1.A 21st Century light-rail system.

2.Find a better way to pay for our schools so that IPS can have air-conditioning.

3.Get rid of all the damn vampires.

Public transportation in this city is embarrassing. This is not a hard problem to solve; cities all over the world have proper buses and trains. (As long as we're talking about trains, a high-speed rail system in the midwest is long overdue. And by "high-speed" I don't mean this lame 100 MPH nonsense that's already being talking about, I'm talking about 180 MPH, get-to-Chicago-in-45-minutes awesomeness.)

Find ways to encourage people to move back into the city.

I don't have any personal experience with the school system here, but my impression is that it's pretty bad.

I will "third" public transportation. I love Indy, but I wish I didn't have to drive so much when I'm outside of the downtown area.

Agreed. I'm glad that IndyGo has added the Fishers to Downtown express route. That's helping and I think they'd like to do more, but it's one of those chicken or the egg problems -- add more routes hoping more people will ride, or add more routes when more people START riding. Regardless, I like IndyGo. I rode it for a long time and I'd do it more often if I didn't have to take my kid to school every morning. But I wish we had rail. Or, like CaptainDan said, high-speed rail to Chicago or something.

What else?

1. I agree with everyone else on public transportation. It's embarrassing how bad it is here. I know that the city is very spread out, but there are a few simple things that I can be done to overcome that.
2. Renovate the near-Eastside. It's time to get rid of all the crime and decay in that area of the city.
3. We need a Major League baseball team. The Indians are great and I love Victory Field, but I'd love for us to be in the big leagues.

1. Mass Transit (Rail and/or extensive/improved bus system along with that transit center that has been proposed.)

2. A building/structure on EVERY surface lot in mile square. The amount of surface lots in the downtown area is staggering. We need more parking garages (with street level retail) and really just more density in general.

3. Bike lanes. Yes the new cultural trail and monon are a great asset to the city, but more needs to be done. There is plenty of room on many of the major streets for bike lanes.

I'm being a little selfish with #3, I'm sure I could of put something in about IPS, but I don't even know where to start on that one.

MLB unfortunately is probably never going to happen due to the proximity of the Cub, Reds, Tigers and Clevo. Indians. I'm pretty happy/content having the Colts and Pacers, but living in a MLB city is very desirable.

The IndyGo expansion to Fishers is a step forward, but at the same time kind of a joke considering they are whisking them away on a charter bus with nice comfy seats. It would be smarter to actually build a park and ride somewhere along 96th street and expand the service of the 2 routes that barely ever hit 96th anyway.

Bike lanes and an expanded recycling program would definitely be in my Top 3. The curbside recycling that we have now is a joke. 1 and 2 plastics only? No paper (except newsprint) or junk mail? No cardboard? That's 90 percent of the recyclables in most people's homes and they don't offer it in their curbside service? Ridiculous. Public transportation I still agree with. Baseball I could give or take, although a lot of out-of-town friends ask why we don't have a major league team.

I wanted to do curbside but I've found it easier to just take it to the large bin at Omalia's DT. Also, free. I take my cardboard to Circle City Recycling on Southeastern Ave.

Here is a great list of places to recycle specific items in Indianapolis:

http://www.kibi.org/recycle/index.htm

(click list of recycling options, for some reason the link won't work on indy.com)

OK, but really? Why is it so complicated to do something nice for the environment? I'm at least somewhat motivated so I bag my paper and collect most of my recyclables. I feel horrible if I have a yogurt cup or bottle and there are no recycle bins nearby, so half the time I end up with trash in my car (yuck). I guess I'm just spoiled because I grew up with curbside recycling. We're talking bins that were just as big as our trash cans and justabout EVERYTHING could go in it -- papers, plastics (almost all the numbers, not just 1 and 2), glass, cardboard, even batteries and stuff.

Apparently I don't find it complicated or really mind the effort because I wasn't raised in a recycling utopia. I also have a lot time on my hands.

(this message was typed with a smirk)

Well, that helps. I don't. Or maybe I'm just lazy. And if I'M lazy, then a bulk of the rest of the city is just hopeless.

