Sure, Paris and Scandinavia are getting all of the attention when it comes to bicycle infrastructure. And rightfully so.

The most important thing about this amazing Paris transformation is how fast it happened — how fast people on bikes “appeared” — once streets were transformed. You can’t write this off as “Paris was always this way,” because it wasn’t.

It took leadership. pic.twitter.com/RY3C7XcTOl

— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) May 30, 2021

It’s easy to laugh at this kind of change taking place in the United States. “The Car Is King” ought to be the national motto, right?

But it’s not impossible. And the Midwest is starting to prove it, ever so slowly. There’s the Red Line Greenway here in Cleveland. The Joe Louis Greenway that just broke ground in Detroit.

And over in the Hoosier State, there’s Carmel, which has some of the most beautiful bike infrastructure in the entire country.

📸 Thread

Maiden voyage through midtown Carmel Indiana.
A "15 Minute City" built for people, not cars.

1x pic.twitter.com/P5BFM7c251

— Brandon Lust (@AmericanFietser) May 30, 2021

There’s an entire thread of photos, and I encourage you to check it out.

Carmel is a perfect example of what can happen when the leadership of a place starts taking active transportation seriously. If it can happen in Indiana, the symbolic home of motor racing, it can happen anywhere. Perhaps even in your hometown.