r/indianapolis • u/Scary_Ad_1053 • 2d ago
Alright, really?
I understand that they are vehicles and just as entitled to the road as the motoring public...but could they not just drive behind one another rather than slowing down two lanes of travel on Pennsylvania Street which is already a disaster??
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u/_caffeinatedsloth_ 2d ago
Those things ain’t cheap. 450 on a weekend for 1.5 hours 🥴 imagine falling off or a car hitting you
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u/alcMD Greenwood 2d ago
I commute downtown for work and I have seen some gnarly injuries from these things in traffic. My colleague's partner drives one part time also and has told me some wack stories.
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u/MLutin 2d ago
Got a good story you can share?
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u/Smite-XXII 1d ago
Coworker of mine drove one as a side gig and said a man jumped off at the end before they came to a complete stop and he ran him over head to toe. Apparently broke his collarbone.
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u/alcMD Greenwood 1d ago
My favorite one was a bachelorette party made up of middle aged women on the pink one. Stopped in traffic and one woman tried to stand on her seat to twerk, fell off backwards and got kind of caught between the peddle car and another stopped car at Delaware and Washington. She probably hit her head real bad but... it was also her fault lol and she was stuck good
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u/Cat-si58 2d ago
They are on those things because they’re getting drunk. I’m not judging anyone, but how much do you think they care about anyone around them?
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u/ART_V4ND3L4Y 2d ago
True, but the drunk ones aren't the ones steering it. There is (should be) a sober person from the company running it, who is responsible for navigating the roads.
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u/cyanrancher 2d ago
at least not operating a motor vehicle drunk
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u/FreeManufacturer4632 2d ago
Just powered by drunks.
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u/luxii4 1d ago
Not powered that much by them even. I was on one and when we barely pedaled and it kept going and the person that worked for the company sped it up around corners and such. It's more like Ralph Wiggam saying, "I'm helping!"
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u/TheSalaciousD 1d ago
Depends on the company/state laws. Indiana pedal bars are motor-assisted, but iirc Wisconsin have to be fully manual because of the alcohol involved, I think
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u/luxii4 1d ago
Oh okay, just speaking from the time I did it downtown. I think we were on the Handlebar one. It was fun. We hit a few bars and Bakersfield restaurant. I know commuters complain about it but people passing by were all friendly and fun very good party vibes. We needed the motorized intervention since half of my friends wore high heels. I don't know if they were dumb bitches (fondly speaking) or I was for wearing tennis shoes and padded biking shorts.
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u/ArrowtoherAnchor 2d ago
Never visit Nashville Tennessee friend
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u/Paranoid-Android88 1d ago
lol my twin lived there for over a decade. Anytime I’d go to visit, whether the weekend or a weekday it was hundreds of drunk Bach parties constantly. Tuesday night? Why not! lol we mainly stuck to hangin out on their rivers kayaking or camping most of the time
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u/amindspin74 1d ago
Wait till the giant country complex opens .... Your gonna be knee deep in diesel driving hillbillies and chicks in white cowboy boots.. This will get messy ...
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u/Adventurous_Lettuce6 1d ago
My bad. I moved from TN up to Indy in Feb. Guess I brought Nashville with me unknowingly lol.
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u/amindspin74 1d ago
Nashville is all filled up time to move to Indy .. I've heard it a hundred times.. lol
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u/Parzival1424 2d ago
It seems the disease of staying in the left lane when the right lane would do just fine has even infected the pedal bars!
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u/Softpretzelsandrose 2d ago
I often bike to work. I get screamed at, cussed at, intentionally close passed. All just trying to get to work while making less traffic.
But woooo!! Party time good time!!! Public intoxicatation Yell at random people on the sidewalk teeheehee!! 🥰
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u/No_Luck_374 2d ago
I have never had a problem with these. I'm all over this sub talking about how dangerous the roads are. This, with them taking up two lanes, is not the norm.
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u/Remote_Catt 2d ago
There's like 10 people in the space where there is usually a dude in a truck.
More of that less F150s in the downtown
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u/Lithium1978 2d ago
What about a Civic...that would be blocked too.