1. Public transportation is not real high on my list, since I'm never going to the same place every day, but I understand the plight of others. So I guess we'll put that first. If Indy wants to be a "World Class" city it needs a way for it's residents and visitors to navigate it's streets a little easier.

2. Better night life. Not real sure how to accomplish this one, but as a Dj, the nightlife here is absymal! People drinking in bars.That pretty much sums up a "wild" experience here. I guess to get this one done we need to import some new people.

3. This problem is also a national problem, but I think a huge one here. Everybody, I mean EVERYBODY can help with this one. People let's stop voting for the same ole same ole schmucks out there. maybe try a libertarian or an independent for a change. Every couple of years I get my hopes up but it's always the same, Dan Burton, Julia Carson blah blah blah. I hear many complaints from people about the state of our union, the same conversations at work, around family and friends, but nobody ever does anything about it! C'mon people, let's spice things up and roll the dice a little, Indiana is a popular gambling state after all, vote somebody different this time, let's see what happens. if you don't like what happens we can always vote again in a few!

Location, Location, Location.

We need a coast.

If only.

The best way to fix Public Education is to fix the Public part.... the Education part does it's job, the public part does not.

The more uneducated the parent, the less likely the value of an education is instilled in the child.

Look at any school that has poor test grade, then look at the income levels, you will find that there's a direct correlation.

IPS is the ONLY school in central Indiana that will hire a teacher with both experience and a masters degree. The other schools don't need to spend the extra money because they have parents who instill the value of education in their children.

I don't need the government to pay for the transportation of my recycled goods...

Mass transit won't become popular until it becomes necessary.

It's not about them transporting it. It's about them making it a priority and easier for the Average Joe to do so that more people actually do it.

Yes, I'm lazy and would rather have them pick it up for me (currently I pay for this service and don't mind doing so). But my point is that if someone like me has a hard time with it and I actually care, then people who don't care are NEVER going to do it unless the city makes it just as easy as taking out the trash.

Alright, my three things:

1. Fix the sewers, the greatest health advancement of the 20th century is the modern sewer systems, they have done more to save lives than any medical cure in history. This city needs to update it's 19th century sewer system. Stop treating storm water, and separate the sanitary and storm sewers instead of building huge storage tanks. Storage tanks are better than allowing Combined Sewage overflows into open waterways, but don't fix the main problem. Separate the sewers, let the clean rainwater wash away into the waterways, let the sanitary sewage flow to the treatment plant.

2. The City needs to be more proactive in penalizing companies that pollute, worry less about jobs for constituents or pressure from lobbyists and worry more about the health of your citizens, they can't vote if their dead.

3. Make damn sure that everyone's vote counts. Test your voting machines months before elections, and make sure you enough ballots for every possible voter.

People who don't care aren't going to take thee time to separate their trash in the first place.

I'm fine with services that will pick up and transport your recycling, as long as you pay for it yourself.

IMO it's our responsibility, so why should the government have to pay for someone to transport it if we don't have that desire?

Because that's the attitude that leads to global warming, overflowing landfills, disgusting waterways, etc. I don't mind paying for it myself, but governments HAVE to step in at some point when the environmental damage is an issue. Plus, many of the recylcing programs in other cities end up being self-funding -- while governments "pay" for curbside recycling and do the sorting, etc., the money made off of these programs in turn end up paying for the program itself, so it actually doesn't cost taxpayers anything.

IF that were the case, why wouldn't our government do something that was good for the environment and took minimal effort from it's populace? Furthermore, I disagree that people wouldn't separate. If you are given a bin and educated on how to separate, it doesn't take people long to catch on and realize that at least half of their garbage is recyclable. The only change is from one trash can to two -- one for trash trash and one for recyclables.

But really, that wasn't what this post was supposed to be about, and any chance of a program like this in Indianapolis is unlikely to happen before I decide to move out of state again. So it's sort of a mute point. But your attitudes toward the issue are a perfect example of why it won't happen. They're not bad attitudes and they're not even uninformed, they're just reflecting the popular mindset and I appreciate you speaking up.

1.Sewers, huh? Very interesting. Something that probably almost NEVER comes to mind for most.

