacy. From there, he removed the bicycle from the display and attempted to leave through the north exit, but the doors were locked as it was after 10 p.m.

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/04/man-steals-bike-from-kroger-coca-cola-little-5-display

@bloomington_in

#cycling #Little500

Photo gallery: Hundreds Protest Trump and Musk During “Hands Off” Day of Action in @bloomington_in

https://bloomingtonian.com/2025/04/05/gallery-hundreds-protest-trump-and-musk-during-hands-off-day-of-action-in-bloomington-indiana/?utm%5C_source=ben&utm%5C_medium=mastodon&utm%5C_campaign=gallery-hundreds-protest-trump-and-musk-during-hands-off-day-of-action-in-bloomington-indiana

#USPol #HandsOff

How not to build a bike lane

Stop sign. Go one block. Stop sign. Go one block. Stop sign. Bike lane closed. But good news, there's a sharrow marked in the car lane!

The worst is approaching Dunn Street from the east. You have to avoid eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and southbound traffic as you try to get out of the bike lane and into the sharroad. Just a total cluster.

@bloomington_in

#BikeTooter #UrbanPlanning

Safety among public’s top concerns for Dunn Street Multiuse Project

"The $3.5-million project, funded by city bonds and federal money, would add a multiuse path along one side of North Dunn Street between the Indiana 45 Bypass and East Clover Lane. That’s the first street into the Blue Ridge neighborhood.

The overall goal is to improve accessibility to the Matlock Heights and Blue Ridge neighborhoods"

https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/safety-among-publics-top-concerns-for-dunn-street-multiuse-project.php

@bloomington_in

#cycling #UrbanPlanning

Bloomington Announces Ambitious New Transit Plan: The Monorail

"The sleek, single-rail system promises to reduce congestion, cut commute times, and introduce a futuristic flair to Bloomington’s skyline. Proposed features include onboard announcements narrated by a holographic Hoagy Carmichael and complimentary B-Line binoculars for riders to enjoy breathtaking views of limestone rooftops and urban deer."

https://bloomington.in.gov/news/2025/04/01/6206

@bloomington_in

#AprilFoolsDay

Storms coming through Bloomington

Tornado warning on the south side, but we've got a nice little thunderstorm up north as well. Power is out.

@bloomington_in

Bloomington Transit survey

$5 on your Umo account if you participate. Whatever Umo may be. Not for people who ride free on an IU pass.

go.iu.edu/btransit

@bloomington_in

#PublicTransport

Lil NIMBYism going on in Monroe County. You can always tell when they start talking about preserving the character.

"Change the zoning of couple hundred parcels from High Development Residential (HD) to Residential 1 (RES), which is a downzoning...most of the homes use septic systems and currently do not have access to sewer, the presence of karst/sinkholes in the area, and to preserve the overall character of the area."

https://bsquarebulletin.com/march-17-2025-theater-preview-annexation-update-zoning-galore-a-dandy-dog/

@bloomington_in

#UrbanPlanning #NIMBY

New data shows most dangerous streets in Monroe County, Indiana

"There have been 250 pedestrian-vehicle collisions in the reported years, 81 of which have caused serious injury. The most dangerous streets for pedestrians in Monroe County are in downtown Bloomington and Indiana University’s campus."

https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/new-data-shows-most-dangerous-streets-in-monroe-county.php

@bloomington_in

#walking

Bloomington 10th Street Safety Improvement survey

The city is considering improvements to 10th Street between Indiana and Walnut. It's a high-speed yet narrow corridor that goes between the north side of Indiana University and downtown, and I'm not sure what you could really do with it without removing at least one car lane. Still, fill out the survey here!

https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/10th

@bloomington_in

#cycling #PublicTransport #UrbanPlanning