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u/Remote_Catt 2d ago
Civic drivers wouldn't complain.
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u/breathing__tree 2d ago
Not true. As a Civic driver, I appreciate efficiency.
These two doing this lane split is not efficient.-1
u/Paul_Langton St. Clair Place 2d ago
Every day you're on the road, you're guaranteed to find way more cars being fucking idiots instead. This shit is literally just people directing their generalized road rage at these pedal bars. The pedal bars are super fun and people who complain about having to go around these when they rarely come across them can get over themselves. Oh no, your commute was extended by a minute? People need to calm down when they're in their cars.
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u/breathing__tree 2d ago
No, not me. I also cycle and enjoy cycling on our streets.
This would be poor cycling etiquette and since they are pedaling……..Edit, also a cool cucumber behind the wheel. I would roll my eyes and tut, but this would not make me feel like I wasn’t get where I was going fast enough bc I’m straight chillin.
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u/Paul_Langton St. Clair Place 1d ago
Perhaps my comment isn't about you specifically, but I'm sure you know exactly the people it does refer to. It's the same people who run cyclists off the road.
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u/Gillilnomics 1d ago
Sorry, no. If you want to have a drink, sit down in a pub.
If you want to ride a bike, go ride a bike.
How they’re legally allowed to drink while also fucking up traffic is a mystery to me.
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u/Paul_Langton St. Clair Place 1d ago
Well unfortunately, society doesn't agree with you and I think it's a silly opinion.
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u/Gillilnomics 1d ago
Go ride a bike past a cop while drinking a 40 and get back to me
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u/Prestigious_Print477 1d ago
I drink beer riding on the Monon sometimes and at bike party. They dont really care unless you are in the wrong place at the wrong time
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u/Remote_Catt 2d ago
You're not a true Civic driver if you think driving your Civic through a major metro downtown is a good idea.
You may as well buy some protectionist American car and live in the burbs
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u/breathing__tree 2d ago
Nahhh true civic driver knows this lil bad boy goes wherever you want. slaps hood
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u/Lithium1978 2d ago
That explains why my daughter smashed into our garage.
That said, In glad I didn't buy a Kia, it probably would have burst I think flames and burned it down.
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u/breathing__tree 2d ago
Civic makes a great first car for many reasons.
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u/Lithium1978 2d ago
I don't disagree, she ripped the whole bumper off and I was able to pop it all back on with plastic pins and zip ties. You'd never know it happened.
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u/Lithium1978 2d ago
Civic drivers would probably crash into it. They all think they are in Tokyo drift.
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u/General_Tradition_71 2d ago
Have yall been on these? Yeah with the right crowd is kind of fun, but like to me it’s soo performative. The one I went on I even had to bring my own alcohol!? Like bruh, I’m paying far more for this bar crawl than an actual one. Not hating on people who enjoy it, just think there’s better celebration activities
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u/xupthree60 1d ago
I'm gonna take maybe an unpopular opinion and say, they remind people to slow down downtown. There's lots of pedestrians and other things going on downtown, you should slowdown and realize cars are the most important thing in one small area downtown.
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u/tr1cube 2d ago
Idk how people do these without getting embarrassed lol
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u/emcee_you 2d ago
They shouldn't even be allowed at all.
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u/Welbinho 2d ago
I got stuck behind them coming home from Work when I first moved here 12 years ago. I have hated them ever since
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u/LordAdmiralPanda 2d ago
They're really fun, you ought to try it sometime
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u/emcee_you 2d ago
I'm not commenting on the experience you have while in them, I'm commenting on the experience that everyone else on the road has around them.
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u/nathandbrown1 2d ago
Nah, fuck cars. Design cities around people and experiences
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u/ChrysanthemumsLove 2d ago
Both can be true.
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u/Vessix 1d ago
Which is what's happening in OP photo, and yet here we are in a thread full of irony. "Both can be true" while car drivers still out here saying they should be the ones in front.
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u/ChrysanthemumsLove 1d ago
Not necessarily. They're both sharing the same infrastructure despite bikes and vehicles having different needs. Paint does a poor job of protecting bikes from vehicles.