2.AMEN!!

3.Election day is right around the corner. Good timing and good point!

One possible solution to the lack of recyclers would be for the trash collection department to charge based on the amount of garbage a household places curbside, like how IPL and IWC charge for consumption. That would encourage people to lessen there amount of garbage and increase their amount of recyclables.

I bought my own bin and transport my recyclables myself.

and in all truth, the only recyclable currently making anyone any money is paper, but, IMO it's not about the money, it's about being responsible.

and why would you only care if you live here? That doesn't sound very responsible.

That would be a great idea for the city to adopt.

I do hope they make changes before I leave. It's just one of the biggest things I wish the city would change. I'll care about it no matter where I live, it just tends to be easier in other cities I've lived in.

What else people?

What to do about nightlife? I hear Minneapolis has an amazing nightlife scene and they're about the same size as Indy, aren't they? Austin, San Fran . . . both cities about the same size as Indy.

Interesting question and even more interesting answers.

A far better public transportations system is a must if we want to reduce traffic as well as oil consumption on the long run and protect the environment. Not only in Indy but throughout the US. It would have to include lanes solely for bikes and buses. Europe is far ahead in those cases. Someone said 'Mass transit won't become popular until it becomes necessary.' If it has become a necessity, wouldn't that mean it is already far too late? And as far as I know you 'pay' the government through taxes so the government can pay for what is important to you as a whole city and society. You may just have to demand it?

transmission lines. Can anybody explain why electrical wires in most of the US are still not in the ground? Too expensive is a bad excuse since every storm or tornado multiply the cost of fixing those lines while leaving people suffering for days or weeks.

Education, to be precise 'Environmental Education' should be part of the education in middle schools and High schools or even earlier since they are going to inherit the mess we leave behind someday.

A three level club with various music from Rock, Hip Hop to Reggae on separate levels. It brings different people of different interests together while they can still have their preferred niche and I can just jump through them all. And please bring back the slow jam hour, I do like to cuddle on the dance floor. Old school style, you feel me?

Slow jam! Oh how I love me some old school, cholo-loved slow jams.

And Indy is surprisingly void of a three-level dance club. You're right. Seven and Ice, I think, tried to make something like that happen, but the places were so big and they just couldn't pack them like they do in other cities. But I do enjoy going someplace that offers such diverse options in one place.

There's a country bar / hip hop club.... lol nice combo

You talking about 8 Seconds Saloon? Hahahahaha. That place is some INTERESTING people watching for sure!

I'd love to read the paper or just relax on my way to work. I vote for a quasi-reliable mass transit system. I tried to do the IndyGO thing, and after about the fifth time the bus drove right by me....whoosh...I decided to pick up the car keys and drive to work. What a shame. Man, I hate driving!

Weird.. I try to make it blatantly obvious I'm waiting for the bus if I'm not at a major stop. I'll pretty much do ANYTHING to not have to drive to work. My last few jobs I've been lucky enough to be within walking and biking distance.

"transmission lines. Can anybody explain why electrical wires in most of the US are still not in the ground? Too expensive is a bad excuse since every storm or tornado multiply the cost of fixing those lines while leaving people suffering for days or weeks."

The environmental impact is great if they're buried. The cost to build IS one problem, but the cost to maintain and the cost to repair are just as big of factors. Concrete vaults have to be built intermittently to maintain splices and terminations. Also, the length of time it would take to repair is much greater if the lines are buried.

Not only do they have to be buried, they have to be encased, and they have to be sealed watertight, and they have to be filled with pressurized gases or fluids or be a solid dielectric polyethylene. The environmental impact of a leak or rupture could be catastrophic. The solid dielectric polyethylene would be the easiest to maintain and the safest, but, of course, it's made from oil. And the price, demand, and environmental impacts of this non renewable resource are well known, so I won't go into that.

All that aside, undergrounds lines sure are much better aesthetically... but is it worth it?

This discussion has turned out to be so much more informative and interesting than I expected! Thank god intelligent people are around to talk about this stuff and bring up the pros and cons and educate those around us!

