April 26, 2024

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Today’s Forecast

🚗 Roam if you want to

Cars with their headlines on driving on a paved road.

The VMT climate factor captures how many miles vehicles travel in a city on average each day. | Photo via Pexels

Streetlight released its 2024 US Transportation Climate Impact Index, which ranks the top 100 most populated metros across eight key climate impact factors. We’re breaking down the numbers + diving into Indy’s ranking.

Behind the methodology

Each of the eight climate factors — vehicle miles traveled (VMT), fuel economy, transit ridership, EV penetration (number of electric vehicles per 100 people), biking activity, pedestrian activity, truck miles traveled, and VMT change — were assigned a weight “based on their relative climate impact.” Utilizing the ranking results for each factor, cities were then given an overall ranking.

Learn more about how each climate factor was measured.

Key themes

Vehicle miles traveled — the largest contributor to a city’s emission levels — bounced back since taking a dip in 2020.
Biking sustained popularity, but pedestrian activity “dropped significantly.”
The number of electric vehicles per 100 people is still relatively low. Read: We’re still not seeing a large saturation of EVs; most cities saw fewer than one EV per 100 people.

In addition to discovering key themes, the data can aid in identifying where improvements are needed and where current efforts are making an impact in each city.

INDYtoday: INDY_Cultural Trail_DEC23 — The Indianapolis Cultural Trail connects three of downtown Indy’s unique public spaces for safe pedestrian travel.
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Photo by @indyculturaltrail

How we ranked

Indy ranked No. 66 on the transportation climate index. The city’s key factor rankings are:

VMT: No. 78
Fuel economy: No. 61
Transit ridership: No. 74
EV penetration: No. 54
Biking activity: No. 47
Pedestrian activity: No. 63
Truck miles traveled: No. 91
VMT change: No. 8

No city is perfect. Indy could receive a higher ranking on the transportation climate index with a few extra efforts.

For example, The Rethink Coalition’s proposed redesign of the area where I-65 + I-70 meet near downtown Indy could create safer and more accessible walking and biking routes. The newly announced addition of e-bikes to Pacers Bikeshare along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail could also help to lower VMT numbers as commuters opt for biking instead of driving.

See how other cities ranked

Asked

Which of the eight key climate factors is the largest contributor to a city’s emission levels?

A. Vehicle miles traveled
B. Fuel economy
C. Transit ridership
D. Other

Take a guess

Events

Friday, April 26

Anastasia: The Musical | Friday, April 26-Saturday, May 11 | Times vary | Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, 3 Carter Green, Carmel | $32-$59 | Take a journey to the past with this visually stunning musical.

Saturday, April 27

Nature Photography at Eagle Creek | Saturday, April 27 | 8-11 a.m. | Eagle Creek Park, 7840 W. 56th St., Indianapolis | $49 | Take pictures at several locations within the park while a professional photographer offers tips for improving your images.
Museum of Miniature Houses Attic Sale | Saturday, April 27 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Carmel Lions Club, 141 E. Main St., Carmel | Free | Shop many one-of-a-kind and vintage miniature items including houses, furniture, and craft items.
Beastside Brewfest | Saturday, April 27 | 7-10:30 p.m. | Our Lady of Lourdes, 30 S. Downey Ave., Indianapolis | $35-$50 | Enjoy endless samples of amazing brews from local breweries with live entertainment + food trucks.

Sunday, April 28

Indy Neighborhood Cats Mega Yard Sale | Saturday, April 27-Sunday, April 28 | Times vary | Indianapolis Animal Care Services, 2600 S. Harding St., Indianapolis | Free | Bring a donation of food, litter, or other supplies for neighborhood cats + receive a bag you can fill to the brim for just $10.
Morel Mushroom Hike | Sunday, April 28 | 1-3 p.m. | Pecar Nature Park, 5203 E. County Rd. 150 N., Avon | $5 | Join this search for morels to learn mushroom hunting basics, ethical harvesting, and identification tips.

Events calendar here

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News Notes

Announced

Indianapolis has announced plans to bid for a Major League Soccer expansion team. It’s not clear what this will mean for the Indy Eleven, which in the hierarchy of the sport falls below MLS, or for the $1 billion Eleven Park development. The MLS plan will need to go through several rounds of approvals, which will extend through the end of June. (WTHR)

Development

Hendricks Commercial Properties has officially acquired Circle Centre Mall. The company plans to invest $600 million into redevelopment. Here’s your refresh on the revitalization plans. (WTHR)

Traffic

Here’s a traffic win for you: Fall Creek Parkway around Evanston Avenue and 42nd Street has reopened six days ahead of schedule. Crews removed railroad tracks as part of the Nickel Plate Trail expansion project. (WRTV)

Show

Need a laugh? The Middle Ground Comedy Festival kicked off last night with 40+ local comedians aiming to use laughter as medicine to boost attendees’ mental health. It runs through Sunday, April 28. Get tickets. (WRTV)

Outdoors

Warmer weather this weekend means lots of opportunities to hit the great outdoors. Check out this list of over a dozen guided hikes happening over the next few days for birdwatchers, foragers, flower lovers, and weed wranglers. (IndyStar)

Sports

ICMYI, the 2024 NFL Draft started last night. Keep up with the picks and predictions with Locked On’s daily Colts podcast.

Home

Did you know you could finance your fixer-upper with home equity? You could get up to $50K with a HELOC — calculate your payment.*

Watch

For the first time ever, Hulu Live TV is offering a three day free trial. Get 33 of the top 35 cable channels, Hulu on demand, Disney+, and ESPN+.*

Festival

💥 The most pop-ular con in town

INDYtoday: INDY_PopCon convention fairy cosplay_APR24

PopCon hosts an epic cosplay competition each year, with hundreds of participants dressed up in their finest fandom-inspired fits. | Photo by @katie.killion + @distracted.by.design

The convention where every fan finds their place is back and bigger than ever. Here’s just a small sampling of what to expect as gamers, cosplayers, fantasy enthusiasts, and content creators alike flock to the Indiana Convention Center for PopCon today through Sunday, April 28.

Meet and greet with celebrity guests including Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, and Chandler Riggs, as well as dozens of other faces and voices you know from film, TV, anime, YouTube, comics, and video games.
Enjoy live entertainment from world class magicians and local drag artists, or take the stage yourself during open mic night.
Immerse yourself in interactive experiences like a haunted escape room, laser tag, an e-sports installation, and an open gaming hall with hundreds of board games.
Sit in on celebrity panels, fan panels, and live podcasts that cover dozens of fun topics; this year’s schedule includes panels such as “Horror Authors Talking Scary Sh*t” and “Cosplay Inclusivity and Positivity.”

More events to pop into

The Buy

A women’s pastel, oversized button-down — because you can’t go wrong in it for spring. Bonus: This one’s 100% cotton.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Shea

From the editor

I’m a big supporter of community cat organizations. With the help of a group in my neighborhood, we trapped, fixed, and adopted out five kittens living in my alley, and I still leave out food for their mom, who was returned to our neighborhood after spaying as a community cat. If you want to help cats in your area, check out Indy Neighborhood Cats to request assistance or make a donation.

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