‘Bike There, Borrow a Chair’ program expanding in 2017

The City of Carmel and the National Bank of Indianapolis are pleased to announce the expansion of the popular Bike There, Borrow a Chair program for 2017, providing more opportunities for bicycling to events without having to worry about bringing your chair from home.

The premise is simple – you can bike to an event, park it at a free rack (lock not included), then grab a free lawn chair for the night. At the end of the night, return the chair and bikes home. The City encourages all bicyclists to bring their own locks to secure their bike during the event.

“The City of Carmel has invested in a trail system with more than 180 miles of trails, making it easier for our residents and visitors to bike their way to work or to play. Expanding this program for our popular concerts and for private events will serve to advance that goal and help make our community more healthy, sustainable and environmentally friendly,” said Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard.

City Councilman Bruce Kimball spearheaded the initiative, working with Saris Cycling Group, a bike rack and parking company, to determine the best bicycle rack for what the City was looking to accomplish. The racks needed to be easy to transport and simple to set up and tear down. Saris Parking Event Racks were the clear choice and the City now owns 40 temporary bicycle parking racks.

“Bike There, Borrow a Chair is designed to encourage biking to events such as the Gazebo concerts on Wednesday evenings, Jazz on the Monon concerts and festivals that happen in downtown Carmel. Thanks to the National Bank of Indianapolis, the program now boasts 240 lawn chairs,” said Councilman Kimball.

Not just for city events, this initiative is open to Carmel businesses and organizations wanting to promote bicycling to their events. If you are interested in reserving the chair trailer, chairs and bicycle racks for your upcoming event, please contact Kayla Arnold, City of Carmel Community Relations Specialist, at 317-571-2786 or karnold@carmel.in.gov.