I'm learning new things every day and am totally fascinated. Thanks everyone!

indyclone is right about the sewers; we have an antiquated system but sewers are an out-of-sight-out-of-mind problem -- until of course we get a huge rain and the sewers overflow and there's flooding. Tough though for politicians to devote resources to fixing a problem when they can't later show off the solution.

The quality of our public schools, in teaching, infrastructure and parental involvement, needs to be addressed. Busing, for all its good intentions of integration, has done a disservice to central city residents by creating a disconnect between people in a neighborhood and its schools. Poverty does not necessarily mean a lack of interest in a kid's education. More parents would be involved with their kids' schools if the kids went to a school nearby instead of being bused to the burbs. I have parent-teacher conferences today. How could you get to a parent-teacher conference, for example, if you live in So-Bro and your kid is bused to Franklin Township? I know much of busing is being phased out, but we then have to make the quality of our public central city schools comparable to the township schools.

And that takes us to public transportation. Because getting to Franklin Township from So-Bro, for example, without a car would be challenging to say the least. But getting anywhere around the city on by bus can be challenging. When I was in college and doing an internship here, I lived way out on west 10th street. To get to an office near the Pyramids, I had to catch a bus very, very early in the morning, take it downtown, wait for a considerable time on another bus and take that one on a long, circuitous route to the Pyramids.

They're all quality of life issues, in one way or another.

Agreed. I'm not sure how you could otherwise get the two opposite ends of the spectrum together like that.

Are there cities that do this (charge for "consumption of waste")? I would be interested in knowing more about the logistics of it, especially living in an apartment complex with community dumpsters.

I would think that apartment dumpsters are contracted, not tied to the city like most of residential Indianapolis is, but I'm not sure.

Indianapolis trash collection is sub-contracted so it's probably harder to tell just by seeing a company name on the dumpster.

I don't know of any cities doing it, but it would involve more work for the collectors, counting each bag/can picked up, and undoubtedly a higher cost.

The only way I think it would be effective would be for all trash collection to be paid for directly by the individual home, like most areas outside of Indy. Most of those companies make you purchase proprietary trash bins. So, the amount could be easily based on the number of bins bought or rented by each home.

hey watch who you're callin intelligent!

Monsieur Indyclone, I read the arguments you brought up but I believe those are more your reasons but not necessary the reasons why it is not as common in the US as it is in Europe. Come on now, enviromental risks, in the US? As if such has ever been of any magnitude importance. If you would have mentioned the Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Interference with 'deep' buried Pipelines or even the impact of the much higher humidity in the Midwest and the risk of lightning strikes or risk of earth quakes in some ares like San Fra, those are as I believe the more well-researched and acctepted reasons. And it is not like buried Transmission lines do not exists in the US. Every Downtown in all major cities are supplied with electricity this way. The costs are the driving factors here but the cost to repair and mantain land wires surpass the cost of buried ones in the long run by far and it reduce the risk of leaving people without electricity for days or weeks after every winter storm. Could it be time to ask some European contries how they did it and how much it costs them? Buried transmission lines could be efficiently combined with a far better modernized sewer system as well.

But enough of those liberal ideas here now. Thanks for the very educative answers, my man.

(1) No more road construction for at least the next 25 years! (2) How about FINALLY giving us a major league baseball team? (3) How about a decent nightclub that doesn't cater to old farts OR the freshly turned 21 crowds?

1) Create a half-mile moat around Indianapolis so that we could feel like we're near a coast.

2) Create mountains in the background surrounding the moat for inspirational scenery.

3) Change the liquor law that forbids you to buy alcohol in stores on Sunday.

more parking downtown!!!! also, teenagers are not allowed downtown past 9pm, on ANY day. they are really annoying when you are trying to drive downtown, and they just walk in front of you, DARING you to hit them.

OMG. The liquor laws. They drive me batty. I wrote a whole column about it in INtake about a year ago. I don't understand the concept of not selling liquor on Sundays or election days. I mean, isn't it hypocritical to say you can't buy it at a store, but you can buy it and consume it at a bar or restaurant? And why can I not bring a minor into a restaurant/bar? Which reminds me too, the smoking laws here are ridiculous. Seriously, why the half-ass law?