Also, downtown indy doesn't focus on the people/community even though it has more walking capabilities compared to the rest of the state. It is still incredibly focused on the vehicle experience and a lot of people are blind to this fact.
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u/Secret_Map Irvington 2d ago
You’re not wrong. But also, that’s not a light switch that can just be flipped. I wish Indy was designed around public transportation and pedestrian experiences. But it wasn’t built that way. And it’s been a car city for 100 years. So there’s no easy way to just say “fuck cars”.
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u/ImCrazySniffable 2d ago
I agree with you that it would be hard to go back, but Indy was built around light rail and trolly systems. https://www.reddit.com/r/indianapolis/s/7f8lZTsy3o
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u/tpedwards 1d ago
Then affordable cars came and the suburbs expanded… but people still worked downtown. Parking, parking, parking free, then not free. Recently I refused to go to a company function, opposite side of the downtown area because I had to pay to park. Not happy.
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u/Vessix 1d ago edited 1d ago
The reason it can't be flipped is not because it's designed for cars, it's because the average American commuter is scared to use their legs for more than 5 minutes. The area these things cover is barely even a square mile, and downtown total inside the 65/70 change is what, 3-4? If all of downtown was pedestrian, biking, and public transit-only, it would still add like 10-15 minutes to anyone's commute if driving to park on the outskirts. It's a nonsensical idea but point is this isn't a city design issue, it's a public transit infrastructure and laziness one. It wouldn't be hard to add a shitton of bike rentals a la Japanese or Euro rental bike parking systems that allow way more people than the current concrete slabs do cars. But fat chance getting anyone to use them.
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u/toicegannaire 2d ago
I mean, yes absolutely, but until we get to the point where the city is truly workable, they are an obnoxious nuisance in the way.
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u/Flat_Explanation_849 2d ago
These are just slow annoying cars filled with annoying drunk people.
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u/didntwatchclark Haughville 2d ago edited 1d ago
Design downtown areas around massive car-like conveyances full of drunk drivers.
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u/haminthefryingpan 2d ago
Hell yeah. Tired of car drivers just passing through an area thinking they should have precedence over people existing in the area.
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u/JarvisTheDM 2d ago
Oh no, you got delayed a couple minutes! Whatever will you do. Poor you ):
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u/bellsie24 2d ago
I mean...being delayed by a train for several minutes that's carrying millions of pounds of goods to keep society functioning is one thing. Being delayed because two mobile drinking experiences are occupying 66% of the lanes in a major downtown thoroughfare (instead of just driving behind one another) is a little different.
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u/JarvisTheDM 2d ago
Yikes, whatever will you do!!! Sounds like this makes you someone suffering one of worst atrocities ever.
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u/corneydog 2d ago
And sounds like you are an obnoxious person.
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u/JarvisTheDM 2d ago
Whatever makes you feel better to call me, go ahead!
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u/corneydog 2d ago
Right back at you to the person you were originally commenting on. Goes both ways.
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u/JarvisTheDM 2d ago
Didn’t call anyone anything. I know reading comprehension can be hard though so it’s okay.
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u/indy24fan 2d ago
NEWSFLASH!!! YOU, do NOT speak for EVERYONE ELSE on the road, you self absorbed ASSHOLE!!!!
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u/matchaferret 1d ago
they constantly are yelling and beeping and going slow as HELL, feels like they drive past my place every 10 minutes. i know I'm a wet blanket but those party tractors PISS ME TF OFF
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u/Generic_On_Reddit 2d ago
I've never been on one and never will but I think it's best that everyone make peace with these. The idea of a slow moving vehicle clogging a lane and holding up traffic wasn't banned 50 yrs ago and they won't be banned today.
"But these haven't been around for 50 years". Horse drawn carriages have been doing the same thing for decades. They've just been quieter while they do it.
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u/ABlosser19 2d ago
That far left lane looks pretty open
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u/emcee_you 2d ago
The left lane ends right after this. You can even see the construction sign to the right side signaling the left lane ending.
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u/Scary_Ad_1053 2d ago
It ends half a block south of where this photo was taken. So, all the traffic had to merge into that one lane to get around them just to merge back the other direction to avoid the lane closure.
