B Line Trail:

The B Line trail is spread through the heart of the Bloomington town. It is a 3.1-mile-long paved trail that has bridges, parks, skateparks, kids play area, cycling tracks, jogging tracks and many more. The trail is bustling over the weekend when there are people walking their dogs, taking a jog, kids running all around the place, skate parks filled with people trying out new tricks, people playing tennis, cycling groups practicing and many more activities. Part of the trail is also very close to the downtown area so there are a lot of eateries, grocery stores, pubs and shops close to the trail.

I could not cover the entire trail in a single day, so I walked along the trail on multiple occasions. I feel that the weekends are the best time to explore the trail. Cycling along the trail would be the best option. There are cycle stands at multiple locations along the trail so whenever you feel like taking a break you can park the bike look for a bench and rest.

 

My Experience

I feel the part of the trail that is close to the downtown can be best enjoyed walking and you don’t need to worry about finding a spot to park your car. I have been there on multiple occasions; this part of the trail gives you the best view of the town along with beautiful trees, wide open spaces and a calm community. I would say this part of the trail is best on the weekdays when there are very few people around it is usually very calm and soothing.

I would prefer to cycle on the trail on cloudy days when the temperature is not too harsh with deep blue sky and green trees all around with a few buildings here and there, cycling along the trail on days like that would calm me put me out of all my tensions and worries. The other end of the trail is better on the weekends with people playing tennis, kids playing basketball, people trying out skateboarding tricks in the switchyard skatepark. I personally enjoy the in the part of the trail on the weekends more.

Places I Encountered:

The downtown side of trail I have seen Wonderlab Museum, Marriot, few restaurants and eateries, Kroger, farmers market, foot bridges over the roads at a couple of places, switchyard skatepark, tennis courts, kids play areas, basketball courts, farm Bloomington and many other interesting spots spread over the trail.

People I Encountered:

I encountered cyclists, people walking their dogs, kids, skateboarders, people playing chess on the benches, people commuting to work, homeless people sleeping on the benches, groups of friends enjoying the weather.

 

Types Of transportation:

The trail has multiple bus route connections, multiple parking spots along the trail, cycle stands all along the trail, people were skateboarding along the trail. The trail is pretty well connected to all modes of transportation with many bus stops close to the trail. There are multiple entry points to the trail people generally use this trial to commute from one place to another using cycles, walking and rentable scooters like Veo, Bird and Lime. There are a lot of scooters that people irresponsibly left in the middle of the trail instead of dropping them at the designated drop off spots.

Land Uses:

The area is smartly used to create spaces that can entertain all age groups. The area majorly concentrates on creating a greener environment amidst of all the concrete buildings. The space is used to build paved paths for cycling and walking, parks for kids, basketball courts, tennis courts, skate park, bridges, foot-over bridges, benches for people to sit, dog parks.

Smart City Strategies

Though the trail is lit by lights all along during the nights there are spots that are a little shady with very little light I feel that there a need to have better security and a better surveillance system to monitor during the nights. I also felt that there should be inclusion of smart benches with shade similar to cabanas that would encourage people to come there and work. It would also encourage students to come out and work in the spaces on the b line.

Smart Surveillance and Smart Lighting

I feel that there need to be an autonomous smart surveillance system that has to be installed along the trail that can detect any kind of unusual behaviors and emergencies without any person in need to check the cameras every minute. I also feel that smart lighting should be installed along the trail that has the capability to detect humans and increase the intensity of the light. This way we can have well-lit pathways and at the same time save energy when there are no people. There are also a few spots on the trail that have very low cellular reception for some network providers so I feel there has to be Wi-Fi connection installed all along the trail then we can cut out this problem. In some situations, if we are stuck in these spots, we cannot even call for emergency services without cellphone reception.

 

Smart Benches

I feel that there can be cabana style smart benches that can installed along the trail that would encourage people to come out to work in the open. The smart benches should have solar panels to convert solar power to electricity that can be used to power up the laptops, phones, WI-FI modem and other electronic devices. The smart benches should also have WI-FI modems or hotspots that would help people to work. The inclusion of benches on the trail would encourage students to come out and work in the open with green trees and fresh air all around. This will also help small businesses and stores around the trail to prosper as there will be more people coming out of their homes and dorms.