I've never been to any other state that was so weird about these sort of laws. It makes it REALLY difficult to take a kid anywhere in Broad Ripple. I mean, BW3s is family-friendly in all other locations except this one, and eateries like Midtown and Usual Suspects are 18 and over only. Heck, the Rathskeller's Beirgarten is adults only now too.

Am I the only one who finds this a huge nuisance? Not like I'm going to take my kid bar-hopping, but to not even be able to eat in the restaurant portion of a bar/grill or on the patio of a decent restaurant seems completely unacceptable to me.

"Which reminds me too, the smoking laws here are ridiculous. Seriously, why the half-ass law? I've never been to any other state that was so weird about these sort of laws. It makes it REALLY difficult to take a kid anywhere in Broad Ripple. I mean, BW3s is family-friendly in all other locations except this one, and eateries like Midtown and Usual Suspects are 18 and over only."

Yep, local restaurants that were both bars and restaurants have opted for the 'over 18 only" so that they can allow smoking... they make more money too since they don't have to have kids meals on the menu. I've seen several restaurant owners post on the IndyStar Topix boards about changing licenses over when their's is up, so that they can go to smoking because they are losing money since the law change. I'd love to see a study done on how prevailent this line of thinking is by restaurant owners.

Here! Here! Used to take my mini-crew to the Rathskellar's Beirgarten all the time to grab a drink, let them split a pretzel and catch some music. They used to allow minors in before 9pm and the kids adored it. But now? nada. I am wholly and completely frustrated with the growing non-family-friendly atmosphere of most Downtown eateries in the evenings.

There is already too much parking downtown.

Well, if ALL restaurants were forced to go non-smoking that would certainly even the playing field. Not to mention, it's healthier for everyone involved. But we are No. 2 in the nation for percentage of smokers for a reason. What a messed up priority.

It does seem unfair that places that opt to go the non-smoking route are penalized for doing the right thing. And those that aren't penalize patrons who have children. This is what I mean by half-ass laws. Why our lawmakers decided that taking the middle of the road approach instead of a complete ban is completely beyond me.

I believe the law is to separate bars from restaurants. Smoking being allowed at bars, and not at restaurants... I'm not sure if there's a rule on the percentage of revenue generated from alcohol sales that is required to be a bar that serves food, vs. just a restaurant that serves liqueur.

IMO, the better thing to do would have been to leave the laws alone. There was never a law that said that a restaurant HAD to allow smoking. Why more didn't go completely non smoking, you got me, but at least there was a choice involved.

I understand the bar owners' complaint and the right to choose. But I also think that health concerns should override their right to make money off of allowing patrons to slowly kill each other. Yeah, I know that could be said of a million other industries as well, but people are fighting back.

Does anyone actually LIKE smelling like an ashtray when they come home from a bar, or the smokers lung they cough up the next morning? Smoking bans work in other cities. Lots of other cities. Yes, people gripe and complain in the beginning, but they get used to it. And it's better for the population at large.

I'd rather have the choice in my own hands -- to pop into a "bar" that allows smoking and order some damn food regardless of the age of its patrons. I'd rather have the laws revert to the way they were before than have them the way they are now.

But I have all-or-nothing tendencies.

I went to the last Indians game of this past season, and Parking was horrible, I had to pay 30 bucks to park at the Westin. The state employee lot isn't close to being enough parking.

Indy needs more garages, and maybe a few less ground level lots on the southeast side of downtown. Although the ground level lots are better for Colts tailgating...

What about the alcohol related health concerns? The fact that most people drive themselves home from bars, after drinking...

I've NEVER paid for parking downtown, mostly because I live within walking distance, but when I didn't I wouldn't even consider paying because there is so much free street parking.. Of course I don't mind walking 4-5 blocks from where I parked. I think most hoosiers are allergic to walking.

hell, I had to walk 4 blocks from the parking garage.. I suppose I could have parked for free in Haughville, but I didn't really feel like it.

Parking solutions? Take a taxi. It's cheaper and you can drink and not risk getting a D.U.I.