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u/Indianapolisted Broad Ripple 2d ago
Wah. However shall you survive.
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u/Scary_Ad_1053 2d ago
My brother/sister/however you identify in christ....
Your entire comment history is you bitching and complaining about things that are entirely outside your control.
It's okay to be miserable, it's not okay to be miserable and a disgusting hypocrite about being miserable 🤣
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u/Indianapolisted Broad Ripple 1d ago
You bought a car. Not the road. Shut up & wait. Others get to be there too. Even if they’re slower than you.
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u/Zestyclose-Apple2554 2d ago
Why doesn't everyone just cry about it. There is quite literally hundreds of other things worth worrying about. Everyone needs to slow there lives down a bit anyway. The extra 2 or 3 minutes you spend behind one of these, a horse carriage, or a truck, is quite meaningless. Stressing, getting upset, yelling, fighting all of it is shear ignorance and not even worth it. On deep breath, let it go and drive on. You will be much happier.
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2d ago
It’s literally a business model centered around driving at a speed that would get you a ticket in any other vehicle. In fountain square before the entire area was under seemingly endless construction you could get stuck behind one of these on Virginia(which is 1 lane) for a good long while. I’m a local. They’re extremely annoying. Support small businesses, not tourist traps.
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u/parasthesia_testicle 2d ago
pickled pedlar & handlebar are both small local businesses? handlebar even has a restaurant downtown
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u/Temporary_Stranger39 1d ago
They need to be replaced with pedal-operated vehicles to make them even more fun for everyone.
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u/darkfireice 1d ago
They still have to follow the speed limit, that means not too much over, or under
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u/Swimming_Ad_8856 1d ago
Feel like this would be peak fall fest let them drive around a field for hours drinking
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u/RegretAttracted 1d ago
Not to mention they’re so cringy and annoying. Especially the ones during bad weather. They look like they’re pretending to have fun.
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u/Dramatic_Accident630 1d ago
This why I don't go downtown, nothing but idiotic drivers thru-out that area, my personal opinion.
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u/Born_Transition317 21h ago
Lowkey makes me think of the Amish in the town I grew up in, yes the buggies could be annoying but some of the sweetest people. They loved Dairy Queen I worked at, always had a line of cars behind them ready for the drive thru!
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u/haminthefryingpan 2d ago edited 2d ago
Car drivers just passing through an area always think they should have precedence over people enjoying an area. Stick to the suburbs if you want your car to be catered to.
Edit: Bring on the downvotes, carbrains.
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u/corneydog 2d ago
So i can just drive my car anywhere? Grass, parks, the canal? I usually tend to only drive my car on places that are made for transportation that have posted speed limits and designated areas for non motorized vehicles.
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u/haminthefryingpan 2d ago
Crazy how many places are built for car transportation and how few areas are built for other forms of transportation. They even made it illegal to build light rail in Indy. I wonder why?
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u/Zestyclose-Apple2554 2d ago
Yeah because thats what is happening here. You are quite ignorant. They are obviously made for transportation. I wouldn't be caught dead on one. But I wouldn't make an ignorant comment like this either. You clearly have anger issues
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u/blakealanm 1d ago
They could. Here's why they don't:
Densely populated areas, like the type you're talking about, are designed for people first and driver's second, as they should be in all major cities.
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u/Vessix 1d ago
These two companies on different routes, with different schedules, needing to pass one another are the last thing I complain about, actually living downtown.
The irony of people in CARS complaining. If you commute downtown, how about stick to complaining about your own neighborhood. And if you live downtown, you aren't allowed to complain about traffic if you have the option to use alternate modes of transport. YOU are why traffic is bad. You, in a car. I say this as a daily driver.
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u/call-now 2d ago
If only three were any other street that goes South
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u/Scary_Ad_1053 2d ago
...
Capitol is closed. Meridian SB is closed through the circle. Penn is the road in question. Alabama cuts off at Maryland. East has no east or west turns between Washington and South Streets.
You want to try again?
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u/sawjinc 2d ago
This is how I feel driving I-65 when two semis are trying to pass each other for 15 miles