Bloomington mayor vetoes plan to limit cars on Kirkwood Avenue

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — The Bloomington mayor on Monday vetoed a proposal to close five blocks of Kirkwood Avenue to vehicles for 6-1/2 months of the year and open it only to pedestrians.

The proposal affecting the downtown commercial and civic area near the Indiana University campus will be returned to the city council, which next meets on July 22. Six members of the council would be required to support an override of Democratic Mayor Kerry Thomson’s veto. On June 10, the council voted 5-4 to pass the ordinance.

The ordinance would close Kirkwood Avenue between South Walnut Street and South Indiana Avenue from April 1 through Nov. 15 each year.

Kirkwood Avenue gained added attention during the Little 500 weekend, when hundreds gathered on the street in the nighttime hours after the annual bicycle races. Five young women were shot during a fight, police said. An 18-year-old man was charged with battery by means of a deadly weapon, and criminal ...